Readiness Survey Help Units Prepare for The Upgrade

A new readiness survey will help University communities prepare for The Upgrade. Piloted by the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) and the Office of Human Resources (OHR), the survey is an easy-to-use checklist for preparation, and delivers helpful data on unit readiness.

The survey can be used as-is with data recorded into Qualtrics for analysis, or units can customize the survey and conduct their own assessments. The survey will be distributed to units in mid-February.

Readiness Surveys Show Progress and Gaps

The pilot surveys achieved very strong participation, with a 90% response rate in CLA, and a 55% response rate in OHR, despite the latter pilot being conducted over the two weeks that included the holiday break. Responses showed that University employees are making steady progress in preparing for The Upgrade, but more preparation is needed.

Here are a few of the findings from the OHR pilot, which was sent to HR Leads, HR Stars, and OHR Employee Relation Consultants:

Pilot Survey Findings: Strengths

• Respondents are aware of training and how to prepare
• Respondents are comfortable with time and absence management changes
• Respondents are aware of changes to payroll accounting

Pilot Survey Findings: Opportunities

• Supervising faculty need training on how to approve and delegate time and absences in the upgraded system
• Faculty need to be ready to handle student registration questions

If you have questions about the survey, contact Norm Schultz at schu3371@umn.edu.

After The Upgrade: Entering Appointment Data Before Employee’s First Day Is Critical for Payroll

With the PeopleSoft upgrade, new capabilities will require changing our processes, including entering Appointment data into the Human Resources Management System. In fact, accurate and timely Appointment Entry drives pay and virtually every other important HR function.

Currently when an employee is hired, the entry of that person’s data may happen at any point after we know their start date, up until the deadline for Pay Entry for their first paycheck. This is changing: After The Upgrade, the Appointment must be entered into the system before a new employee’s first day of work.

In simple terms, Appointment Entry will drive payroll. If someone is not entered into the system before their first day of work, they cannot report time or absence, and their pay will be affected.

For online training about Appointments, Position Management and other functions, go to The Upgrade Training & Education site.

How to Prepare for The Upgrade

Training & education

As The Upgrade nears, you will receive emails about training relevant to your role. Most training emails will be sent in January. You are encouraged to take training close to when you receive the emails.

All training information is accessible via the Upgrade Education page, some of which is available now. Since most training will be online, you can revisit it and retake it as many times as you want. (Training could not be developed until after the system was built and tested, so courses are still in development, prioritized by need and timing.)

Here are two trainings that many people will need to take:

• Time and absence training will be available in early January. Employees who submit or approve hours or absences on paper must learn how to do these activities online.
• People who use student systems (Campus Solutions) should take the Student Systems Upgrade Overview course, available now.

If you want to take additional training, consider your primary job responsibilities and, if needed, talk to your supervisor.

Know your support network

During The Upgrade, additional support will be provided to call centers/help desks. Plus, you can reach out to your Advance Team, “voice on the ground” personnel with advance tools and information who have graciously offered to support their areas during The Upgrade. 

Embrace change

Big systems implementations like these usually face technical issues and natural human resistance. Prepare for changes, be flexible, and exercise patience with your colleagues and the system. (See this TED Talk video on change.)

Staff, faculty, and students evaluate ESUP’s web presence

Reaching new audiences

If you’re reading the ESUP blog, then you probably have some idea about the impact the upgrade will have on your work. But there are thousands in the University community who have a lot of catching up to do. As we approach April 2015* (when the upgraded systems plan to “Go Live”), ESUP’s Communication Team reached out to “unaware audiences” to figure out the best way to get them up-to-speed.

Usability Services

The Team leveraged the expertise of user experience analyst Nick Rosencrans to evaluate ESUP's online presence. As a member of IT Training and Usability Services, Nick discussed the basics of content strategy and facilitated an evaluation of the website and blog in the University's usability lab. By conducting usability tests with faculty, staff, and students who were mostly unaware of ESUP activities, we gained insight into how these members of the University community find information, how existing content resonates with them, and how they view the potential impact of the systems upgrade.

