Crunch Time!
Preparations are in high gear as we approach the next phase of go-live for the Campus Solutions module on Monday. As of that date, March 25, PeopleSoft will become the system of record for student information. Look for campus communications next week providing more details. We continue to offer training sessions for faculty and support staff. See the Campus Solutions training site to register for a session or to find online instructions and self-help videos if you prefer to learn on your own. There will also be drop-in sessions and online support for students during registration, which takes place the week of April 8.
Kate Cohn, Scott Dunham, Tasha Helton, Katie Holmes, Dana Kapla, Jenifer Lambert, and Stefanie Lund were in Indianapolis this week representing Puget Sound at Alliance 2013, the annual conference of the Higher Education User Group (HEUG). We’ve gotten several reports indicating there were many exciting things to learn in conference sessions, good networking opportunities with other schools using PeopleSoft, and some extra fine desserts at the closing reception.
Optimize Features Prominently in TechNews
TechNews has gone out to faculty and staff this week with features, photographs, and other details related to Optimize Puget Sound. Special thanks to those who contributed quotes, articles, or your photogenic presence to this issue!
The Campus Solutions team has been extremely busy as they hurtle toward go-live March 25. They’ve converted enrollment data for all classes since 1985 into PeopleSoft. Also, paper and electronic versions of financial aid awards and letters were sent to incoming freshmen. Luanne Meyer in the Office of Admission was especially happy about the automatic processing of the third round of merit letters in PeopleSoft. She reported, “We even got them out before the due date!”
Spring break may be next week, but we’re still offering training for faculty and administrative support staff. See the Campus Solutions training site to register for a session or to find online instructions and self-help videos if you prefer to learn on your own.
It won’t feel like spring for the Puget Sound folks heading to Indianapolis for Alliance 2013, next week’s annual conference of the Higher Education User Group (HEUG). Instead of shorts and sunblock, you’ll want to pack your fleece and mittens!
Student Center is Coming!
The Campus Solutions team continues work on several fronts as we move toward the initial go-live of Student Center slated for next week. On Monday Kris Bartanen, academic vice president and dean of the university, and Mike Segawa, vice president of student affairs and dean of students, sent a message to students about what to expect in Student Center. Initially, Student Center will only provide a “to-do list” and the Fall 2013 course schedule, but eventually tools will be added for such tasks as registration and billing.
The message to students also introduced myPugetSound, the name of the new portal scheduled to replace Cascade in August. Moving forward, students will receive email updates and announcements from the myPugetSound Transition Team, composed of Martin Jackson, associate academic dean, Donn Marshall, associate dean of students, Maggie Mittuch, associate vice president for student financial services, Sarah Moore, associate academic dean, Brad Tomhave, university registrar, and Landon Wade, director of academic advising.
Also this week, Optimize managers visited with administrators at Clover Park Technical College to compare notes on preparing for an ERP implementation. Clover Park will be moving to PeopleSoft as part of an implementation planned by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC).
We continue to welcome questions, suggestions, or any other feedback you may have. Please contact us at optimize@pugetsound.edu.
Optimize Teams Collaborate Across the Board
With the PeopleSoft Financials module in place, the Human Resources module set to go live January 1, and implementation of the Campus Solutions module planned for next March, cross-team collaboration was happening across the board this week for Optimize Puget Sound.
On Monday, Optimize representatives participated in a panel at the President’s LEAD meeting to discuss policy and operational changes prompted by the transition to PeopleSoft. Participants included William Morse, chief technology officer and associate VP for technology services; Travis Nation, Optimize project manager; Cindy Matern, associate VP for human resources and career and employment services; Janet Hallman, associate VP for accounting and budget services; and John Hickey, associate VP for business services and community engagement. For details covered in their presentation, see the handout distributed at the meeting.
On Tuesday, Sherry Mondou, vice president for finance and administration, and Kristine Bartanen, academic vice president and dean of the university, sent an overview of project developments to faculty and staff. This was followed on Wednesday by a message from HR describing leave policy changes coming with the HR module in 2013. Members of multiple teams are engaged in the development of more communications to come related to faculty and staff ID cards, payroll, and timekeeping.
As project work continues, we are seeing growing integration between the systems supporting Financials, HR, and Campus Solutions. This week, the HR and Financials teams worked together on budgeting and payroll processes in the HR module. And both technical and functional team members have been involved in the conversion of data for Campus Solutions. As they say, it takes a village to implement an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system like PeopleSoft!
Identity and Scheduling Kick Off
Football season is underway, and while we cheer the Loggers on, we’re happy to report not all the great plays are on the field. This week, two new and exciting Optimize initiatives also kicked off!
