What is a PPOS? The People and Performance Operating System, explained

The short answer

A PPOS, or People and Performance Operating System, is software that connects the systems a business uses to manage its people (HR, rostering, training and guest or customer reviews) into one record for every team member. It then automates the admin between those systems, so managers can see who is ready, who needs support and where the gaps are, without building reports by hand.

Think of it as a property management system for your people. A PMS brought rooms, rates and guests into one place. A PPOS does the same for the team who looks after them.

Why a new category?

Most businesses already have a system of record for the things they sell. Hotels have the PMS. Retailers have point of sale. Finance teams have accounting software. These systems are trusted because everything about a room, a sale or an invoice lives in one place.

People data has never had that. A hotel's team members appear in an HR system, a rostering tool, one or more training platforms, review sites, spreadsheets and inboxes. Each tool does its job well, but none of them talk to each other. So the simplest questions are slow to answer:

• Is everyone on tonight's shift trained for their role?

• Whose food safety or responsible service of alcohol certificate expires this month?

• Which new starters are ready to work unsupervised?

• What did guests say about the team this week?

Someone has to pull exports from four systems and stitch them together, and by the time they're done the answer is already out of date. A PPOS exists to close that gap.

What a PPOS does

A PPOS does three jobs.

One record for every team member. Every team member's record stays in sync with your HR system: their role, location, start date and status. When someone joins, moves or leaves, the PPOS knows straight away.

Admin that runs itself. Training from your providers and your own content sits in one place. Set a requirement once, for a role or a property, and the PPOS assigns it, tracks it and records it, through to expiry and renewal.

Readiness you can see. See who is job-ready, who is falling behind and where the gaps are across a team or a group of properties, before an audit or a guest finds them. Managers put the time they get back into coaching, rostering the right people and looking after guests.

What a PPOS is not

A PPOS doesn't replace the tools you already run.

• It's not an LMS. A learning management system hosts and delivers courses. A PPOS connects to your training providers and LMS, assigns the right training to the right people and keeps the record.

• It's not an HR system. Your HRIS stays the source of truth for employment records and payroll. A PPOS keeps its people records in step with it.

• It's not a rostering tool. Rostering decides who works when. A PPOS helps make sure the people on the roster are ready for the shift.

The value of a PPOS is in the connections between these systems, and in the admin it takes off your managers' plates.

How a PPOS works with the tools you have

A PPOS works through connections, grouped by what they do:

• Training: training platforms, content libraries and video, such as Typsy, YouTube, Vimeo and HeyGen.

• Workforce: HR and rostering systems, such as Employment Hero.

• Reviews: guest review platforms, such as Google Business, so what guests say sits beside your team's training and readiness.

• Property and Tasks: on our roadmap, bringing the property management system and day-to-day tasks into the same record.

Because a PPOS connects to whatever a business chooses, a hotel can keep the tools that suit it and change them later without starting again. See every connection.

What a PPOS delivers

• High performance. Teams that are trained for their role and supported from their first shift give their best to guests.

• Stronger margins. Less turnover, fewer hours lost to admin and fewer costly mistakes all show up in the operating result.

• Operational efficiency. Managers stop chasing spreadsheets and certificates. Requirements are assigned and tracked automatically, so the work gets done without the chase.

• Lower risk. Critical training is in place before people start work, and you can show the record when you're asked for it.

A PPOS for hotels

The PPOS began in hospitality. Running Ignite Hospitality, an innovation programme for Australian hotels, we kept meeting the same problem: training that took hours to track and prove, team members leaving before they were ready, and managers doing paperwork instead of looking after guests.

Hotels feel this more than most. Turnover is high, new starters need to be on shift fast, and some training can't wait, including food safety, responsible service of alcohol, card payment security and spotting the signs of modern slavery and people trafficking. In a hotel, a PPOS means every property meets the brand's standards in its own way, every operator can see where each property stands, and every manager gets hours back for their guests.

That is why we built Paddl as the Hotel PPOS. Read our founder's letter to find out more.

Common questions

Do I need to replace my HR or training systems to use a PPOS?

No. A PPOS connects to the systems you already run and keeps them in step. You keep the tools that work for you.

Who uses a PPOS?

Managers and administrators use it to set requirements, track readiness and handle people admin. Team members use a simple app to see what's next and complete their training. Brands and operators use it to see where every property stands.

Is a PPOS only for large hotel groups?

No. A single property gets the same benefits: one record for every team member, training tracked automatically and less admin. For groups, the gains multiply with every property they add.

Is a PPOS the same as compliance software?

No. A PPOS tracks and records training so you can show what's been done, but it doesn't certify compliance. That stays with the business and its auditors.