Santiago Fernández-Giménez(bottom) and Nick Rosencrans(top)
observe participants from behind double-sided glass

Findings

Overall, evaluators were able to find information explaining how and why the University is updating its systems. Most users seemed to agree the content explains why the upgrade is a positive and necessary step, but the Team also heard feedback on areas needing attention:

• Most users wanted to know what is changing, when, and how it will affect them. An abundance of information and insider jargon seemed to obscure the most important points that answered their queries.  

• Evaluators did not anticipate much, if any, interruption to their daily work, despite language indicating systems will be down for several days during Go Live.  

• Our audiences self identified with their role(s) as faculty, staff, or student (example: a staff member who is also taking classes) and sought information according to these roles, rather than how ESUP is organized as work streams or differentiated by the systems (Student, HRMS, Finance, etc.).  

• Participants wanted to know the people behind ESUP. They wanted to understand where to direct their inquiries and have confidence that their concerns would be routed to the correct person.

Tricia Conway(left) and Carrie Meyer(right)

record observations in the Usability Lab

Looking forward

Time with Usability Services provided valuable direction for how to provide detailed information to the community. In the coming months, the Communications Team will adjust strategies and messages to address areas of confusion. To learn more about the upgrade, please contact esup@umn.edu.

*This article was updated on 02/04/2015 to reflect the most recent timing information.

ESUP Reporting information sessions and program status update

On June 18, ESUP staff presented the latest information on the Program’s status as a whole and its efforts around University reporting and data management to approximately 100 colleagues.

Amy Winkel presenting at the reporting and data
management information session in Nicholson hall

Dennis Wenzel, executive program director, gave an overall Program update recognizing the progress and effort made so far, the hard work and high level of collaboration on the project from across the University and acknowledging the road ahead won’t be easy.

Amy Winkel, Amy Schult, and Barbara Scotford from the Reporting and Data Management team also talked about their team’s scope for ESUP with more specific information about what’s happening with UM Reports, the Data Warehouse, and the new Reporting Center, which is being developed as part of the Program.

Amy Schult presenting
on the new Reporting Center

“I was most interested in the status and new developments in UM Reports,” said Mark Bultmann, director of Advising Initiatives and coordinator of Special Scholarships. “It is my lifeline to data for the student groups I monitor. I also appreciated the Reporting Center job aid and the features highlighted on that document.”

Click here to watch a recording of the first session, to see the reporting presentation, and to see the Reporting Center job aid used at each session.

ESUP Student team meets in-person to collaborate, share progress

More than 120 people involved with the Student systems upgrade met in-person June 16-17 to work together face-to-face. The group met on the Twin Cities campus and included representatives from all campuses and all areas of the Student project: academic advisement, admissions, campus community, financial aid, SEVIS, student finance, and student records. 

The two-day meeting kicked off with a visit from President Kaler who discussed his vision of operational excellence as it relates to ESUP. Following his presentation, attendees learned more about work stream intersections from ESUP leaders before seeing some of the student experience in the upgraded system and having time to work as module teams.

From top and left to right: All Student group from all campuses,
President Kaler, and All Student breakout session

The second day of the meeting began with Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education Bob McMaster addressing the importance of supporting and improving the student experience. Before having more time to work together as module teams, the group participated in a workshop on how to address difficult changes with stakeholders. The team was encouraged to follow the L.E.A.D. approach:

• Listen using active listening skills
• Empathize
• Answer the person’s questions
• Direct to other sources of information

Associate Vice Provost and University Registrar Sue Van Voorhis said bringing the Student work stream together was a good way to reconnect and collaborate with colleagues. “It was great to have representatives from all campuses meet in-person after a long period of virtual meetings and conference calls.” 

