Sneak Peek: U Market Ordering Process

For everyone who creates requisitions in EFS, here is a brief video that shows how processing of U Market orders will change after The Upgrade is complete. U Market itself will not be changing but the basic EFS requisition pages will look a bit different. Please take 5 to 6 minutes to watch the video. It will help you prepare for the changes coming with the scheduled upgrade in April 2015*.

Click to view the U Market Ordering Process Sneak Peek

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

New Videos Introduce Changes to Timesheets and Absence Requests; Watch to Ensure You Get Paid on Time or Can Take Time Off After PeopleSoft Upgrade in February

One of the biggest changes in the University’s Human Resources Management System Upgrade from PeopleSoft 8.9 to 9.2, is that employees who currently report their time and absences on paper will instead do so electronically when the system plans to go live in April 2015*. The change will affect almost everyone who works at the University, except those in University Services and a few other units who will continue using KRONOS and COMPASS. Hourly employees and their supervisors who don’t make the shift from paper to electronic reporting risk not being paid on time. Salaried employees who don’t make the change to electronic absence reporting could have time off delayed. To introduce the change from paper to electronic reporting, the University’s Office of Human Resources has completed three new sneak peek videos, including Electronic Time Reporting, Electronic Absence Reporting, and Approving Electronic Time and Absence Reporting. Closer to the Upgrade Go Live date, University employees will be offered training and other how-to resources to help make the change. Here are a few key points employees should be aware of when the Upgrade plans to launch in April: For Hourly Employees

If you are an hourly U of M employee or undergraduate student worker who reports your hours now, you will continue to report them in the future. But rather than completing a paper timesheet, you will submit your hours online using electronic time reporting. Unit administrators can assist employees without access to computers. For Salaried/Exception Hourly Employees (Faculty and Staff)

If you are a salaried or exception hourly employee who does not submit a timesheet now, you will not be required to do so in the future. (Exception hourly employees will continue to report salary exceptions such as approved overtime, shift differential, etc.) Salaried and exception hourly employees who currently report vacation and other absences on paper will instead do so electronically. Unit administrators can continue to assist faculty and staff with reporting absences. For Supervisors/Managers

If you are a supervisor who reviews and approves employee time or absences, you will continue to do so in the future. After Go Live, you will complete your approval electronically rather than on paper. Supervisors will be able to delegate this function where necessary. To view the new sneak peek videos, go to: *Electronic Absence Reporting (helpful for all employees)

http://z.umn.edu/sneakpeekabsence

*Electronic Time Reporting (helpful for hourly workers)

http://z.umn.edu/hrmseltimerpt

*Approving Electronic Time and Absence Reporting (helpful for managers/supervisors) http://z.umn.edu/hrmsapprtimeabsrpt

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

Sneak Peek: The New myU Portal

The purpose of the new myU portal is to help staff, faculty and students be successful in getting their business done at the U. Take a peek at the homepage for the new myU and learn how the University community will use some of its features.

Questions about ESUP or the new myU? Email us at esup@umn.edu.

Sneak Peek: Financial WorkCenters

The Finance work stream recently released a sneak peek on Financial WorkCenters. The video explains how the University's financial community will use the new Financial WorkCenter functionality coming with ESUP. If you haven't yet seen this sneak peek, check it out! (And remember, all the videos and sneak peeks are on the Program's website.)

For more information about the financial system (EFS) upgrade, visit http://z.umn.edu/finance. If you have questions about coming changes as a result of ESUP, please email esup@umn.edu.

Sneak Peek: Finance approvals process

The Finance work stream recently released a sneak peek on approvals. The video explains how the University's financial transaction approvals process will change as a result of ESUP. If you haven't yet seen this sneak peek, check it out! (And remember, all the videos and sneak peeks are on the Program's website.)

For more information about the financial system (EFS) upgrade, visit http://z.umn.edu/finance. If you have questions about coming changes as a result of ESUP, please email esup@umn.edu. We’ll track down the answer and get back to you!

Sneak Peek: Introducing the New Reporting Center

The Reporting and Data Management work stream is releasing a "sneak peek" video introducing the new Reporting Center. This short video highlights key features and explains how University faculty and staff will use this new location in the new myU portal to access reports from UM Reports, UM Analytics, and PeopleSoft. Please take a couple of minutes to watch the video and share it with colleagues.

ESUP Finance Workstream: Good news for people using EFS!

The upgrade team is working on one web page everyone can visit to prepare for the upgrade. Most people will be able to complete all of their EFS upgrade preparation online.

The upgrade of EFS is scheduled to launch (or “go live”) in February of 2015 for all of the PeopleSoft enterprise systems. Right now, staff with the following roles will have to do a bit more work than everyone else to get ready: PCard reconcilers, PCard approvers, travel & expense preparers, and travel & expense approvers.

Both the PCard and travel related activities may continue to be performed by separate individuals or the work may be combined into one role within units, once the upgrade takes place. Please discuss your role(s) with your supervisor or manager before planning to take the additional training. Your RRC manager and EFS cluster director will ensure you have EFS access appropriate to complete your assigned work. After the upgrade, PCard reconciler and approver security roles will cease to exist (they will be part of being a travel & expense preparer or approver). Details of the approval configuration for PCard activity will be available closer to the launch date for the upgrade.

PCard reconcilers and approvers:

• Do this now (optional): Watch the sneak peek about PCard.
• Do this soon (required before February 2015): If you have not already done so, complete this training:
• Preparers: Travel Authorization & Expense Reimbursement in-person course and related assessment.
• Approvers: Travel Authorization & Expense Approvals online coursework and related assessment.
• When it becomes available (required before February 2015): You will have to complete one online training course that covers the changes to Travel & Expense functionality. And there’s no assessment!

