314 Management skills 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 to improve speed at which information is available; to improve flexibility of information to support business planning; to improve services to employees; to produce HR metrics; to aid human capital reporting; to improve productivity; to reduce operational costs; to manage people's working time more effectively. Features of an HRIS The features of particular interest in an HRIS system are the use of software, integration with other IT systems in the organization, use of the intranet and provisions for self-service. Use of software It is customary to buy software from an external supplier. There is a choice between buying a `vanilla system' (ie an `off-the-shelf' system without any upgrades) and customizing the supplier's system to meet specified business