Wesleyan Financial SystemKickoff Meeting for WFS ImplementationJune 10, 2008

Kickoff Meeting Agenda

•Welcome – Nate Peters•Project Overview – Ed Below

▫Implementation Goals▫Modules▫User Participation and Project Teams▫Some Implementation Terminology▫Project Time Line

•Smart ERP Introduction and Presentation

Goals

•Go-Live on July 1, 2009•Implement as close to “base-line” as

possible (i.e. minimize customizations to the system)

•Re-examine business processes to increase efficiency

•Increase the use of electronic work-flow and approvals

•Involve users from many campus offices

Modules

User Participation

Steering Committee - Role

•Develop and review policies and business processes

•Review and approve configuration of the system

•Review the work of Project Teams and the outcome of prototyping and testing

•Oversee the project plan and project progress

Steering Committee - Members

•Nate Peters•Valerie Nye•Sun Chyung•Kim Savinelli•Steve Machuga•Barbara Spadiccini•Edwin Below

Project Teams - Role•Define and document related tasks and

business processes•Determine appropriate setup values and

configuration•Determine how security, workflow,

reporting, data conversion and interfaces impact the team’s process areas

•Consultants, technical staff and functional staff

•Small, usually no more than 7-8 people•Additional detail once teams are appointed

Project Teams - ListBusiness Process Teams System-Wide Teams

• G/L – Chart of Accounts• AP/Travel• Purchasing• Accounts Receivable/Cash

Management• Fixed Assets• Grants – Pre/Post Award• Endowments/Gifts• Project Costing• Hyperion – Budget Planning• Budget Maintenance and

Commitment Control

• Security• Reporting/Data

Warehouse• Data Conversion• Work Flow/Approval• Training/UPK• Interfaces• Communication• Technical Infrastructure• Portal

Some Implementation Terminology•Configuration and Setup•Customizations•Bolt-On•Fit/Gap Analysis•Data Conversion and Data Mapping•Work Flow and Approvals•UPK

Configuration and Setup•The delivered PeopleSoft Financials product

is like an empty house; it needs to be furnished

•The furnishings for WFS are the set of detail setup values we will use for our system

•Configuration and setup allows us to make this system uniquely ours

• In some cases there are several options for how the system is configured and allows us to adapt the system to meet special needs

Configuration and Setup

Customizations

•Customizations are actual changes to the fields, tables, processes or panels in the system that have been delivered by PeopleSoft

•Customizations are difficult to upgrade and can sometimes cause unknown problems in other parts of the system

•As a rule, we will not apply any customizations to the system

Customizations

Bolt-Ons•A bolt-on is a new screen, process, table

or field that is not part of the PeopleSoft delivered product

•Bolt-ons are much easier to maintain during an upgrade

•Bolt-ons often provide new functionality that the original product did not provide

•Bolt-ons will be developed as necessary, but will still be kept to a minimum because they can take significant time and effort to develop and test

Bolt-Ons

Fit/Gap Analysis• The Fit/Gap process will identify how well the

PeopleSoft system will meet the need and processes of Wesleyan.

• If a “gap” is found (a process, or data that the PeopleSoft system does not seem to accommodate), we will determine if we can modify our process so it works in the system, if we need to change our configuration or if we want to develop a “bolt-on”

• The Fit/Gap analysis is the first step in the implementation

Data Conversion and Mapping•Data conversion is the process of putting

our historic data into the new system•Mapping the data identifies the name of

the field in the old system with the name of the field in the new system

•Data conversion and mapping cannot be done until after the system is configured and all setup values are determined

•The extent to which we will convert FRS data will be determined during the Fit/Gap process

Electronic Workflow and Approvals

• Electronic workflow is the process of notifying another system operator when a particular action has taken place. Example: If a new chart string number is created, the person that requested it is automatically notified.

• Electronic approval is the process of another person approving the action or request of the first person. Once the approval happens, the request automatically moves to the next step.

• Workflow and approvals are closely related, but not exactly the same.

UPK• UPK stands for User Productivity Kit and will

be used for Fit/Gap and for training• UPK is a product we purchased with our

Financial System that shows how a particular process or action is taken in the delivered PeopleSoft system.

• The process can be demonstrated on the screen showing the menus that are used and the values that can be entered.

• Out of the box, UPK will show how the delivered PeopleSoft system works. UPK can be modified to show the unique way that Wesleyan has configured the system.

Time Line