On the Road Again...

Santiago Fernandez-Gimenez between
Nolte and Williamson Halls going to another
University unit to share ESUP information

In the past year ESUP staff, mostly Santiago Fernandez-Gimenez, Change Management director, has logged many miles visiting over 100 unit, governance, and professional network meetings including the:

• Senate Committee on Finance and Planning 
• College of Science and Engineering
• Carlson School of Management
• All five system campuses
• College of Biological Sciences

The visits offer the opportunity for face-to face communication between ESUP staff and stakeholder communities across the University’s five-campus system.

These crucial conversations have transformed over time, starting with executive and leadership meetings focusing on the why and how of ESUP. (Watch the first three “About ESUP” videos for this high-level context.) As the program moved past the analysis phase and into its current development phase, these conversations are starting to address specific changes coming with ESUP. 

Many blog posts in the Upgrade newsletter are based on questions faculty and staff asked during these face-to-face meetings. Listening and responding to stakeholder concerns is at the core of ESUP’s change management strategy. 

ESUP is interested in meeting with more faculty and staff prior to or during fall semester to hear concerns and share the latest information on faculty-facing changes. Please email the program at esup@umn.edu if your college or unit is interested in more information.

Navigating by Stars: HRMS kicks off advance team strategy

Visual notes from the HR Stars kickoff meeting, courtesy of Jen Mein.

The HRMS Upgrade Project took the next big step in its change management and communications plan last week by launching the HR Stars, an advance team strategy to provide local system support in all academic and administrative units system-wide.

 More than 90 Stars have been nominated to date, including at least one representative for every unit and campus, and the vast majority attended the kickoff meeting on May 21, either in person or online. They received additional information and context about the project and their new role, and offered their thoughts about what units will need for successful implementation of the new HRMS system and business processes. The thoughts ranged from the real and personal (what do we do when a co-worker is falling apart because they can’t figure out how to get their work done?) to the fanciful (a chip to implant all the right answers directly into people brains) -- but all with the goal of enabling Stars and their unit colleagues to hit the ground running with the new system.

“Every department has someone that people go to for answers,” said one Star following the meeting. “It makes good sense to invite those people into the upgrade effort earlier and get them trained so they can help others be effective more quickly after the upgrade. Meeting the people who fill this role at the kickoff was encouraging -- the group seemed excited and ready to learn. It bodes well for the overall success of the upgrade.”

Stars will receive advance training and early information from the HRMS project, but the expectation is for two-way communication -- the project team hopes to hear about challenges or concerns early so they can be addressed quickly and systematically, before they become major problems. In fact, even before the kickoff meeting, most of the Stars responded to a brief survey that provided a first look into the expertise of the group and the experience of the units to date. Out of 70 responses to our survey:

• 66 Stars have hands-on HRMS experience (including 22 with HRMS and Finance, and 7 with HRMS, Finance, and Student).
• 56% have already completed HRMS High-Level Functions and Processes Training. 
• The biggest perceived area of strength is Position Management: 
• On a scale of 1 to 5 (newbie to expert), our average is 3.24. 
• 29 Stars rated themselves a 4 or a 5. 
• The biggest challenge is Recruiting Solutions: 
• On a scale of 1 to 5 (newbie to expert), our average is 2.16.
• Only 4 Stars rated themselves a 4 or a 5.

These results, along with answers to open-ended survey questions, feedback from the kickoff meeting, and ongoing interactions via the HR Stars Google Group will be used to shape the agendas of future Stars meetings. The group will reconvene on June 25 and will meet regularly through early next spring. A listing of all Stars by unit will be made available soon.

