Prepare for Cutover

Since The Upgrade involves updating several complex systems in sequence, the systems cutover period will be longer than previous upgrades. Scheduled for April 10 - 20, PeopleSoft and related systems will be unavailable or in view-only mode. Here is how to prepare:

Human Resource Systems

• Review HRMS cutover guide, timeline, and blog on HR systems impact.
• Take HR systems training as appropriate.

Finance Systems

• See cutover details for Finance Systems, such as purchasing and budget deadlines, urgent PCard purchases, and department procedure changes.
• Take Finance Systems training as appropriate.

Student Systems

• See Student Systems Cutover FAQs, which include information on registration, admissions, and transcripts.
• See student-related Key Dates & Deadlines and systems interruption details.
• Take Student Systems training as appropriate.

Portal (myU and MyU)

• The current myU will be available during cutover, but some linked systems may be down.
• View MyU training materials.

Reporting

• Read what to know about reports before, during, and after The Upgrade.
• View Reporting training materials.

Important Notice

The systems may be temporarily slow during the early days after launch because they are pulling in upgraded access profile information. Plus, the backlog of work will likely cause high traffic. So, expect things to take longer, and be patient as you learn new navigation and processes.

Finance Advance Team Spotlight: Madonna Monette

This spotlight is on Finance Advance Team member Madonna Monette, Chief Financial Manager for U of M Extension. Advance Team members are unit-specific people who have volunteered to receive advance materials and information to help their colleagues during The Upgrade transition.

Is The Extension ready for The Upgrade?

With regard to Finance, I would say we are “near-ready.” MN Extension has more than 500 employees, many of whom wear a lot of different hats, so getting our organization prepared for The Upgrade is a daunting task. There’s a lot of information to absorb, and people just want what is specific for them. This is why The Upgrade website has been so helpful – it’s organized so you can find useful information relevant to you. I believe many folks are informed on what The Upgrade is and entails but they still need time to take their training.

How are you helping the Extension prepare?

I feel privileged to be part of the Advance Team, a role I take very seriously. There’s a real benefit to being on the front line of discovery and preparation. I can give voice to ideas and concerns on behalf of my community.

We have focused on keeping things as easy as possible. We aim for clear, streamlined organizational processes with local implementation and individual accountability.

It’s important for us to be knowledgeable about how The Upgrade will impact the people we serve. I’ve been a human sponge (in addition to my regular job), soaking up information, figuring out how it applies to our area, and then making sure we know how to help people when the time comes.

How has the process been going?

The partnerships with the Extension Human Resources and The Upgrade have been great. We couldn’t be successful without people like Carrie Meyer in EFS. We process about 800 travel reimbursements every month and manage PCard activities. We’ve worked specifically with Purchasing and HR to deliver a great webinar with targeted, applicable information, on PCard, My Wallet and MyU. Extension Finance, HR and Communications are teaming together to continue to provide targeted communication to our community.

Any advice?

We think we know how it will all work but going live can bring new challenges. People are going to have different needs. We need to be prepared to be flexible and patient as we will likely experience difficulties. For myself, I try to have a calm demeanor, convey a sense of urgency without panic, and share a lot in translating what is applicable to our Extension community.

HR Stars, Help Desk Staff Participate in Incident Management, Service Training

More than 100 HR Stars and Help Desk staff members recently attended in-depth incident management and customer service training sessions to help prepare for The Upgrade. The training sessions were organized by the Office of Human Resources and the Office of Budget and Finance and were led by Polly Ligon O’Grady of Ready Ink Communications, a training and communications consulting firm.

Susan Diekman (Communications Director, OHR) presents to a room full of attendees.

During The Upgrade Incident Management System and You training, participants reviewed possible questions and participated in a simulation to learn how to analyze and escalate issues that arise. As part of the Managing Issues and Calming Concerns training, those attending reviewed best practices for customer service and communicating in stressful situations. The session included several opportunities for role-playing to practice principles learned.

Participants listen to expert presentations and participate in customer service role-playing.

Feedback from the participants was that the sessions were extremely helpful in their preparations for The Upgrade, as well as for their roles in supporting colleagues across the University.

As part of the training, participants received comprehensive binders with Upgrade information that they can use as a reference, or to share with colleagues. The binders included frequently asked questions and answers, a summary of online training courses available by role, key messages about each HRMS PeopleSoft module, and other information.

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.