University Systems Replacement Project FAQ
What is the University Systems Replacement (USR) Project?
First phase – Evaluation and Implementation Preparation Phase
Identify and evaluate Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) options to
replace
· Academic – Student Records (SIS), Financial Aid (FAR), Bursar (BAR), Admissions
· Financial – General Ledger and Accounts Payable (FAS), Budget (RAP), Purchasing, Asset Management
· Human Resources and Payroll (HRS)
· Contributor Relations and Alumni Development (FundAl), Foundation
Develop
detailed requirements to be included in an ERP Request for Proposal
(RFP)
Assess
the impact to primary university operations (e.g., business process
changes) and identify preparatory activities for subsequent implementation
phases
Develop
a preliminary budget and timeline
Inform
and collaborate with the university community about the USR project
Following
a detailed evaluation of vendor RFP responses, provide a recommendation
to the Executive Steering Committee
Subsequent phases
Specific
module implementation schedules and activities to be developed after
an ERP vendor solution is selected, but a very preliminary timeline
is provided below
Why replace university systems now?
Aging
technology and design
15 to
25 year old applications – increasingly difficult and costly to support
Batch
and central administration oriented design – limits flexibility and
integration options
Limitations
of the “salvage, extend, and enhance” projects
Short-term
strategy begun in the mid ‘90s intended to extend the life of our application
systems until vendor-based alternatives were more attractive and re-designed
for the internet
· Included: Y2K conversion, Financial Desktop Services (FDS), Data Warehouse, Self-service query and reporting at the desktop, Raider Online eXpress (ROX), Workflow, Wright OnLine (WOL)
Inability
to effectively support both older and newer technologies indefinitely
Risks
of status quo
Comparative
and competitive gap with other institutions
Limited
flexibility and responsiveness
Eventual infrastructure failure (estimate 5 to 7 years) without significant
investment in increasingly obsolete applications
Ability
over time to find staff trained and interested in supporting older technology
More
information...
CaTS
System Assessment and Alternatives
What are
the benefits?
Improved
system and process integration
Improved
business practices and information access
Distributed
design – leveraging capabilities of the internet
Portal-based
– integration of services with single sign-on
Compatible
and more competitive with other institutions
Meeting
expectations of students
Greater
flexibility and responsiveness
Significant
but necessary and positive change for
Who
is involved in this project?
USR Selection Committee
22 members,
involving primarily those areas closest to administrative systems and
services
Primary
role – research, document, communicate and recommend
Subject Area
Teams
Five
teams involving approximately 120 members of the campus community
· Academic Records (Registrar, Admissions, college representatives, advisors)
· Academic-Financial (Bursar, Financial Aid)
· Financial
· HR and Payroll
· Contributor Relations
Primary
role – identify detailed requirements for each operational functional
area and those they serve across campus
Executive
Steering Committee
Executive
Sponsor – Dr. Matthew Filipic, Vice President for Business and Fiscal
Affairs
Primary
role – project oversight, funding, and issue resolution
More information...
USR
Project Overview Eval and Prep Phase
USR
Selection Committee Members
How are we selecting an ERP vendor product?
Vendor
product demonstrations conducted in late 2002
Request for
Proposal (RFP)
Based
on Subject Area Team requirements developed June through August
RFP
complete and distributed – August 22nd
Written response
of RFP –
due September 12th
Vendor
Scripted Demos
– 2nd and 3rd week of September
(A
Scripted Demo is for product evaluation where the vendor follows a very
detailed scenario-based script that was included in the RFP)
ERP
client (higher education institutions) teleconferences/interviews –
completed September 5th
USR
Selection Committee recommendation to Executive Steering Committee –
September 25th
When will
changes begin to impact the university?
** These are currently very preliminary
target deployment dates
University
Portal –March 2004
Basic introductory
services
Integrated
email and calendaring, replacing existing email server and OnTime calendar
Integrated
with existing ROX and WOL (Wright OnLine) services
Financial
Systems
–July 2005
Human Resources
and Payroll –January 2006
Academic
Systems
–late 2006 and/or early/mid 2007
Contributor
Relations
–to be determined
Last Updated: January 6, 2004