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.

'ESUP_Program' Folder Renamed in Google Drive

We are preparing to introduce a reconstructed and more stable ESUP folder structure in Google Drive. In order to differentiate between the current folder structure and the new structure (which has not yet been released), we have renamed the current parent folder to "ESUP_Program_Old." 

Work stream project directors and teams should continue to use this folder structure until the new structure is populated and shared. Please share with your ESUP colleagues that "ESUP_Program_Old" is the current, working ESUP folder structure on Google Drive.

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.