Steering Committee Meeting
Notes - August 23, 2005
- Go Live Plan Information
David Hardison shared information on the project staff’s planning for the first go live in October. Each of the functional teams has developed a go live plan that includes details on all tasks that must be completed for October 1. Anyone who wishes to see a sample plan should contact David.
As part of the overall plan, IRIS staff members will operate a command center at 630 South Broadway, Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. UK’s Customer Service Center (help desk, 7-1300) will act as a front door for phone calls and will route IRIS and SAP-related calls to the command center’s lines. Remedy software will be used to create tickets and track calls.
In addition to the command center, walk-in centers are planned for the Peterson Service Building and Funkhouser Building. Other locations are under consideration.
Go Live kits will be developed and distributed to end-users to help them get ready for October 1.
- Security in IRIS
The University will move forward with the open system approach, as reviewed and approved by the President’s Council. David explained the specifics of security for the first go live and informed the committee that each employee will be required to sign a statement of responsibility. Further, a notice of such responsibility will appear at each sign on. Those in attendance reviewed a matrix that compares current and future security.
- Updates
FI Team Dale Austin provided information on the FI Team’s recent accomplishments. Master data (excluding grants data) has been converted and staff members in the Office of the Treasurer have received training necessary for maintaining master data information. Dale also reported on progress made in check writing and other functionality such as claim-on-cash and grant revenue recognition.
Committee members learned about various FI tasks now underway. Team members continue to work on KMSF, faculty effort, banking activity, an interim budget solution, and lots of testing. In the area of testing, Dale asked for responses from areas that have interface systems, as he needs additional files for testing.
Upcoming task areas for the FI Team include report development, batch processing, scheduling, and forms development. UT has agreed to share its forms with the team, which will save time and effort.
Materials ManagementKevin Stevens reported on all tasks recently completed, including the collection of departmental information on requisition approvers, testing of authorization roles, print output testing, and vendor information load. The team has created its cutover plan and identified reporting requirements. The Accounts Payable staff has undergone advanced training.
Currently team members are verifying and loading requisition approvals, finalizing configuration, and validating release strategies. Still to come are additional training delivery and final preparation work.
Campus Management Michelle Nordin reported on several activities centered on Student Accounting, including testing and training, target population load, and communication with students and parents. After the current term is underway, students will receive information on changes coming in October, including the need to activate AD accounts in order to access the myUK portal. Michelle reported that approximately 14,000 students already have AD accounts. Others will get information on how to create theirs.
Michelle shared information on Biller Direct. Students will be able to pay their fees by credit card with Biller Direct, which they will access via the portal. In October they will also be able to view their accounts in this manner.
The Campus Management update concluded with information on the impact on current systems. VIP payment will be discontinued at the end of September. Because not all of CM is coming up this fall, SIS will continue to be the system of record for students. Interfaces will be utilized to ensure that both current and future systems (including financial aid systems) are synchronized.
Human Resources/PayrollComparison and parallel testing efforts have been delayed, due to data conversion issues and required data clean-up in HRS. Since there is no time cushion in the project plan, this delay adds pressure and eliminates any possibility for further changes.
Training Diana Sage reviewed the training strategy and provided the latest numbers on registration. The biggest challenge lies with the general user class; more than 1100 employees need this two-day course, which offers considerable financial information.
The team is looking ahead to the HR go live and will begin training in mid-October.
- Preparation for October 1 Go Live
Lee Nelson concluded the meeting with comments on expectations and typical go live issues. He indicated that authorization will be the biggest issue during the first week. Dealing with change will be hard for some employees. Reporting and system performance are other issue areas to anticipate.
Lee suggested several strategies for getting prepared: 1) review the Go Live kit; 2) learn about walk-in centers; 3) continue training after training (use the Sandbox); and 4) develop departmental subject matter experts. Regarding the help desk, users should try to avoid general question calls (they may have answers in training materials). They should be prepared to respond to several questions when they do place a call for help.
The Steering Committee meets next on September 27.