Student work stream hosts Town Hall

The Student work stream held a town hall meeting on Thursday, May 15. More than 250 staff from all University of Minnesota system campuses gathered at locations across the state to hear about changes that will affect students, faculty and staff as a result of the upgrade to the student system. Highlights of the presentation include:

• An overview of how ESUP came about, its goals, and how those goals fit into President Kaler’s Operational Excellence initiatives
• A preview of the new myU Portal and an explanation of how it will work for students, staff and faculty (a sneak peek is available)
• Synopsis of how Financial Aid (disbursing aid) will be affected by the upgrade
• Synopsis of how Student Financials (collecting tuition/fees) will be affected by the upgrade
• Synopsis of how Admissions will be affected by the upgrade
• Synopsis of how SEVIS will be affected by the upgrade
• Information on the Academic Advisement (degree audit for graduate programs) implementation
• Details on specific changes to Student Records processes: Course Guide, waitlists, and grading

“I thought it was an informative overview of what ESUP entails,” said Jenny Malek, scholarship coordinator for the Office of Admissions. “Sometimes it’s easy to forget all of the ways the project will affect the University when you’re always focused on your part. I’m looking forward to learning more over the next year.” 

Because changes affect colleges differently, the Student team would like to meet with colleges individually to go into more detail on how the upgrade will affect Student Records processes and how to best prepare. A representative from the Student team will be reaching out to each college to make arrangements for these meetings. Email esup@umn.edu if you have questions before then. 

OHR speaks with one voice on HRMS upgrade

In late April and early May, all Office of Human Resources (OHR) staff were invited to attend one of four high-level training sessions regarding the more significant changes coming as a result of HRMS Upgrade Project and the impact of those changes on the ways in which OHR does its work. Those training sessions are now complete, with participation of nearly 100 percent.

At the end of each session, small groups were asked to share what they learned by developing an “elevator speech” they could share with colleagues or University leaders if asked about the upgrade. More than 20 speeches were drafted and compiled; the word cloud below helps to illustrate the major themes that emerged from the small groups.

OHR Staff elevator speech "word cloud."

HRMS Upgrade Project team members then reviewed the word-cloud and the speeches themselves to draft a single, consolidated elevator speech for use by OHR staff, HRMS stakeholders, and communicators. The result is concise -- less than 100 words that capture the essence of what the HRMS Upgrade is achieving:

The HRMS Upgrade supports our HR work in five important ways:

• By using “off-the-shelf” software features to reduce customization;
• By simplifying our appointment structure to remove non-employees from the job record, reduce multiple appointments, and improve data accuracy;
• By streamlining distribution entry and other payroll accounting processes in collaboration with our Finance partners;
• By introducing integrated time, absence, and recruiting features that eliminate paper processes and reduce data entry; and
• By clarifying roles and automating workflows.

HRMS users and the University will benefit from more efficient systems and processes, a better user experience, and improved data integrity and reporting.

Special thanks to OHR leaders and staff for making this training a priority and a success!

‘One OHR’: HRMS launches high-level training for entire OHR staff

The HRMS work stream continued its high-level training schedule last week with the first of several training sessions for Office of Human Resources (OHR) staff. The purpose of the training is to provide all OHR staff with a common understanding of the upgrade project and its benefits and impacts.

Providing some level of system training and awareness to all human resource staff -- even those who are not regular system users -- is a unique approach among the ESUP work streams. Participants were introduced to the project and overall training approach, as well as major system changes and integrations. HRMS training lead Amanda Wolford also shared a few specific examples of how the system changes should enhance the work of OHR staff and encouraged attendees to think of others.

Finally, each table was asked to use what they had learned to develop an HRMS elevator speech: “If you were on an elevator and someone asked you about the HRMS Upgrade Project, what would you say?” Participants easily shared key HRMS Upgrade Project outcomes covered in the training, including:

• Streamlined processes and reduced system customization;
• Simplified appointment structure with a place for everything and everything in its place;
• A new emphasis on Position data, which drives downstream functions;
• Enhanced system integration and reducing data entry;
• Online time and absence recording and approvals, eliminating paper processes; and
• Improved data quality and reporting.

