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.)

HR Stars to Meet July 31; Focus Will Be Electronic Time and Absence Reporting

Planning is well under way for the next meeting of the University’s HR Stars on July 31. The Stars are a key advance team of more than 100 HR professionals throughout the five system campuses that has been organized by the Office of Human Resources to provide valuable leadership, insight and advice regarding the upgrade of the Human Resources Management System, as well as the larger Enterprise Systems Upgrade Program. The Stars convene monthly and serve as important resources within their units.

One of the key areas of focus at the Stars’ July meeting will be the new electronic time and absence reporting capability, which will replace paper timesheets and absence forms when the HRMS upgrade plans to go live in April 2015*. Heather Kidd from the Office of Human Resources will be leading a presentation and live demonstration of electronic time reporting.

Current paper absence reporting card

The meeting also will provide an opportunity to test and gather feedback on key messages being developed about the change from paper to electronic reporting. The messages and other communications tools being developed will ultimately be provided to the Stars to help disseminate within their units, as well shared with other employees to raise awareness of training and other how-to resources that will be provided.

For more information about the HR Stars, or the group’s upcoming meetings, please contact Nicole Salm in the Office of Human Resources at (612) 626-2286 or salm0078@umn.edu.

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

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.

Weekly Update for the week of May 20, 2013

Please read through to the bottom for important information on the upcoming changes to ESUP’s Weekly Update!

Program Quality Review results
The results from ESUP’s second Program Quality Review (PQR) were presented to the Executive Oversight Committee last week. The PQR is an independent quality assurance process intended to ensure proper processes and structures are in place for the Program. Overall, ESUP is green--meaning in good shape-- in the three areas that are reviewed: Overall Project Status, Schedule, and Quality/Performance. In addition, the reviewers identified areas of programmatic strengths and potential areas for improvement. A plan for utilizing strengths and addressing improvement areas is underway.

The Executive Oversight Committee and Program Directors Andy Hill and Rebecca Collings (CCI) were pleased to read positive reviews about the team. The reviewers pointed out, “ESUP continues to be staffed with individuals who possess the subject matter expertise required to effectively and efficiently address the business and technical needs for the program. They are committed and very passionate about the program.” Great job, all!

HRMS begins stakeholder engagement planning
Santiago Fernandez-Gimenez, ESUP assistant program director for change management, communications and training, and Jim Thorp, HRMS communications lead, met with the HRMS Functional Steering Committee last week to gather input on the HRMS strategic communications plan and to brainstorm methods of stakeholder engagement. The purpose of this preliminary conversation was to help ensure broad participation, two-way communication, and shared ownership of key decisions and the resulting system.

This input from the HRMS Functional Steering Committee is particularly important as HRMS is tackling a number of issues early in its IDP process that will have widespread impact and are foundational to the quality and availability of data in the system and the overall success of the project. HRMS is considering a number of recommendations to solicit feedback and input from key stakeholders and users. The HRMS work stream website, along with a variety of in-person and electronic engagement strategies, will be used to ensure users and stakeholders understand recommended changes to the system and can weigh in on key decisions and resulting impacts.

Working toward Go Live 
A common ESUP question lately has been, “When is go live?” The Program has been hard at work with Student, Finance, Human Resources, and Information Technology leadership to better understand the multiple impacts to launching a new system. Parties understand there is no convenient time to “flip the switch”, but they have come to the conversations with original ideas and fresh perspectives for how their offices can continue operations or demonstrate flexibility with dates previously considered locked. ESUP will continue to host discussions before identifying a date, but overall, the Program has been inspired by the University community’s willingness and commitment to reach a go live date with minimal impact to users.

Portal survey closes today
ESUP’s Portal team is gathering opportunities and needs for the new portal, and wants to hear from the University community about some of the ideas already collected. The team will use the survey responses to prioritize opportunities and begin design work. Please fill out the 10-15 minute survey.

Week one complete for Finance
The Finance work stream began Phase 1: Plan and Discover work last week, tackling the General Ledger. The Chart of Accounts (COA) workgroup, General Ledger (GL) business process owners, and representatives from the Student and HR work streams all attended the sessions, along with Finance’s new CCI consultant, Mike Robinson. The Controller’s Office EFS Module Support GLAMBUTR (General Ledger, Asset Management, Budgets, Treasury) team led the sessions. An estimated 20 people attended each session, and current, as-is process flows and narratives were reviewed. More information is available on the Finance work stream website, including information on what recommendations and issues were presented to the GL group, and next steps.

Quick hits and reminders from across the work streams

• Portal is on Pinterest! Portal has put together a Pinterest board for viewing all the Design Thinking Workshop prototypes. Repin and leave us comments to tell us your favorite features.
• The Student work stream has cancelled its May 24, 2013 Town Hall meeting due to the proximity to the Memorial Day weekend. The next Town Hall is scheduled for June 14, 2013.
• The Reporting and Data Management team has begun the process of reviewing functional specifications for UM reports needed from the Student work stream. The Reporting team is reviewing the requirements and working with business owners to determine the best way to deliver data. Work is also continuing with the Integration team to discuss data changes that impact the Data Warehouse.

Weekly Update distribution change
Effective the week of May 20, 2013, ESUP’s Weekly Update will move to a bi-weekly distribution schedule. The newly-named ESUP Update will be sent via email every other Monday and will include links to items posted to the ESUP blog between Updates. (Hint: read below for instructions on subscribing via email to the ESUP blog!) As a result, there will be no Update next week, Monday, May 27, 2013.

The communications team is working to bring information to the ESUP and University community in smaller, more timely pieces. If you have any questions or suggestions on how ESUP can better communicate with you, please email Tricia Conway at conwa012@umn.edu.

Subscribe to the ESUP blog!
As ESUP progresses, you can expect more information to be shared more frequently on the ESUP blog. Get every post delivered to your inbox by entering your email address in the Subscribe by Email window at upgrade.umn.edu and following the instructions. Once your subscription is activated, you will receive an email alerting you to new ESUP posts late in the afternoon the day they are published. If there is no post, you receive no email -- simple as that!

