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It's becoming real. As the July 1, 1998, "go-live" date for Project X phase-one activities draws closer, and the pace accelerates, everyone is no doubt wondering, and many are asking, "How is this going to affect me?"
The answer and the good news planned for the July-to-September time frame, is that system and procedural changes will be happening gradually and will not have a dramatic impact for most people. Much of the work of the Project teams is "back-office" work, or work on systems and processes that will not be visible to the average user. A good example of this behind-the-scenes work is the loading and converting of historic data on previous fiscal years which is taking place in preparation for the previewing of the new Chart of Accounts with real data in it, which is planned for later this summer.
The phase-one functions that will become available fall into two basic categories: Human Resources (HR) and Procurement. The HR changes people can expect to begin seeing and using include a new University Directory update process, a new applicant management system known as Resumix and changes in time-entry procedures for hourly employees. In the area of Procurement, people can expect to begin using several new forms; a new query mechanism for looking up vendor, requisition, purchase order or invoice payment status; new policies and procedures describing purchasing/accounts payable methods and limits; and the beginning of a distributed authority model for releases, reimbursement, and "okay-to-pay" payment approvals up to certain dollar amounts, depending on roles and responsibilities. Changes are described in more detail below.
A period of adjustment
One change that will affect people over the next few months, and one that everyone should be preparing for, is a period of adjustment, say Project X team members. During the phase-in of the various applications, those who are using the new applications to process transactions or view the status of orders will need time and practice to become accustomed to the differences. Likewise, everyone will start going through these changes together -- from the people who process transactions in central units to the staff who support users when systems have problems. Expect to see a lot of people learning new ways of doing things. In some cases, this means that routine work may take a little longer as this learning curve is being tackled. It is also important to keep in mind that the more work -- in terms of training and familiarization -- that is completed early, the easier it will make the second round of changes coming in January.
Get ready for Oracle HR
In the HR and Payroll areas, a few changes are imminent. First, the Oracle HR system will be in use by central HR units for entering and updating employee records. According to Chuck Paul, director of total compensation and human resource services and leader of the Project X HR/Payroll Team, "The new human resources database will fulfill an important role in terms of infrastructure support. This involves creating and maintaining a new Oracle-based file of employee, organization, and location information to support all the other applications (e.g., purchasing), security and workflow processes. The same information will also be used to compile the 1998-1999 Faculty and Staff Directory and will interface with other systems, including Banner, Library, Security, ID card, Dining Halls, etc."
Directory changes
This summer, people will see a change in the production process for the University Directory. Whereas historically the Yale Secretary's Office maintained its own employee Directory database, the new process will involve producing the Directory directly from the Oracle HR database. Among the expected benefits are more consistent and current information and online access to up-to-the-minute listings sometime later this year, easier updates and the elimination of duplicated effort in maintaining separate databases.
"This is a transition year," according to Dianne Witte, special projects coordinator for the Office of the Secretary. "In the long run, we hope that Directory coordinators will be able to update this information continuously, right from their desktop as the information comes in, rather than having updates done only once per year in a crash cycle."
For this first year, the Directory updates will be accomplished via an easy-to-use "turnaround" form, which was generated by the new Oracle database using data converted from a variety of sources. This year's update cycle began in early June, with the Directory going to the printer in August. Distribution will take place as usual starting Sept. 1. In the fall HR training sessions, when phase-two plans are covered, people will learn how to update and access the Directory online.
Another human resources change beginning in the July timeframe is use of the Oracle HR system by central HR units to manage benefits claims processing, including the workers' compensation, employee dental plan, Flex plan, scholarships and tuition assistance programs. While the benefits themselves will not be changing, some reports will take on a different look. Otherwise, there will be no discernible difference.
Major timekeeping changes
The second big push, which starts in July, is the phased implementation of the Kronos and Oracle timekeeping systems for hourly employees. This rollout will continue into the fall with everyone converted over to the new time-entry methods by Nov. 1. For Local 35 units, this means a shift to the new Kronos I.D. card-swipe timeclock system, which uses current employee I.D. cards and features application software for supervisors to review, correct, and submit time entries.