Post-training feedback was largely positive, with participants feeling better informed and equipped to communicate the benefits of the upgrade and to anticipate and prepare for changes in their work. OHR staff members are encouraged to register for training via ULearn as soon as possible.* A second round of more detailed and targeted OHR staff  training will be offered in the coming months.

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*Note: This training is only available for OHR staff members at this time.

First Look: HRMS begins high-level training with unit and OHR staff

“It’s finally here!” said Lori Lamb, director of OHR Operations. “We’re really doing this -- I’m so excited!”

Lamb sat along the back wall of a packed room on the first floor of WBOB -- the space reserved for HRMS Business Process Owners -- last Thursday afternoon and surveyed a bustling room full of HR and Finance staff anxious for a first look at new HRMS business processes and functions. The gathering was the first of four ESUP HRMS Processes & Functions training sessions scheduled for unit HR and Finance leaders, and the first formal training sessions of the Enterprise Systems Upgrade Program (ESUP).

For the next two hours, HRMS Training Lead Amanda Wolford walked more than 50 people through high-level flowcharts mapping end-to-end HRMS business processes from recruiting and onboarding through time and absence reporting and payroll accounting. Along the way, Wolford took special note of the new importance of Position data, as well as important process changes and new functions unit staff will be expected to perform when the new system goes live in February 2015. 

Participants were also given a more detailed functions document, explaining the responsibilities of each function and the competencies required to perform it well. This led to an exercise in which tables used Post-Its to map specific functions to the appropriate steps in the process flows. The goal was twofold: To see how well the group understood the process flows and to encourage units to begin thinking how current HR and Finance roles may need to evolve.

As the tables worked through the exercise, Dann Chapman, director of employee benefits, told Lamb how helpful the flowcharts were to understanding how the system and functions will work together -- and why data integrity is important every step of the way. Chapman’s feedback is important, because beginning in April, all Office of Human Resources (OHR) staff will begin similar high-level training so that the entire OHR team has a basic understanding of how we do the business of HR at the University.

As a final exercise, tables were asked to document the biggest changes from their perspectives, as well as what excited and worried them most. The overlap between tables was striking. On the positive side, attendees were excited about electronic time and absence reporting and approvals, automated COBRA notifications, and the fact that, going forward, not only does Position data “finally mean something,” but helps to integrate and automate currently disconnected business processes (especially recruiting).. At the same time, people expressed concerns about changes in staff functions, payroll accounting processes, and timeliness of time and absence approvals, as well as the scale and timing of training needed for successful implementation. 

Nevertheless, attendees offered kudos and applause for a successful and informative first session.

“I can’t say enough that this is only the beginning,” Wolford said. “This is high-level process training. Today is just an appetizer -- there will be much more to come!”

What is hypercare and why should you care?

ESUP is starting to plan for end-user support post-go live. The stabilization period after a system launch is often referred to as ‘hypercare’. It focuses on customer support, data integrity, and system stability. The ESUP hypercare effort will leverage the knowledge and experience of each ESUP work stream and require coordination and collaboration between functional, technical, and security experts.

During this planning period, ESUP will identify appropriate channels for the first level of support, confirm issue resolution pathways, determine communications tactics, and ensure the program is gathering the necessary organizational support to meet user needs immediately post launch. In addition to relying on the expertise of integration partner Cedar Crestone International, the program is reaching out to other institutions who have undergone enterprise-wide upgrades to validate best practices. 

ESUP is also gathering lessons learned from previous internal upgrades and implementations. We plan to support our knowledgable help desk employees to ensure they have as many details about the changes as possible and leverage these experienced user support teams in the planning process.  The program’s goal for hypercare is to ensure that strong structures and procedures are in place so questions and issues are fielded, prioritized, resolved, and communicated back to the user community in a timely and effective manner.