Weekly Update for April 22, 2013

New faces around ESUP
A sunny spring welcome to ESUP’s newest teammates: JP Hagerty, Beth Cunningham, Dan Sluka, and Peter Barry! Hagerty comes from University Services and will step into the role of Executive Program Coordinator, while Cunningham joins ESUP as a Strategic Communications Consultant for the program with a Portal project focus. Prior to ESUP, Cunningham worked on campus for the National Center for Food Protection and Defense.

Dan Sluka joins the HRMS work stream as the CCI lead consultant and will be transitioning duties with outgoing consultant, Ben Santleman. Peter Barry joins the program as a short-term consultant assisting with OIM. Welcome to ESUP, all!

UPKs providing benefit to IDP session
The University purchased PeopleSoft’s User Productivity Kit (UPK) to assist in the development and delivery of end-user training. The University will use a blend of the UPK and its existing tools to achieve the most efficient and effective training possible, while introducing users to reengineered business processes.

The software is especially helpful because it allows the user to create training materials and online support in a variety ways. When done, the user can watch a demo, try out a process interactively, learn it, print a pdf cheat sheet, or take an interactive test, depending on what the training developer designs.

Members of the ESUP Training team have been making the “delivered” vanilla UPKs available to Student and HRMS IDP participants in advance, giving them an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the PeopleSoft delivered features and functionality. More information on UPKs can be found online at http://z.umn.edu/upk.

When is ‘Go live’?
Users across the University system are eager to know one critical piece of information: When will this new system go live? Though it is too soon to identify a date, the Deployment process is front of mind for many people. As a result, Project Directors will soon begin working with their subject matter experts (SMEs) and business process owners (BPOs) to identify work stream specific timing concerns.

Later this spring, ESUPs leadership team will participate in a two-day workshop aimed at identifying the least disruptive time to launch the new system. In addition to discussing the go live date, the leadership team will also prepare for post-deployment activities. While ESUP will work to launch everything successfully, a program of this size may result in minor issues and setbacks, which will be immediately addressed. ESUP will also evaluate post go live activities to ensure proper staffing is in place to address any issues.

Quick hits and reminders from across the work streams

• Identity Management has been working to complete a request for proposal (RFP) to bring an implementation partner to assist with the Oracle Identity Management (OIM) implementation. The RFP is projected to come before the Board of Regents in July for approval.
• The Reporting and Data Management work stream began collecting requirements for archiving/document storage needs from the Student, HRMS, and Finance work streams.
• The Integration team has been holding introductory meetings with impacted colleges and departments to discuss integration points. In addition, the team is eager to analyze responses to the survey they sent on April 3, 2013. IT Directors are encouraged to add their applications systems information to the survey via the ESUP website: http://upgrade.umn.edu/p/integration.html
• The Change Management, Communications, and Training work stream has been working on a number of deliverables, including: drafting communications plans with Technology project directors, preparing UPK development sequences, and creating a change management and training estimation model. 

Weekly Update for April 15, 2013

ESUP in the news
Upgrading the University’s enterprise data systems is no small endeavor. On the contrary, the Enterprise Systems Upgrade Program is a multi-faceted program that will ultimately impact every student, staff, or faculty member on campus. The program’s large scope and significant investment on behalf of the Board of Regents is proof of the University’s determination to successfully and thoughtfully upgrade their systems.

The University is in the midst of budget discussions at the state level and as a result of ESUP’s wide impact and cost, it was no surprise to see the program referenced in last week’s Star Tribune Opinion section.

Last week, former Governor Arne Carlson wrote an opinion piece titled, University of Minnesota’s bloat must end. In it, Gov. Carlson requested the legislative auditor examine and provide an outside review of two components of the University’s enterprise systems. Regent Chair Linda Cohen then penned a rebuttal titled, University of Minnesota’s critics are wrong. In her response, Regent Cohen addressed the issue of the U’s central information systems stating, “we are currently undergoing a total upgrade of our technology system for human resources, purchasing and other services that will be completed by the end of 2014.”

ESUP is excited to be highlighted in these visible conversations, as they emphasize the importance of our efforts and the amount of executive support for the program, but ESUP is also cautious. When completed, the program will deliver cost efficiencies, improved services, and data integrity, but it is important to set realistic expectations. ESUP will not be able to address each administrative issue facing the University, but we are eager to help be part of the solution.

Portal hosting listening sessions
Members of the Portal Team have been facilitating many great conversations during the past few weeks. Through listening sessions, they have met with staff from academic units (e.g. the Humphrey Institute, the Extension service, Disability Services), as well as various content providers and staff from a number of units within University Services (Printing Services, University Dining Services, University Stores, U Card, Housing & Residential Life, and Capital Planning and Project Management). Many participants were able to envision utilizing the new Enterprise Portal to better serve their clients and customers.

Quick hits and reminders from across the work streams

• HRMS wishes Ben Santelman (CCI) the best of luck as he takes on a new opportunity. His replacement, Dan Sluka, will come on board April 22 to start the transition process.
• Last week the Reporting and Data Management, HRMS, and Integration work teams met to gather the necessary requirements for the HR conversion.
• The Finance team is finalizing their kick off plans. Work stream members will receive information soon. The team is also busy planning for ‘Plan and Discover’, which is currently scheduled for May through August, 2013. 
• The Integration work stream is still collecting responses to their applications inventory survey, which will remain live until April 19th. For more information or to add your application to the inventory document, please visit: http://upgrade.umn.edu/p/integration.html and follow the directions.

Subscribe to the ESUP blog!
As ESUP progresses, you can expect more information to be shared more frequently on the ESUP blog. Get every post delivered to your inbox by entering your email address in the Subscribe by Email window at upgrade.umn.edu and following the instructions. Once your subscription is activated, you will receive an email alerting you to new ESUP posts late in the afternoon the day they are published. If there is no post, you receive no email -- simple as that!

Weekly Update for the week of March 25, 2013

New Faces in ESUP
There will be some new faces on the ESUP team in the coming weeks. ESUP would like to extend a warm Minnesota welcome to the following new team members:

• Cynthia Murdoch, lead business analyst on the Portal work stream
• Staci Ludwig, developer and analyst on the Portal work stream
• Mike Murphy (CCI), co-project director on the Finance work stream

HRMS Welcomes IDPs and Oracle Software
The HRMS work stream was busy last week with the start of their Interactive Design and Prototyping (IDP) sessions. The week ended on a high note with the release of Oracle 9.2. The release of this version had previously been delayed; now HRMS can move forward with 9.2 implementation as planned. The work stream hopes to receive a 9.2 database in June that can be used in IDP sessions.

