The following ASUG case study was authored in collaboration with Infosys. It can be downloaded in full here.

The Background

Hatch is a global engineering, project management, and professional services firm that has completed projects in over 150 countries. Known for its deep technical expertise and strategic insight, Hatch serves clients across the metals, energy, and infrastructure sectors, helping them solve some of the world’s most complex challenges.

At the core of Hatch’s approach is collaboration. By partnering closely with clients, the company co-develops innovative ideas that lead to transformative outcomes. Its diverse teams bring together vast engineering knowledge and business acumen to deliver solutions that are not only practical and safe, but also forward-thinking and sustainable.

From designing resilient infrastructure to advancing clean energy and optimizing industrial performance, Hatch is committed to building a better world—one project at a time.

With thousands of employees worldwide, the company depends on a consistent and efficient onboarding process to bring new hires into the organization. Although compliance obligations required onboarding in every region, the way those processes were managed differed widely.

Leaders identified an opportunity to unify and elevate the experience. Their aim was to move beyond country-by-country processes to create a system that met local regulations while offering every new hire a seamless and well-structured introduction to Hatch. The solution also needed to support multiple official languages and integrate tightly with existing HR systems.

To achieve this, Hatch partnered with Infosys, building on an established relationship that significantly strengthened during their S/4HANA implementation in 2023, and leveraging the firm’s global reach and SAP SuccessFactors expertise.

“We saw it as a natural progression to leverage our relationship with Infosys. They have consultants everywhere [who] can mobilize quickly. And if they don’t have the answer, they have their center of excellence we can rely on.” – Rob Collia, Global Director, Corporate Systems at Hatch.

That partnership, developed over several years, culminated in a global onboarding transformation anchored in SAP SuccessFactors.

The Situation

Hatch maintained regulatory frameworks in each of its regions, but onboarding practices remained inconsistent. Every country had its own compliance standards, with different documentation requirements in India, Canada, and the United States.

“Partnering with Infosys allowed us to embed diverse compliance requirements into a unified onboarding process. This strategic approach ensured consistency and improved the experience for new hires across all regions.” – Eric Murakami, Global Director, HR Operations & Technology at Hatch.

Consistency and timing were also challenges. Critical personal details wereoften collected on the first day of work, when employees were already occupied with paperwork and orientation. “Pre day one or day one, when new joiners are most engaged and predisposed to sharing things like their personal contact and emergency contact. Those things get harder the longer we delay them,” explained Murakami. 

Language requirements added another layer of complexity. Hatch operates in four official languages—English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese—and all needed to be supported from the start. French translations received special emphasis to ensure compliance in Quebec, while German and Polish were earmarked for future phases.

The implementation itself was complicated by a rocky beginning. Hatch had initially engaged a different partner, but, as Gloria To, HR Operations & Technology Lead of Talent Management at Hatch, admitted, “it didn’t work  out.” She later added, “I would say it’s almost impossible to pick things up from where we had left off… it almost felt like we started again from scratch.”

When Infosys came onto the project, parts of the configuration were unfinished and didn’t reflect Hatch’s needs. The first step was a health check and a fit-gap analysis, which showed clear mismatches between what had been delivered and what the business required. “It’s not going to give you the full answer, but it helped level-set where things were at,” explained Collia.

Because the onboarding program stretched across many countries and compliance regimes, the team had to adjust the system carefully before it could move ahead.

The Initiative

Once Infosys assumed responsibility for the project, the focus turned to execution at scale. Hatch and Infosys agreed to restart the implementation using the standard SAP SuccessFactors methodology. This meant completing three full iterations of development, each one refining the configuration and drawing the business closer to a final design that reflected its requirements.

Midway through, Hatch participated in SAP’s Solution Launch Check as a preferred customer. This checkpoint served as both a technical and strategic validation. “What that did was that it really helped validate the configurations and the overall strategy that the Infosys team had put together for us. It helped us create trust and confidence in moving forward on both parties,” said To.

The scope of work was broad. The onboarding system had to function across Hatch’s four official languages, with full integration into Employee Central and Recruiting. Configuration decisions were critical. Infosys collaborated with Hatch to seamlessly integrate compliance protocols and organization-specific policies within the onboarding workflow.

The team engineered custom tasks to address unique requirements, such as IT equipment requisitions, previously managed offline. Enhanced automation minimized manual interventions, significantly improving process reliability and efficiency.