We want to hear from you!
To ensure ESUP’s planning activities address the most critical needs and to provide you with the best support, we’d like your input. Please send your ideas or questions on hypercare to esup@umn.edu and include “hypercare” in the subject.

HRMS project to preview changes, solicit input at town halls

As part of the Enterprise Systems Upgrade Program (ESUP), the HRMS upgrade will simplify and streamline the University's human resources management system and processes, add essential new self-service functionality, and improve data quality and the user experience. Interested faculty and staff are invited to attend one of three upcoming HRMS Upgrade Town Hall sessions scheduled for late October and November.

The purpose of these town halls is to share the latest information on HRMS project progress and decisions and to gather input from interested stakeholders to ensure that the new system, processes, and training meets your needs and those of the University. We will take a closer look at the major system changes identified to date, discuss challenges and opportunities posed by new functionality and processes, and more.

You can attend these town halls in person or online via UMConnect. The sessions are scheduled as follows:

• Thursday, October 31, 3 to 4 p.m., Physics 166 (East Bank)
• Thursday, November 7, 3 to 4 p.m., Carlson 2-206 (West Bank)
• Thursday, November 14, 3 to 4 p.m., Alderman Hall 415 (St. Paul)

Please RSVP via ULearn and take this opportunity to learn more about the HRMS upgrade and to engage in the change process. Our goal is a more streamlined and effective HRMS system that better supports our human resource  enterprise and the University’s academic mission.

For more information on the HRMS upgrade project or ESUP overall, visit z.umn.edu/hrms or upgrade.umn.edu.

Survey is now closed - thanks for your feedback!

Survey Said!!! - We sent the second stakeholder assessment survey to nearly 5,000 people across the System campuses on September 12 and we want to thank those who have responded.

The purpose of the survey is to gather new information, compare the results to the first survey sent in December 2012, and gain a better understanding of stakeholder awareness, engagement, and areas of concern to move forward most effectively.

As a reminder, the survey is anonymous and we encourage ESUP consultants to complete it as well. So, if you received an email inviting you to take the survey, please fill it out as soon as possible.

The survey is now closed. Thanks again for your feedback!

ESUP Update 8/12/13 - 8/26/13

Portal team holds rapid prototype usability evaluation
Last week, members of the portal team piled into the Usability Lab at Walter Library to evaluate the first paper prototype of the new U of M portal. Users explored a paper rendering of how the portal might be organized and gave feedback to help design future versions. Click here for more information.

UMContent to Drupal: What will it mean?
One of the changes coming with the new portal will be the way content providers at the University manage their web content. The initial focus of the Drupal project is to move systems off of the current UMContent system, provided by the Office of Information Technology. Click here to read more about Drupal and the new portal.

ESUP Video: Single Sign On (SSO)
Arash Forouhari, ESUP project director for Identity Management (IdM), explains the current state of single sign-on (SSO) at the University and what will change. Click on the link to watch the video!

ESUP Change Management continues outreach
The ESUP Change Management team continues working its broad engagement plan.  Each work stream is striving to expand direct contact with relevant stakeholders during Phase 2: Analyze and Design. Click here to read more.


Quick hits and reminders from across the work streams

• The Executive Oversight Committee has made a change to ESUP’s organizational structure. In a memo sent to team members on Friday, Dean Robert Elde, EOC chair, lauded the Program for its “steady and remarkable progress since its launch in October 2012”, and announced a search for a Program Director to oversee both the University’s program team and the Cedar Crestone consultants as the Program enters the next phase of testing and implementation. 
• Great news for ESUP! Identity Management’s (IdM) contract with PricewaterhouseCoopers was approved, as was Testing’s contract with HP Quality Center. Stay tuned to the blog for more information on these approvals. Congrats!
• The Integration web page has been updated to include the most current versions of the Application System Survey Contacts List, the Consolidated Application List, the Data Warehouse Mapping example, and the PeopleSoft Mapping example. These documents were shown at the July 29, IDEAA meeting.

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