For more information on IDPs, check out the “What is an IDP?” post.

Quick Hits and Reminders From Across the Work Streams

• The Portal work stream continues to host Design Thinking workshops around the state. The next workshop is scheduled for this Thursday (3/28) on the Duluth campus from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. in the Kirby Student Center, room 310 [http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5542999260].
• Reporting and Data Management plans to complete work on the BI Roadmap this week. The information will be presented to the EDMR Steering Committee for their review, input, and direction. 

Subscribe to the ESUP Blog!
As ESUP progresses, you can expect more information to be shared more frequently on the ESUP blog. Get every post delivered to your inbox by entering your email address in the Subscribe by Email window at upgrade.umn.edu and following the instructions. Once your subscription is activated, you will receive an email alerting you to new ESUP posts late in the afternoon the day they are published. If there is no post, you receive no email -- simple as that!

Weekly Update for the Week of March 11, 2013

ESUP at the Board of Regents
University President Kaler and Vice President and Chief Information Officer Scott Studham presented at the Board of Regents meeting on March 8, 2013. Vice President Studham addressed ESUP in his presentation, acknowledging the time is now to discuss business process changes due to the vast scope of the project. He concluded his ESUP remarks with confidence stating, “I’ve never seen a project in this good of shape at this point in time in the project.”

Vice President Studham’s presentation transcript is available online through the IT@UMN Google Group, along with a video recording of his Q&A portion. To join the group, click here and select ‘Join the Google Group’.

Changes to the HRMS Earnings Codes
According to Kris Hause, project director from the HRMS work stream, the Payroll team is inactivating over 130 earnings codes as a move toward easier user entry and process. The team hopes to identify additional opportunities for reducing the number of earnings codes as they move through Phase Two: Analyze and Design. Congratulations to the Payroll team and the user community representatives that worked with them!

Student Work Stream Reflects on IDP sessions
Participants in the monthly Student work stream meeting were asked to reflect on the past 6 weeks of IDP sessions. The group identified what has worked well, areas that have been difficult for participants, and what groups do to bring fun into IDP sessions. Some highlights include:

• Working well: Removing/retiring modifications, group dynamics, the collaborative nature of sessions, great participation from system campuses, better/higher quality technology, having developers in the room, and snacks. 
• Areas of difficulty: A lot of reporting and meetings/time management, varying commitments to project, tough schedule, location/environment concerns, communications (levels and volume), and time.
• Incorporating fun: joke of the day, gourmet food and chocolate malts on the Crookston campus, stickers, homemade scones, coffee, laughing, basketball, breaks, and more food.

Second Program Quality Review Coming in mid-April
Next month, CCI’s independent consultant for higher education, Vickie Cleary, will return to the University for the second Program Quality Review (PQR). This quality assurance tool is intended to ensure proper processes and structures are in place and will continue through the life of the Program.

Quick Hits and Reminders From Across the Work Streams

• The Portal work stream hosted the first Design Thinking workshop last week on the St. Paul campus. This successful workshop travels to the Morris campus next, arriving on Tuesday, March 12th. Registration is required and information is available online at z.umn.edu/portal.
• The HRMS work stream will begin some IDP sessions this week but the majority of sessions will begin the week of March 18th. Click here to see the ESUP calendar for more information.

Weekly Update for the Week of March 4, 2013

HRMS Hosts Successful IDP Orientation
Over 80 people attended last week’s HRMS Orientation, including the Functional Steering Committee, team members, the OHR Upgrade Group, and Subject Matter Experts. Ben Santelman, HRMS consultant from CedarCrestone, Inc., led the group through a training on Interactive Design and Prototyping (IDP), a key component of Phase Two: Analyze and Design. A more detailed training session on IDPs for team members will be held on March 6, 2013.

For more information on this module, check out our ‘What is an IDP session?’ post on the blog!

Portal Welcomes U’s New Content Management System
The University has recently acquired a new enterprise content management system - Drupal. This is a systemwide initiative available to and supporting all system campuses, and a great opportunity for ESUP. The Enterprise Portal project will be working closely with the Drupal team so that content providers can enter content into Drupal for their websites and have it appear in the new portal.

Open Positions in ESUP
ESUP is growing! We’re currently looking for new staff members to help in ESUP’s “central” offices, located in 150 Williamson Hall and 50 WBOB. We are hiring for two strategic communicators, one communications technology associate, and one executive program coordinator.

ESUP Around Town
A number of governance and professional organizations have requested an ESUP update at their spring or summer meetings, and we are happy to oblige! If your campus organization would be interested in learning more about the upgrade, please email us at esup@umn.edu. We are happy to talk about the exciting changes going on in ESUP!

Quick Hits and Reminders From Across the Work Streams

• The Reporting and Data Management work stream posted the summary document of themes and the slide deck of their presentation from the BI Roadmap Discovery session online at z.umn.edu/reporting.

Weekly Update for the Week of 2/25/2013

Participate in Portal's Design Thinking Workshops
The Portal work stream has partnered with Design Thinking @ College of Design to host eight Design Thinking workshops across the University system, including Morris, Rochester, and Duluth campuses, plus a recently added Crookston event. During the 3 hour workshop, participants move through a full design cycle to create prototypes in teams--nothing fancy, but very useful and a lot of fun. Paper, markers and stickers are involved! Workshops will build on the information generated from the Portal Project Kickoff. No experience necessary, but space is limited and registration is required. More information can be found on the Portal website: z.umn.edu/portal.

Upcoming Design Thinking workshops (more workshop dates available online):
Tuesday, March 5, 2013 9 a.m. - Noon
Twin Cities, Cherrywood Room - St. Paul Student Center - 2nd Floor
Friday, March 8, 2013 9 a.m. - Noon
Twin Cities, Mississippi Room - Coffman Memorial Union - 3rd Floor (321)


HRMS Preparing to Kick Off IDP Activities
The HRMS work stream will begin their Phase 2: Analyze and Design activities in March, with IDP sessions scheduled to start the week of March 11. In order to prepare for this next phase, a number of activities are underway. The work stream is continuing to research issues and opportunities that were raised during the validation sessions and preliminary prototypes for appointment data simplification, while the CCI consultants are developing schedules and preparing a prototyping database.