First, discovery sessions commenced in order to lay the groundwork for implementing Oracle Identity Management, the platform that will allow us to manage user identities, including roles and permissions, across multiple systems.
Second, the Scheduling System Advisory Group held its inaugural meeting. This committee will help guide the implementation of a new, much-needed system to manage room and event scheduling for campus classrooms and non-academic spaces.
Work continued for the Human Resources, Campus Solutions, and technical teams this week. We appreciate the great effort and dedication everyone is putting into this important project. Go, Loggers! Go, Optimize Puget Sound!
Optimize Rolls On!
There was a lot of positive energy in Howarth 005 this week as MIS representatives Robbie de Leur, Jessica Ewald, and Tina DuBose joined the Campus Solutions team in discovery sessions focused on financial aid, charges and payments, academic requirements, academic exceptions, and enrollment. As Melanie Sullivan from the Office of the Registrar noted, “The best part of these sessions is getting to work with people from across campus that we don’t typically work with!”
The Financials team signed off on their Fit-Gap document to guide design and configuration of the module. The Human Resources team is making good progress as they explore opportunities for integrating the current timekeeping processes for faculty, staff, and students.
Project Manager Travis Nation and Associate Academic Dean Alyce DeMarais continue with presentations about Optimize Puget Sound to faculty and staff groups across campus. To schedule a presentation for your department or office, please contact Travis at 253.879.2710 or tnation@pugetsound.edu.
Financials Marks Milestone, Campus Reviews Registration
The Financials team reached an exciting milestone Monday with the presentation and review of their first Fit-Gap summaries. These documents are critical in guiding the configuration and testing of the system which is scheduled to go live in July. MIS is now integrating feedback from the team as they set up the module.
Discovery sessions for the Campus Solutions team focused on registration. The group was particularly happy to learn the new system will automate some important processes currently done manually.
Those who attended last week’s Higher Education User Group (HEUG) conference in Nashville shared their experiences with campus colleagues in a one-hour session on Monday. Learning the meaning of technical jargon, networking with counterparts from other institutions, and building rapport with Puget Sound colleagues were cited among numerous benefits of the conference.
Jody Putman of Accounting and Budget Services sends a big thank you to those 80 respondents who heeded her call to take the Budget Administration survey. If you did not get a chance to complete the survey, please contact Jody at jputman@pugetsound.edu.
HEUG and Other Happenings
This week, over 3000 people from 24 countries attended the annual conference of the Higher Education User Group (HEUG) in Nashville, TN. Fourteen members of the Optimize team were among them! Three and a half days of wall-to-wall sessions provided excellent opportunities to network and learn from other institutions utilizing PeopleSoft. Project Manager Travis Nation noted that “learning what not to do is as valuable as learning what works.” A debrief on the conference is scheduled for Monday, March 26. If you are interested in attending, please contact Emily Precht-Patterson at 253.879.2596 or eprecht@pugetsound.edu.
Meanwhile, back in the Underground at Puget Sound, the Campus Solutions team participated in remote discovery sessions on tuition calculation. The Financials team engaged in productive discussions on annual budget processes.
Project Coordinator Emily Precht-Patterson provided an overview for team members who access the Optimize SoundNet site (requires Puget Sound login). The site is a key tool for facilitating collaboration and managing the wealth of documents related to the project. To learn more about SoundNet, see the schedule of training sessions offered by Technology Services.
A Superb Week for Financials
The Financials team had a great week as they continued discovery sessions with MIS consultants Suresh Pandurangam, Michelle Welch, and Teri Mills. Puget Sound and MIS staff are developing strategies for data conversion and integration between PeopleSoft and third party systems.
Jody Putman, director of financial reporting and tax for the university, has met with the Steering Committee and other campus members to solicit preferences on budget administration. If you have feedback for Jody, please contact her at 253.879.6110 or jputman@pugetsound.edu.
Also this week, the Campus Solutions team participated in discovery sessions conducted remotely by MIS consultants Jessica Ewald, Robbie de Leur, and Tina DuBose.
Project Manager Travis Nation has been meeting with faculty groups across campus to share information about Optimize Puget Sound. To schedule a time for Travis to meet with your department or office, please contact him at 253.879.2710 or tnation@pugetsound.edu.
Procurement, Budget, and Campus Solutions: In Motion
The turnout was incredible for the Procurement, Budget Development, and Campus Discovery tracks this week. The team members and our MIS consultants were able to meet face-to-face and begin review of our requirements. Together, people discussed business processes in different lights and envisioned how the future may look.
Next week, we will conduct remote follow-up sessions as we continue to elicit requirements.
Thank you so much for everyone’s continued participation.