Infosys implemented advanced reporting capabilities using SuccessFactors People Stories, establishing a robust foundation for future dashboards and analytics. Ongoing enhancements to reporting were underway as the system approached its go-live milestone.

Change management was prioritized throughout the implementation. Hatch, supported by Infosys, conducted thorough impact assessments to identify key stakeholder groups, placing HR coordinators at the core of the design. Comprehensive training materials and concise instructional videos facilitated user adoption, while targeted support was provided to hiring managers as required.

“[SAP’s Solution Launch Check] really helped validate the configurations and the overall strategy that the Infosys team had put together for us. It helped us create trust and confidence in moving forward on both parties.” – Gloria To, HR Operations & Technology Lead of Talent Management at Hatch. 

The Results

The onboarding solution went live in spring 2025 after approximately eight months of development, followed by a month of hypercare. The system is now in use worldwide, fully integrated with Employee Central and Recruiting.

For Hatch, the transformation was designed to enhance the experience for new hires while also creating consistency for hiring managers, HR coordinators, and talent acquisition teams.

“Our main vision and objective for this project was to, number one, enhance the overall experience for our new hires, hiring managers, and HR coordinators, and number two, to make a more consistent experience and process for all stakeholders involved. And I think we are achieving that,” said To. Early feedback supported her point, with employees and managers noting greater clarity in the onboarding steps and smoother coordination across teams.

The system also changed how work got done. Tasks that once relied on manual input were built into automated workflows, cutting down on errors and delays. Compliance requirements that had previously varied by region were embedded directly into the platform, giving HR teams a consistent process they could monitor across different jurisdictions.

“Infosys partnered closely with Hatch to implement industry best practices and innovative solutions, proactively addressing business needs and opportunities.” said Srinivasa Rao Edara, Principal of Enterprise Applications at Infosys. “This collaborative approach enabled the successful delivery of a robust onboarding transformation within an accelerated eight-month timeframe.”

“Our main vision and objective for this project was to, number one, enhance the overall experience for our new hires, hiring managers, and HR coordinators and, number two, to make a more consistent experience and process for all stakeholders involved. And I think we are achieving that.” – Gloria To, HR Operations & Technology Lead of Talent Management at Hatch. 

Lessons Learned

Looking back on the project, Hatch and Infosys reflected on several key themes that shaped its success. These included the strategic timing of stakeholder engagement, the disciplined approach to documentation, the clarity of collaboration, and the pivotal role of change management in driving adoption.

One recurring theme was the importance of involving stakeholders earlier in the process. “Something learned from that is we probably should have brought them in even earlier, maybe even at the end of iteration one, or maybe even iteration two, so that we have enough runway in front of us to help implement those changes that they suggested,” said To.

Documentation also played a decisive role. “That was a strong point,” said To, referring to Hatch’s maintenance of comprehensive workbooks and decision records. That rigor provided clarity across regions and prevented the program from veering off track.

Hatch approached adoption not as a one-time event, but as a continuous responsibility. Tailored training materials and concise instructional videos provided HR coordinators with hands-on guidance, while hiring managers received timely support aligned with their engagement moments. These efforts sustained user involvement beyond go-live and laid the foundation for ongoing optimization.

Another key milestone was SAP’s Solution Launch Check, which gave both teams reassurance that configurations and strategy were on track. It helped validate their approach and built confidence before moving into the final stage of deployment.

The onboarding program exemplified how a large, decentralized enterprise can replace fragmented regional practices with a unified global system — while still honoring local compliance requirements.

Ankit Rai, Senior Associated Lead at Infosys, said Hatch’s openness and adaptability were instrumental in driving a highly effective partnership with Infosys. This collaborative spirit enabled both organizations to align quickly on objectives, streamline decision-making, and maintain project momentum. By prioritizing transparency, setting clear expectations, and establishing a culture of continuous feedback from the outset, Hatch and Infosys ensured that the onboarding transformation delivered measurable business value and sustainable results.

Ultimately, the project delivered measurable business impact by enhancing the onboarding experience for new hires and streamlining processes for HR teams and hiring managers. Through Infosys’s disciplined execution and Hatch’s collaborative culture, the organizations established a scalable and sustainable onboarding framework. This solution not only ensured robust compliance with local regulations but also drove global consistency, strengthening Hatch’s employer brand and operational efficiency.

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