In addition, an IDP Orientation meeting is planned for the Functional Steering Committee, OHR Upgrade Group, Subject Matter Experts, and team members on February 27. A more detailed training session for team members and Subject Matter Experts will be held on March 6.


Reporting and Data Management launches Business Intelligence Assessment 
The Reporting and Data Management work stream worked with EDMR to complete the first set of BI Roadmap Discovery Sessions. Participants from across the University were involved and provided a good start to gathering information. Moving forward, the team will summarize and upload themes from the sessions, along with the slide deck from the presentation, later in the week at: z.umn.edu/reporting.

The group will continue to gather information through mid-March, and will continue to solicit input to deliver a comprehensive institutional BI roadmap. This roadmap will support the University’s goals to address data management and reporting needs across all campuses, including issues of data quality and integrity.

Your continued participation is welcomed and needed. Consider being in touch with us in one of these ways:

• Say yes when we ask to talk to you! As a result of the initial Discovery Sessions, we will be reaching out to groups and individuals across the system campuses.
• Give your input! EDMR has setup an email address to collect information. Email edmr@umn.edu to give additional thoughts and comments.  

Quick Hits and Reminders From Across the Work Streams

• Planning continues for the Finance work stream. Early-start Finance work groups continue to perform cooperative analyses with teams addressing HR and Student processes that feed transactions to the financial system.
• The Change Management, Communications and Training work stream is growing! They are hiring two strategic communicators and one communications technology associate. The positions should be on the University’s employment site tomorrow. Please help spread the word to anyone you feel would be a successful team member. 
• The Student work stream held their first town hall meeting for the student records module with more than 50 people in attendance. These meetings will be held on the second and fourth Friday of each month and will be used to identify and validate stakeholder requirements, collect input on proposed solutions, and provide a forum for the team to share information on project progress. More information and the first agenda can be found here.

Subscribe to the ESUP Blog!
As ESUP progresses, you can expect more information to be shared more frequently on the ESUP blog. Get every post delivered to your inbox by entering your email address in the Subscribe by Email window at upgrade.umn.edu and following the instructions. Once your subscription is activated, you will receive an email alerting you to new ESUP posts late in the afternoon the day they are published. If there is no post, you receive no email -- simple as that!

Weekly Update for the Week of 2/18/2013

Student IDP Sessions Illustrate Scale of Change, Flexibility of Process

The Student work stream finished its second week of Interactive Design and Prototyping (IDP) sessions, and thus far, the process has proven to be flexible enough to address significantly different business needs of the different PeopleSoft modules.

During week one of IDP sessions, for example, the Student Records group began by mapping a high-level of all the SR business processes and then dove into the Course Catalog. Moving forward, they will focus on specific business processes, keeping in mind the big picture and the impact of changes downstream.

The Student Finance group, on the other hand, kicked off their IDPs by diving directly into a specific business process: the Self-Service functionality related to billing. The IDP methodology and deliverables will be the same from both groups; the difference is the tools and techniques used.

In the case of business processes that are self-contained, well-defined, or simply required by law, it may be possible to move through IDP more quickly -- and the methodology is flexible enough to accommodate the needs and work styles of the group and business process in question.

Identity Management (IdM) Presents Implementation Plan 

Arash Forouhari (UMN), project director for Identity Management, presented his implementation plan to ESUP’s Leadership Team last week. Forouhari outlined his vision for replacing the University’s X.500 environment with Oracle Identity Manager (OIM). The work stream analyzed in depth how both PeopleSoft and non-PeopleSoft data feeds integrate with IdM to provision users to downstream systems such as Active Directory or Gmail. 

Cross-functionality at work in IDP sessions

With Student IDP sessions officially underway, both Portal and Reporting team members have participated in a number of sessions, including Student Finance Self-Service and Student Records. Project directors William Dana (UMN) and Walter Terrell (CCI) were eager to reflect on the successful interactions in their first week. “It has been tremendously beneficial to have Reporting, Technology, and Portal participating in the IDP sessions,” Terrell said. 

Portal to Host Design Thinking Workshops

The Portal team is inviting participation from the University community to their design thinking workshops. The workshops build on what the team learned from the kickoff (kickoff summary document: z.umn.edu/portalkickoff).  In partnership with the College of Design, participants will cycle through a process of observation, brainstorming, synthesizing, prototyping, and evaluating towards the goal of identifying and ranking possible features and design elements for the new U of M portal. No experience necessary. 

The workshops will be held throughout the University system in March and April and will build on the information generated from the Portal Project Kickoff. The first workshop is March 5. More information and sign up will be available at z.umn.edu/portal on Wednesday.  Space is limited and registration is required.

Quick Hits and Reminders From Across the Work Streams

• The Application Development work stream is welcoming two new members to the Program this week. Stop by and say hello if you’re in 150 Williamson!
• The HRMS work stream has been busy preparing for their IDP sessions, which are slated to begin in March in WBOB. As a result, the HRMS team members are coordinating efforts to move their daily operations into WBOB.
• The Reporting and Data Management work stream will start their BI Roadmap Discovery sessions this week. These sessions are open to all, but people involved in data, reporting, and analysis may find the most benefit. Check the ESUP consolidated calendar for session times and locations (http://upgrade.umn.edu/p/calendar.html). In addition, the work stream continues to coordinate efforts with the Data and Reporting fCOP, which will begin in March.
• The Integration work stream will use the Data and Reporting fCoP as the official communication conduit for collecting information on UMN impacted application systems, disseminating information concerning data structure changes and tracking readiness for integration testing.
• The Change Management, Communications and Training work stream will engage participants within each work stream to assess potential changes that might impact faculty across the University system.

Subscribe to the ESUP Blog!

As ESUP progresses, you can expect more information to be shared more frequently on the ESUP blog. Get every post delivered to your inbox by entering your email address in the Subscribe by Email window at upgrade.umn.edu and following the instructions. Once your subscription is activated, you will receive an email alerting you to new ESUP posts late in the afternoon the day they are published. If there is no post, you receive no email -- simple as that! 