For clerical & technical (C&T), casual and student work-study employee time reporting, Oracle time-entry screens will be used. Existing personnel information has been loaded, simplifying the time-entry process for departmental administrators. The new system will also allow reports to be viewed and printed. Formal training sessions for the early participants is expected to begin in July. As each department completes the training, it will begin using the Oracle time entry screens rather than the old system.
Resumes and applications
Other big news in the HR area is the implementation of Resumix, a software package that will facilitate the employment process -- from the job posting stage to the hiring stage. With its ability to scan and sort resumes, Resumix will gather and store applicant information, allowing recruiters to skill-search the Resumix database and forward appropriate applications and resumes to hiring supervisors. Resumix also features a web application that allows applicants to send a resume and cover letter from their own computer. The system uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, which translates written type into a text file in the system. There will also be some business process changes, including the move to daily, rather than weekly, postings to shorten the cycle time from posting to receipt of first application. The level of service should increase dramatically, according to Chuck Paul.
Procurement process and system changes
The areas of Purchasing and Accounts Payable will see some of the biggest changes during the phase-one, July-to-December, period. These include the staged phase-out of the Walker system, the use of Oracle Purchasing and Accounts Payable systems for key functions, the retirement of the current Expense Report (ER) form, and the introduction of three new forms.
Some behind-the-scenes changes will begin the phase-out of the Walker system, as regular purchase orders and University-wide standing or "blanket" orders are moved into Oracle Purchasing. Departmental standing orders will remain in the Walker system until the planned cutover to Oracle in late December.
Requisitioners will notice little change in procedure, as the Walker Purchase Requisition system (PRS) will function throughout the fall, and the paper requisition form will still be in use. The biggest difference is that the Purchasing Department and certain other institutional offices with purchasing functions (e.g., Telecommunications and Facilities) will use the Oracle system to enter requisitions and generate purchase orders for everything except the departmental standing orders remaining in Walker.
Departments that currently have Walker query capability will soon be able to query the Oracle database to determine whether there is a record for a particular vendor, and to check on the status of some requisitions, purchase orders and payments. Project X team members are also nearing completion of the development of a new web-based query tool which will allow users to perform basic queries of the Oracle procurement database using their computer's web browser. This should greatly reduce the need for phone calls and voice-mail messages in pursuit of that kind of information, and the need for double entry of data into shadow systems for tracking purposes.
The Accounts Payable Department will use the Oracle system to process payments for everything except the Walker departmental standing orders. Another significant change will be the need for all departmental staff to enter receiving information on their copy of each standard purchase order in excess of $1,000 and send a copy to Accounts Payable to allow AP to pay the invoice. As of July 1, this will be required for all receipts against standard purchase orders exceeding $1,000, not just direct-to-department deliveries, as is done currently.
New forms
Starting this summer, the current Expense Report (ER) form will be replaced by two new forms designed to expedite processing in the Accounts Payable Department. The Employee Reimbursement form will be used for all travel, entertainment and other expenses that are to be reimbursed directly to employees. The Check Request form will be used for non-employee reimbursements, fees for services, and other payments without numbered invoices. Both will be paper forms that will also be available as web templates for printing to a local printer. Eventually, users will complete the forms online.
The third form being introduced in July is the Vendor Setup Request, used to request the addition of a new vendor to the Oracle database. One side of the form is to be completed by the requisitioner, and the other by the staff of Procurement's new Vendor Compliance Unit (VCU). A vendor must have an entry in the Oracle database in order for an Oracle purchase order or payment to be generated for that vendor.
Training
Business managers and their key staff can expect to learn more about these and other changes through a series of auditorium-style briefings being offered across the University June 16-30. A General Project X update session will consist of a 90-minute overview of changes to expect in the July-through-September implementations. Following the general sessions, there will be detailed presentations demonstrating changes in the HR/Payroll and Purchasing and Accounts Payable areas. These in-depth sessions will run about 90 minutes and will feature live demonstrations. Copies of new forms and changing policies and procedures will be available, as well as ample time for questions and answers.
Contact your business manager to learn more about these presentations. Materials from these sessions are also available on the Project X website at www.yale.edu/pjx.
-- By Donna Pintek
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