Over the next few months, DePaul will transition its human resources and finance PeopleSoft applications to a cloud-based system called Oracle Cloud. Currently, PeopleSoft is the system for financial and human resources transactions for the university.
“Oracle Cloud is a modernized and synchronized application platform that will allow university employees to spend less time on administration and more time on efforts that contribute to DePaul’s mission,” says Sherri Sidler, controller and vice president for Finance.
The transition to Oracle Cloud offers many benefits to the university. These benefits include:
- Improved self-service for employees and managers
- Continuous upgrades and process improvements to keep relevant and current
- Better access and use of data for decision making
When fully operational, the university will receive services from financial and human resources modules that will be delivered through Oracle Cloud, ranging from goals and performance management to payroll to expense management. Some services will be similar to what is delivered today through the PeopleSoft system, such as managing and reporting time. Other services will be different, such as managing the onboarding process online.
The benefit of Oracle Cloud is its ability to deliver full service functions for human resources, finance and budgeting applications and to do so in a drastically more efficient manner.
“One of the primary goals of this systems implementation is to migrate toward a paperless environment. A key idea is to ‘Go Green’ wherever feasible,” says Bob McCormick, vice president of Information Services.
Specialists in the information services, finance and human resources departments are working on the conversion of the systems and preparing to assist the university community in learning the new system and adopting the new practices.
“The impact of this systems change is far-reaching. Nearly every employee in the DePaul community is an end user for at least one self-service function. It involves every unit in the university to some degree,” says Stephanie Smith, vice president for the Office of Human Resources.
As the changeover progresses, look to Newsline for updates on “Project BlueSky,” the of the transition project to Oracle Cloud.
FAQs
What is happening?
Over the next eight months, DePaul will transition its human capital, financial and budget planning data from PeopleSoft, an intranet-based system to Oracle Cloud, an internet-based system. This transition will result in improved self-service, increased mobile access and better analytics for decision support.
What will I need to do to prepare?
Be curious. Read Newsline and visit the BlueSky website for information and updates. Be ready. Participate in user training and encourage others to participate when the opportunity arises. Be a champion for change. Adopt the new system and encourage user acceptance.
When will new systems be in place?
The go-live date for Oracle Cloud is scheduled for Jan. 1, 2020. The implementation team will focus on core personnel, payroll and finance modules first. Less time-sensitive modules, such as performance management, may be implemented post Jan. 1, but in time for when they are needed.
How is this being implemented?
A large internal team, consisting of individuals from Information Services, Human Resources and Finance, is partnering with Drivestream, a certified Oracle implementation partner to ensure the conversion from PeopleSoft to Oracle Cloud goes smoothly. While this team is leading the effort, the success of the conversion will depend on the support of the entire university community. If you are asked to assist with an aspect of our transition to Cloud, please do. This assistance could range from offering an opinion or perspective to the cleanup of data to participation in user testing.
Why is the changeover happening and why now?
The PeopleSoft system was implemented in the 1980s. Much has changed since then. Oracle Cloud will provide a modernized, 21st century solution that will provide continuous technological updates that will enable us to deliver customized data faster and reduce administrative processes. As a result, we can pursue the university’s ultimate goal: greater focus on student education and success.