Weekly Update for the Week of 02/11/13

Images from the Portal Kickoff

Portal Kickoff Generates Statewide Buzz
With the Portal Project Kickoff now complete and the project moving forward, we are proud to report that there were over 420 attendees at seven system-wide locations, with every campus represented. The purpose of the event was to begin a University community conversation that could better shape the project direction, collect rich data, and develop a direction for next steps.  Some of the conversations took place via Twitter, which you can check out at #umnportal. A full report will be released next week.

The kickoff was a collaboration with the UMN Art of Hosting Conversations That Matter Community of Practice. This is the type of community investment that will be critical to the success of the portal. Stay connected at z.umn.edu/portal.

Change in Leadership for ESUP Communications
ESUP Program Director Andy Hill announced this week that Tricia Conway will lead program-wide communications for ESUP beginning Tuesday, Feb. 19. Conway has worked at the University since 2001, as an accountant, analyst, research center administrator, and communications professional. Jim Thorp, who has served as communications director for the program since last May, has taken a different communications role in the University’s Office of Human Resources. Thorp will continue to be engaged on ESUP in his new capacity by providing communications strategy and support for the HRMS work stream. His official last day on the program is Monday, Feb. 18.

Thorp and Conway have collaborated on internal program communications since last fall and will continue to work closely together to ensure a smooth transition. In her new role, Conway will lead strategic communications for ESUP and work with the University’s News Service on all ESUP-related media requests, in addition to other duties.

Quick Hits and Reminders From Across the Work Streams

• The HRMS work stream completed their Phase 1: Plan and Discover sessions last week, including sessions on the PeopleSoft Time and Labor and Absence Management modules, which the University does not currently use.  As a result of those discussions, the HRMS team is working on a request to move the implementation of Time and Labor and Absence Management earlier in the scope and timeline of the program.
• The Finance work stream is planning the Finance project kickoff and Phase 1: Plan and Discover activities, which are slated to begin this spring. 
• The Change Management, Communications and Training work stream is working on a strategic communications analysis to identify and create more targeted messages to ESUP’s diverse audience segments.
• The Portal work stream is looking ahead to Phase 1: Plan and Discover processes including Stakeholder Engagement and Design Thinking Workshops.

Subscribe to the ESUP Blog!
As ESUP progresses, you can expect more information to be shared more frequently on the ESUP blog. Get every post delivered to your inbox by entering your email address in the Subscribe by Email window at upgrade.umn.edu and following the instructions. Once your subscription is activated, you will receive an email alerting you to new ESUP posts late in the afternoon the day they are published. If there is no post, you receive no email -- simple as that!

Weekly Update and Key Messages for the Week of 02/04/13

HRMS Work Stream Completes Phase 1: Plan & Discover Sessions
Last week’s Minnesota Daily article on ESUP made little mention of the HRMS work stream, which has completed all but one of its Phase 1: Plan & Discover sessions. During the course of Plan and Discover, HRMS conducted 67 fit-gap and fit-gap validation sessions, ranging from one to six hours each, for a total of 170 hours. In total, more than 100 people participated from across the University, delving into 55 major categories of business process, covering Human Resources, Payroll, Benefits, Time and Labor, Absence Management and Commitment Accounting.

The final HRMS fit-gap session for Time and Labor will be this held early this week. Phase 1 workbooks for all HRMS modules and business processes are at various stages of development and review in preparation for Phase 2: Analyze &  Design, which is scheduled to begin for HRMS in March.

Work Stream Renamed to Distinguish Between ESUP, EDMR
The reporting and data management aspects of ESUP will now go by the name Reporting and Data Management (often referenced as simply Reporting, although it’s more than that). The purpose of the name change is to distinguish this element of ESUP from the ongoing enterprise-wide data management and governance initiative at the University, known as EDMR (for Enterprise Data Management  and Reporting) The distinction is an important one, since the work of ESUP’s Reporting and Data Management work stream ends with the program, while EDMR will continue for the long term.  The ESUP Reporting and Data Management team will be working closely with the EDMR governance structure over the lifecycle of the program to ensure alignment with long-term University strategy.

Business Intelligence Assessment Launches This Week
Additional consultants from our implementation partner, CedarCrestone (CCI), will be on campus beginning this week through mid-March to help the University’s Analytics Collaborative and the Reporting and Data Management work stream assess current business intelligence (BI) work at the University.  “We need to do an assessment of where we are today and develop a roadmap on how we best move forward,” said Steve Gillard, Director of the University’s Analytics Collaborative. “We will be working with ESUP and the University community to review our existing business intelligence and data warehouse reporting capabilities and related needs.  We are starting this effort now in order to meet the milestones and work needed for the project, and we intend that the outcomes will also help to inform the newly forming Data and Reporting Strategies formal Community of Practice [fCoP].”

While much work has been done in the data and reporting space across the University, a number of questions remain.  Further, the University also wants to leverage and learn from the work to date by Finance, University Services, Office of Institutional Research (OIR), and Academic Support Resources (ASR) to advance the University’s enterprise data management and reporting strategy.

To help address the unmet needs in the data and reporting space a collaboration between ESUP, the fCoP on Data and Reporting and EDMR is needed.  Outstanding questions that such a collaboration can address range from identifying the technical architecture need to support the next general enterprise data warehouse to determining the needs for the next generation enterprise data warehouse.  The below list of bulleted items highlight the scope of this BI Assessment.

The outcome of this effort will be a BI Roadmap document that addresses the following:

• High-level business requirements
• Subject area identification and prioritization
• Security (authentication and authorization)
• Source system identification
• Implementation strategy, including roles and responsibilities, timelines and staffing plans
• Audience (end user profiles)
• Training needs assessment document
• Enterprise architecture document
• Technical architecture recommendations
• BI tools evaluation and recommendations

The tentative schedule for this BI assessment is as follows:

• Feb. 4  – Feb. 8:  Project planning and launch
• Feb. 11 – Feb. 15:  Discover Workshops – Current Reporting Capabilities Review
• Feb. 18 – March 1:  Current Technical Architecture Review
• Feb. 25 – March 15:  Discover Workshops – Future Reporting Requirements Capture
• March 11 – March 22:  Gap Analysis
• March 18 – March 30:  Roadmap document

The Reporting and Data Management team will continue to collaborate with the Student, HRMS, and Finance work streams, as appropriate, while the BI assessment and road map is underway. Watch for more information about specific date and locations to participate.

