ERP at The University of Nebraska: Defining Roles

Don Mihulka, University of Nebraska

Dave Reifschneider, Prescient Consulting

Jim Buckler, Prescient Consulting

Overview• Brief history of project• Identification of roles and responsibilities

needed from IT, functional and consulting team members

• Values and skills sets required by team members

• Staffing the team – multi-campus process and issues

Overview - Cont.

• Communication methods used to keep team and University informed

• Team building activities• Lessons learned

Brief History

• Multi-campus system each with unique missions

• Over 46,000 students

• Almost 11,000 full-time faculty & staff

Brief History-Cont.

• Accounting, finance, purchasing, budgeting, budgetary control, human resources information, payroll, etc., for:– $1.1 billion budget– 150,000 orders/invoices per year– 400+ departments and auxiliaries– 970 on-line users daily– 360,000 paychecks or electronic deposits per year– 42,000 employee records

Project Timeline

• Preparation Phase 9/97 - 11/97• Analysis Phase 11/97 - 2/98• Design Phase 2/98 - 11/98• Implementation Phase 11/98 - 6/99• Go-Live with Financials/procurement - 7/1/99• Go-Live with Human Resources – 10/22/99

Current System Deficiencies

• Difficult to use (very complex)• Limited in functionality• Disparate systems (not integrated)• Multiple databases• Inflexible, difficult to change• Not year 2000 compliant• Encourages use of “shadow systems”• Do not meet business needs

Guiding Principles

1. User comes first

2. Cost effective

3. Empower people –

4. Provide appropriate training and assistance

5. Facilitate process redesign/Allow for evolutionary changes

Guiding Principles-Cont.

• Client server direction• University commitment • Reporting standards • Easy to use • Support diverse needs

Knowledgeand Skills - Functional

• Knowledge of University business processes • Empowered decision maker • Ability to work in diversified teams and guide

and motivate project team members• Ability to work in both a management capacity

and hands on detail in the system

Knowledgeand Skills - Functional

• Ability to multitask and provide strong time management skills

• Requires excellent communication skills to work with diverse groups on multiple campuses

• Advance application software skills, including but not limited to, presentation, spreadsheet, word processing and planning applications

Knowledgeand Skills - Technical

• Willingness to learn new programming and development skills

• Adapt to new client/server technologies and tools

• Communication skills - work closely with business processes and team members

• Build business and integration knowledge

Team Member Responsibilities

• Work as a partner with consultants and other team members

• Work closely with all other project teams to understand the inter-relationships and integration of the R/3 system

• Attend R/3 training classes• Report progress to team leader via status

reporting mechanism that is defined

Team Member Responsibilities

• Learn and utilize methodology and software• Act as a change agent for the University of

Nebraska• Communicate back to campus units on

business decisions and progress of the project

Team Member Responsibilities

• Address campus concerns as University concerns. Stay focused on the goal of a University-wide solution in which business processes across campuses are the same unless truly unique requirements require otherwise.

• Major issues that could result in a change of scope for the project should be elevated to the team leader as soon as they become known.

Team Member Responsibilities

• Develop and execute system testing and acceptance strategies, to include both unit testing and system integration testing.

• Assist in development of training materials and in conducting end user training as necessary

• Provide post-implementation support.

Implementation Team

• NU-SAP team comes from all four campuses• Steering Committee oversees the project • Core and Extended Teams (~ 25 people)

– 7 functional and support teams– several cross-functional teams

• Implementation Consultants (~15)• Technical Resources (~ 25 people)• Campus Primary Resources (~ 60 people)• Campus Transition Teams (~ 40 people)

ProjectAdm inistrator

Project SteeringCom m ittee

UniversityProject M anager

Im plem entationConsulting

Project M anager

Council ofBusiness Officers

Procurem ent & Logistics (M M )

Project System s(PS)

Business Planning &Controls (CO & FM)

Hum an Resources &Payroll

Technical and DataConversions

Accounting &Financial M anagem ent

(FI)

Implementation Team

Prim ary Resources: Asset M anagem ent, Accounts Payable, Benefits, Budget, Controlling, General Ledger, Hum an Resources, Inventory Control,Payroll, Project Accounting, Purchasing, Sponsored Program s, State Interface

Transition Team s:- Change M anagem ent & Training and End-User Liaisons

Technical Support - System s, Networking, Desktop

Training &Docum entation/

Change M anagem ent/End User/Custom er

Team Communications

• Shared database, so all team members had access to status reports, project documents, etc.

• ‘Bullpen’ meetings• Weekly team meetings• Campus presentations by project team

End User Support

• SLUGO — Lotus Notes and Web Online help and printed materials

Campus tailors to meet their needs Computer Based Training (SAP Navigational) Downloads (Install SAP GUI, G/L Account listings,

Business Forms) News (Disseminate information) Training Registration Profile Management (access to secure area of

SLUGO)

Team Building Activities

• Social activities• Golf tournament and other evening outings with

team• Rewards & Recognition program• Team Bonus – sharing successes during project

phases• Gifts provided to team – ex. Team shirts• ‘Bullpen’ work environment

The Human Story

• The University of Nebraska has had a very successful ERP implementation

• The people involved with this effort have done an outstanding job

• What is clear, is that we have only just begun with the total implementation of SAP

• Large multi-campus implementation, we had to coordinate the development of U-Wide common business practices necessary in order to implement the first phase of SAP

The Human Story

• The sophistication and complexity of the SAP system is significant especially for the end user

• The continuation of training and development activities is key

• Changing the culture and matching the right talent to the new way of doing business, all takes time

The Human Story

• Enterprise systems only raise the stakes to new levels of cost and interdependency between technology and business

• The role of the IT organization is critical to the success of the implementation– require training and skills to develop and support the

new system while maintaining the legacy system until go-live date

Outcome

• A successful, on time implementation• Knowledge transfer• New skill set and processes involvement with

technical/functional team members. Transition and support of legacy and new system

Outcome

• Appropriate staffing resulted in a successful implementation, on time and very little turnover in staff over a 2-year period.

• Collaboration of consulting, technical and functional team members resulted in knowledge transfer.

• Team focus on system wide issues, instead of campus issues, to quickly resolve conflicts

Lessons Learned

• Avoid scope creep

• Full time team members

• Interaction between between consultants, technical and functional team members

• Minimize customization

• Knowledge transfer

Lessons Learned

• Data conversion is critical

• Test, test, test - use testing tool if possible• Consider other system components

earlier in project planning - automation scheduling, printing software & processes

• Plan for after go-live!!