Travel & expense preparers and approvers:

• Do this now (optional): Watch the sneak peek about PCard.
• Do this soon (optional): If you have not already done so, consider completing the PCard reconciliation or approving coursework or review the related materials looking specifically at policy-related information.
• When it becomes available (required before February 2015): You will have to complete one online training course that covers the changes to Travel & Expense functionality. And there’s no assessment!

Sneak Peek: New importance of Position data

The HRMS work stream has released its latest “sneak peek” video, The Power of Position Management. This short video explains the new importance of Position data in the new HRMS system and the ways in which integrated Position data streamlines business processes from recruiting through workforce management. Check it out, then view and share previous sneak peek videos from the HRMS and other work streams.

Sneak Peek: PCard is Moving to the Expense Report

A short post today--stay warm out there!

Some changes are coming to the financial system as part of the Enterprise Systems Upgrade Program (ESUP). (Hint: you can read about other changes, here!) The finance team has created a sneak peek of the planned change to the PCard reconciliation process. Please take a few minutes to watch the video posted at http://z.umn.edu/pcardsneakpeek.

Please share this sneak peek with those in your unit who may have an interest in the PCard process. A link to the video will also be posted on the EFS message screen.

For more information about the financial system (EFS) upgrade, visit http://z.umn.edu/finance. If you have questions about coming changes as a result of ESUP, we’d love to hear from you! Please send us an email at esup@umn.edu. We’ll track down the answer and get back to you!

Sneak Peek: New Self-Service Centers in PeopleSoft 9.0

The ESUP Student work stream will be releasing several new self-service centers in PeopleSoft 9.0. The following short videos provide an overview on how these centers will benefit users. The ESUP Student Training Team will be developing more in-depth tutorials and documentation of this new functionality before ESUP goes live.

Advisor Center  

The Advisor Center will provide advisers access to real-time data on their advisees, including biographical and demographic data, academic information and more.

Faculty Center

The new Faculty Center will provide faculty (and their proxies) one centralized location for completing tasks associated with teaching classes.

Employee Class field sneak peek online now

The training team for the HRMS workstream has released its latest “sneak peek” video -- this one on changes to the Employee Class field in the new system. Check it out by clicking the image below, or visiting the Sneak Peeks page at z.umn.edu/hrms to view all four early education videos to date.

HRMS work stream focuses on stakeholder engagement

As the end of Phase 2: Analyze & Design draws near, the HRMS work stream has ramped up its outreach to the broader user community and to the University. A new Sneak Peeks video page has been added to the HRMS website to provide previews of system changes and early-education opportunities for system users. During the past three weeks, the HRMS team has also hosted three town halls on the East Bank, West Bank, and St. Paul campuses, which were streamed to employees statewide.

A total of 273 people attended these sessions (166 in person and 107 online). Attendees heard a brief overview of planned system and business process changes to date, then shared their feedback, questions, and concerns with HRMS project leaders including Director of OHR Operations Lori Lamb, HRMS business owner Kelly Krattiger, and HRMS project director Kris Hause.

“Our goal is to get more people involved, and more discussion happening, about the HRMS portion of the Enterprise Systems Upgrade Program,” said Lamb. “We want to know what concerns people have, what they are hearing about the project, and what additional information they need. We want feedback from people who might not otherwise have had the chance to share, and if people are out of the loop, we want to bring them in the loop.”

Attendees also provided written feedback, which is being compiled and reviewed to identify topics for future communications, training, and discussion. A video of the first town hall session has been posted on the HRMS upgrade website, z.umn.edu/hrms. You can also offer feedback or ask questions about the project online.

Additionally, on November 7, more than 60 project team members, governance committee members, and subject matter experts from the HRMS and Finance work streams attended an appreciation lunch hosted by Kathy Brown, vice president of the Office of Human Resources, for their hard work on shared processes like those in Payroll Accounting. Brown, Lamb, Associate Vice President and Controller Mike Volna, and Rob Super, chair of the Finance functional steering committee, each thanked those in attendance and spoke highly of the level of engagement to date and the tremendous potential of the upgrade to help transform the way the University operates.

Now showing: Appointment structure sneak peek video!

In September, the HRMS work stream shared that restructuring the University’s appointment data could transform our system and data. This month, HRMS business owner Kelly Krattiger demonstrates how the new structure will work and what will change for the better because of it. Check out our latest HRMS Sneak Peek video!

Payroll Accounting sneak peek: More robust functionality, less data entry

Much of the buzz in the HRMS and Finance work streams in recent months has been around payroll accounting -- the business processes at the intersection of the University’s HRMS and Finance systems. Payroll accounting (or in PeopleSoft lingo, commitment accounting) includes six related business processes that handle how University employees are paid, and from what funds: distribution entry, encumbrances, actuals distributions, fringe costing, retro distribution, and the position budgeting interface.

The HRMS upgrade project provides an opportunity to significantly reduce data entry and simplify payroll accounting processes in most cases, and strengthen processes and accountability in others. These can be challenging processes to understand, even for regular system users -- as a result, the HRMS training team has developed a "sneak peek" video to explain some of the new functionality. For the rest of the University community, suffice it to say that the interaction between the U’s HRMS and Finance systems should be significantly simpler and easier to manage going forward -- reducing data entry and the opportunity for error, and improving efficiency and productivity.