Quick Hits and Reminders From Across the Work Streams

• The Finance work stream launched its web site last week, with details on the upgrade strategy for Finance; management and governance, work group, and staffing information, frequently asked questions, and more. You can find it online at z.umn.edu/esupfinance. 
• The Student work stream begins Phase 2: Analyze & Design this week, with its first Interactive Design and Prototyping (IDP) session slated for Wednesday. 
• The Change Management, Communications and Training work stream will pilot a number of strategies and tools to provide support to the IDP process with the Student work stream in the coming weeks.
• The Portal work stream kickoff event is this afternoon (Monday, Feb. 4), with participants engaging in person and remotely from multiple locations on all five University of Minnesota campuses.
• The Identity Management and Security work stream has finished its Phase 1: Plan & Discover activities and is preparing to start development in mid-February.
• The remaining Technology and Testing work streams continue to meet with the business work streams to develop and refine their strategies.

Subscribe to the ESUP Blog!
As ESUP progresses, you can expect more information to be shared more frequently on the ESUP blog. Get every post delivered to your inbox by entering your email address in the Subscribe by Email window at upgrade.umn.edu and following the instructions. Once your subscription is activated, you will receive an email alerting you to new ESUP posts late in the afternoon the day they are published. If there is no post, you receive no email -- simple as that!

Weekly Update and Key Messages for the Week of 01/28/13

Systemwide Collaboration a Challenge -- and a Top Priority -- for ESUP
One of the most challenging aspects of ESUP so far has been identifying effective ways for the ESUP team and system stakeholders to collaborate across functions, units and campuses. Phase 1: Plan & Discover requires the participation of hundreds of people from all five campuses of the University, many of whom have expertise in multiple work streams, as well as ongoing responsibilities to their home departments. In Phase 2: Analyze & Design, the need for consistent, well-equipped meeting space and reliable tele-conferencing and collaboration platforms becomes even more important, since Interactive Design and Prototyping (IDP) sessions will require continuous engagement from key stakeholders several hours a day for multiple weeks.

This is clearly not “business as usual” at the University -- which is why ESUP has made collaborative work spaces, facilities, and technology a top program priority. This effort has pushed existing platforms like Google and UMConnect further, in some cases, than they were meant to go -- as a result, we continue to test new equipment and software for affordable and effective solutions to keep our teams connected wherever their members are. The goal is to develop a technology “tool kit,” with multiple options for work streams and users based on their specific needs for each particular session. The program has also reserved space across the Twin Cities campuses for fit-gap validation sessions and IDP sessions (which begin in February for the Student work stream) and is building out new conference space to meet immediate and long-term needs. In fact, ESUP is helping to pilot the use of such flexible meeting and work space at the University of Minnesota, with the hope that the space, technology, and practices developed by the program will help the entire University community.

“ESUP is committed to changing culture and organizational practices, as well as upgrading technology,” said program director Andy Hill. “We are working to ensure new ways of broad engagement and participation, including new technologies, collaborative spaces, facilitated meeting techniques, and more.”

In a perfect world, an IDP session would convene in the same space from start to finish, with no need to reset the room for whomever is using it next, no equipment to transport, and dedicated technical support in case something goes wrong. The challenge of finding enough space on campus that can be used several hours a day, several days a week, for several months is tough enough -- ensuring that it is consistent space, equipped for intensive, collaborative, and creative work by colleagues in multiple locations across the state, is daunting indeed.

We need your input! If you have specific concerns or ideas for facilities, technologies, or techniques to improve collaboration and engagement as the ESUP work streams move into the IDP process, please contact Tricia Conway at conwa012@umn.edu.

It’s Still Early, But Changes Are Coming!
As more people across the University learn about ESUP, we hear the question more frequently: What will this mean for me and my work? Those who use the Student, HRMS, and Finance systems on a daily basis have specific questions about key features and processes that impact their jobs (positively or negatively).

Users haven’t heard a lot of specific changes announced yet, in part because of the nature of the methodology being used. The Student work stream, for example, is just finishing Phase 1: Plan & Discover (informally known as the “What, Not How” phase) -- which is concerned with comparing the off-the-shelf PeopleSoft product to our current processes in order to solidify the scope of the project. In Phase 2: Analyze & Design, the Student team will delve into how our system and business processes should work through the IDP process. It is during this process that more specific changes to the system and processes will be identified and described.

That said, the foundational work undertaken in Phase 1: Plan & Discover is yielding specific improvements already. The HRMS work stream, for example, announced last week that the team has identified 133 earnings codes that can be inactivated (approximately 40 of which the user community sees) due to infrequent use or opportunities for streamlining.  This reduction in earnings codes will simplify the entry of HR/Payroll for the user community and the Office of Human Resources.  These codes will be inactivated in March 2013; user communications will share the details of this change in the next several weeks. Meanwhile,  in the Student work stream, the five campuses have agreed to use a single, consistent set of classroom characteristics when the University moves to its new class scheduling system, Ad Astra. These classroom characteristics are used to determine whether a given space is equipped and appropriate for a particular class or activity. Agreeing to a consistent list across all campuses  eliminates a modification to the PeopleSoft system required to maintain campus-by-campus characteristics.

The ESUP team and leadership are committed to sharing information and specific changes as this process unfolds! If you have questions about the process or progress of ESUP, please email esup@umn.edu.

ESUP at the Legislature
As part of the University’s response to the Minnesota legislature regarding administrative efficiency at the University of Minnesota, President Eric Kaler asked the ESUP team to prepare a brief update on the program and its progress to date. The one-page update was reviewed by the ESUP Executive Oversight Committee and shared with the president last Wednesday. The update is also available online.

New Team Members In Williamson
Several members of the Technology team (Application Development and Testing) moved into Williamson 150 on Monday. If you see new colleagues, be sure to welcome them and introduce yourself!

Register by Wednesday for the Portal Kickoff!
Wikipedia defines a web portal as, "...a website that brings information together from diverse sources in a uniform way." But what does that really mean? The U of M has myU, One Stop, and any number of online tools. But something is missing. Figuring that out is not a simple task. The real question is: "What SHOULD the portal be at the U of M?" Help us answer that question by attending the portal kickoff event.   Register for the event by Wednesday, Jan. 30, and learn more at z.umn.edu/portal.  If you can’t make the event, follow it on Twitter (#umnportal).

ESUP Weekly Update Will Publish on Tuesday

The ESUP weekly update and key messages for next week will publish on Tuesday, Jan. 22, since the University is closed in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Enjoy the long weekend!

Weekly Update and Key Messages for the Week of 01/14/13

Phase 1 Activities Underscore ESUP’s Unprecedented Scope
One of the ongoing communication challenges associated with ESUP is conveying the scope and pace of the work underway. One way of capturing this is to take a closer look at the hours, number of people, and work product devoted to ensuring each phase of the program is successful.

Last week, for example, the leaders of the Student work stream shared the following:

• Since the first Phase 1: Plan and Discover session on Oct. 24, the team has completed 76 of 78 scheduled fit-gap validation sessions, each of which ran two to three hours and yielded 6 to 7 pages of notes.
• On average, 15 and 25 people attended each session, either in person or virtually. (The highest was more than 80.)
• These sessions have resulted in more than 500 pages of Plan and Discover workbook deliverables that will serve as the foundation for the work of Phase 2: Analyze and Design.

In Phase 2, Interactive Design and Prototyping (IDP) sessions will move the discussion from “what” to “how,” as teams of stakeholders, subject-matter experts, and consultants re-examine each business process, compare it to best practice and the latest delivered functionality in PeopleSoft and associated systems, and decide how best to configure the process and system to meet business needs, improve operations, and reduce customizations and cost. These sessions will be more intensive than the Phase 1 fit-gap validations, but also promise to be more rewarding, as we begin to shape new ways of doing business and delivering on the University’s mission. Student IDP sessions will begin in February.

The HRMS project is also moving rapidly through Phase 1; its timeline is approximately four to six weeks behind Student. The HRMS team will spend the next several weeks conducting sessions on new PeopleSoft modules not currently implemented at the University, as well as completing Benefits, HR, and Payroll fit-gap validation sessions (some in conjunction with Student and Finance) and reviewing workbooks in preparation for Phase 2. HRMS is also planning IDP sessions, which are slated to begin in mid-March.

The other three work streams are at various stages of ramping up for Phase 1:

• The Finance work stream is working on its project plan and communications infrastructure in preparation for launch this spring, while also taking part in relevant Student and HRMS sessions that impact EFS. 
• The Portal work stream continues its planning and team-building activities in preparation for its Feb. 4 kickoff event (see below).
• The EDMR team is attending Phase 1 sessions for Student and HRMS, fleshing out its own plan and team, and looking ahead to Reporting IDP sessions in the spring.

These staggered project timelines are part of the plan, enabling the program to coordinate across projects and implement in a timely manner with the most efficient use of resources. Kudos to all of the work streams for the hard work done so far!

Portal Charrette Lays Groundwork for Vision and Engagement
The Portal Leadership Team and Portal Project Team held a charrette last Monday to begin the work of collaborative engagement that will be the hallmark of the Portal project.  A charrette (sha-RETT) refers to a collaborative session in which a group drafts a solution to a design problem -- in this case the design problem is how to lead the portal initiative. The teams will continue their work this week in part two of the charrette, refining a draft of the charter and considering stakeholder engagement planning.  We are gearing up for kick-off on Monday, Feb. 4, from 2 to 4 p.m. on all campuses (invitation with sign-up instructions coming the week of Jan. 22). We'll be looking for input on the charter from the entire University community, and everyone is welcome!

Portal Team Launches Web Site; Other Work Stream Sites In Development
Portal now has a web site! Keep up to date with Portal happenings at z.umn.edu/portal, or by clicking the Portal tab on the ESUP blog. (If you are viewing the ESUP blog on a mobile device, click the drop-down arrow at the upper right on the screen to access the tabs menu, then select Portal.) The HRMS, Finance, and EDMR work streams plan to launch similar sites in the next few weeks.

Weekly Update and Key Messages for the Week of 01/07/13

ESUP Sessions Resume This Week
Happy New Year from ESUP! After a well-deserved break, the ESUP team resumes a full schedule of sessions, meetings, and activities this week. As always, you can see what’s on tap for all the work streams by viewing the ESUP Consolidated Calendar on the ESUP blog at upgrade.umn.edu.

New Leadership for Technology, Change Management Teams
The new year has brought new opportunities for University leaders involved with ESUP. On Friday, Dec. 21, Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer (CIO) Scott Studham announced that Sharon Ramallo will join his leadership team as associate CIO for enterprise systems, effective Jan. 3. Sharon has been leading the ESUP technology team as the University’s assistant program director for technology, alongside CCI’s Christopher Cameron. Mark Powell, who has been working as project director for infrastructure on the ESUP technology team, will take over as assistant program director with Christopher, and the three of them will work together over the next few weeks to manage the transition.

On Jan. 4, ESUP program director Andy Hill announced that Santiago Fernandez-Gimenez will become the ESUP’s assistant program director for change management, working with CCI’s Georgi Frye to lead ESUP change management, communications, and training efforts. A long-time University staff member, Fernández-Giménez believes that ESUP is an opportunity to build a strong foundation for future innovation, both technologically and socially. “I’m excited to jump into this challenging role,” he said. “I plan to reach out to the University community, try to ask insightful questions, surface differences of interest, and challenge us to find creative solutions that allow us to more fully leverage our enterprise infrastructure.”

Please congratulate Sharon, Mark, and Santiago on their new opportunities!

Mark Your Calendars for the Portal Kickoff!
With much of the project coordination underway, the Portal workstream is ready to introduce opportunities for the involvement of all University stakeholders. The Portal kickoff meeting will explain the portal project, identify ways that all interested parties can get involved, and be the start of creating the portal as a University collaborative effort.  This event will take place on Monday, Feb. 4, from 2 to 4 p.m. -- an email invitation with more details will come soon. There will be at least one location to attend on every campus. We hope you will join us!

Student Work Stream to Host IDP Orientation
The Student work stream will host a two-hour Interactive Design and Prototyping (IDP) orientation session this Thursday for its functional steering committee members. The session is similar in scope to the IDP training held for ESUP team members before the holiday break. Each work stream will hold similar training sessions as they get closer to IDPs and the Analyze & Design phase. For more information about IDPs, see this “What is IDP?” blog post.

Weekly Update and Key Messages for the Week of 12/24/12

ESUP Forums at UMR, CLA
ESUP Program Director Andy Hill and UMN Director of Academic Support Resources Sue Van Voorhis traveled to the University of Minnesota Rochester campus on Tuesday, Dec. 18,  for a UMR campus kickoff event. According to Hill, UMR Chancellor Stephen Lehmkuhle spent more than four hours with the two of them and key UMR leaders; additionally, an open forum on the program was attended by approximately 40 members of the the UMR community, who expressed strong support and enthusiasm for the program and its goals.

Hill also gave an ESUP overview presentation to staff and stakeholders from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities College of Liberal Arts (CLA) on Wednesday, Dec. 19. According to CLA Finance Director Brent Gustafson, the audience numbered approximately 50 people, including most of the college’s Finance and HRMS user community and a number of key stakeholders from the academic side.

Other colleges interested in planning an ESUP forum should contact communications director Jim Thorp at (612) 624-8942 or jthorp@umn.edu.

Changes in ESUP Leadership
College of Biological Sciences Dean Robert Elde will be taking over as chair of the ESUP Executive Oversight Committee following Vice President for Research Tim Mulcahy’s retirement at the end of this month. (Read the full announcement here.)  Also, please welcome Sherwood Daniels to the ESUP Leadership Team, as project director for the Portal work stream and Susan Geller’s CCI counterpart.

HCM Rocks!
Last week’s demos of the latest versions of the HRMS system (PeopleSoft HCM version 9.1 and 9.2) earned rave reviews from HRMS project directors Kris Hause (UMN) and others in attendance. Among the system highlights, stakeholders were wowed by the Manager’s Dashboard, loved Forms and Approvals functionality, and saw great opportunities in the Life Events functionality for the Benefits module. Enthusiasm for the new system is high going into the final weeks of Phase 1 for HRMS.

Staggered Scheduling for ESUP Work Streams
Coordinating the several work stream-specific projects that comprise ESUP is no small task. Each is starting from a very different point, with its own unique scope and objectives, but with the need for a shared roll-out and successful cross-functional integration.

The Student and HRMS work streams, for example, are undertaking significant system and business-process changes, and as a result, are the first two work streams out of the gate. (In fact, Student is approximately four to six weeks ahead of HRMS, as planned, and is effectively piloting ESUP governance processes and methodologies for the rest of the program.)

Since EFS was implemented relatively recently, changes in the Finance work stream are less substantial, and Phase 1 for Finance has not yet begun in earnest. This is the reason that Finance system stakeholders have heard relatively little about the project in recent weeks. Rest assured, you will hear more about the Finance project in the new year, as the EFS upgrade gets underway and integration points with the Student and HRMS systems are discussed in detail.

The Portal and Enterprise Data Management and Reporting (EDMR) work streams are also still ramping up. The scope of these cross-functional projects touches each of the other work streams and requires both a high level of coordination and extensive stakeholder engagement to be successful. We will be reporting more frequently on the progress of these projects in the coming year, as well.

Upgrade Lab On Track for Early January
The CCI Upgrade Lab is on track to deliver the development and test environments for PeopleSoft CS version 9.0 (the new Student system) in early January, as planned.

ESUP Meetings and Communications Schedule for the Holidays
There are no ESUP sessions and few standing meetings scheduled after this week due to the winter holidays and break. If you have meetings scheduled, please take a moment to confirm them with your colleagues. Sessions will resume on Monday, Jan. 7.

This is the weekly update for Monday, Dec. 24, and there will be no ESUP messages on Monday, Dec. 31. Beginning on Monday, Jan. 7, the ESUP weekly update and key messages will resume the regular release time of Monday afternoons.

Weekly Update and Key Messages for the Week of 12/17/12

Progress Across All ESUP Work Streams 
The Student and HRMS work streams announced last week that they have scheduled the remainder of their Plan and Discover sessions and are beginning to look toward the Analyze and Design phase of the program. While the focus of Plan and Discover has been the careful review and verification of Student and HRMS fit-gaps (confirming what the systems and business processes need to be able to do, but not how they do it), the focus of Analyze and Design will be Interactive Design and Prototype (IDP) sessions -- hands-on sessions in which participants will help to design how the systems and processes should work together. These highly interactive and participative sessions are designed to gather the best collective ideas of system users and stakeholders. They should be intense, but very rewarding. This Thursday morning, Dec. 20, CCI will lead UMN program and project directors and lead business analysts from across all of the work streams through a half-day of IDP training in preparation for the second phase of the program. This “train the trainer” session will enable each work stream to prepare its respective team and stakeholders to conduct productive IDPs.

The Finance, Reporting, Portal and Technology work streams continue to meet with stakeholders, define their respective strategies, and form teams and working groups to address the challenges of their projects. It is important to note that these ESUP projects are proceeding as planned and on schedule. Because the starting point, scope and scale of these projects differ significantly from Student and HRMS, they are ramping up at their own pace and will have more to report as they progress. Users and stakeholders in these areas should expect more communication and engagement in the coming weeks, and the rollout of new systems and processes will still happen in a coordinated and timely manner as ESUP moves toward completion in 2014.

First ESUP Quality Review Wraps Up This Week
CCI quality manager Vickie Cleary is completing a series of interviews with selected ESUP team members this week and will issue a draft report for review by the end of the month. Once finalized, this independent report will be shared more broadly with program leadership to address recommended changes and ensure continuous improvement. If you have not been contacted or surveyed as part of this first quality review, do not be concerned -- not everyone will be targeted for every review.

Early Results of Stakeholder Assessment Look Positive
The response to the initial ESUP Stakeholder Assessment Survey was strong, with 30 percent of those invited to take the survey responding. While the survey showed significant areas of opportunity to increase understanding about the scope and rationale for the upgrade program, overall support for and confidence in the program are high across all stakeholder groups surveyed. Respondents were vocal with regard to their expectations and concerns regarding ESUP -- the Change Partners team, a cross-functional group of ESUP representatives, communicators and change professionals, is now reviewing the quantitative results and pages of comments from each work stream, looking for emerging themes. A comprehensive report on the survey results will be released in January.

ESUP Downshifts for the Holidays
There are no ESUP sessions and few standing meetings scheduled after this week due to the winter holidays and break. If you have meetings scheduled next week or the first week of January, please take a moment to confirm them with your colleagues. Sessions will resume on Monday, Jan. 7.

 Happy holidays!