Information Technology (IT)
Enterprise Applications Services (EAS)
Financial Management Update
The University of Missouri is preparing to upgrade the PeopleSoft Financial System from version 8.8 to version 9.0. The scheduled date for the upgrade is the week of Nov. 24.
The project team has been hard at work since January preparing for this upgrade. The information below presents a high-level picture of what has been accomplished so far and what is planned for the next six months. The detailed plans, information, and dates regarding the go-live will be shared when finalized.
PeopleSoft Finance Upgrade from 8.8 to 9.0
Upgrade News - Last update as of Sept. 24, 2008
The process to upgrade the financial system from PeopleSoft version 8.8 to version 9.0 is on target to meet the go-live date of Dec. 1. A kick off meeting for those participating in testing was held on Aug. 26, with over 125 employees from all four campuses, system and hospital in attendance or participating by Webcast.
The first round of testing is currently being done by those on the campuses in the core offices of accounting, purchasing, budget and sponsored programs. Group testing has been done by several teams and individual testing will continue through the end of September. The second round of testing will begin Oct. 6 and will include end users identified by their campus core offices.
The upgrade is scheduled to take place during the week of Nov. 23. Information pertaining to deadlines, system availability and training will be sent to all financial users and will also be posted on the upgrade Web site when finalized.
Upgrade News - Last update as of Aug. 15, 2008
Test Pass 2 (conversion of data from version 8.8 to 9.0) has been completed by the functional leads. During this round of testing, the team performed testing on functionality, processes, performance, and security. Several issues were identified during this pass - most of these have been resolved while others continue to be worked on by the finance development team. The testing performed so far has been module specific testing (Asset Management, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable/Billing, Budget, Grants Management, General Ledger, Purchasing / eProcurement, Reporting and Web Reporting/Applications). The 3rd test pass instance has been created using June data and batch processing, PO Rollover and other year-end process testing is underway. Work on the 4th test pass has begun and this instance will used by the testing teams at each campus.
The project team is excited as we complete testing milestones and move into the user testing phase. This is one of the most important phases of the project and one that will highly contribute to a smooth upgrade. Testing teams from the various UM campuses have been identified and will participate in the User Acceptance Testing (UAT) starting August 28th, 2008. Please find the “Testing Workgroups” document on this site below to see those who will participate as testers.
A Testing Kick-Off meeting is planned for Tuesday, August 26th, 2008 at the MOREnet conference room. Testers in Columbia will participate in person while testing participants in Kansas City, Rolla, and St Louis will join via web conference. The Project Sponsors, Steering Committee members and some Key Stakeholders (Campus Accounting Offices, Budget Offices, Office of Sponsored Programs, Administrative Management Council (AMC), and Procurement Offices) are expected to attend.
The timeline for user testing is below:
- Test Pass 4 instance – User Test Pass 1 (targeted for 08/28/2008 to 09/19/2008). Testers are from core offices on each campus (Accounting, Budget, Procurement, or Sponsored Programs).
- Test Pass 5 instance – User Test Pass 2 (targeted for 09/29/2008 to 10/24/2008) Testers are identified power users on each campus with a good working knowledge of the system.
The user testing phase is very critical to the success of the project – we expect that the testing kick-off meeting, completion of the "user testing worksheets," and subsequent testing sessions (group or individual testing at campus locations) will ensure a positive and effective upgrade experience. Results from the testing groups will be the subject of future updates on this site.
Upgrade News - Last update as of June 24, 2008
The Project Team is currently performing several testing related tasks. The functional leads, the finance development team, and the admin team (DBA/Security/Systems) are working on:
- UM Mods testing and code fixes
- Functional Unit testing
- Integration testing
- Change Migration
- Security Implementation
- System Monitoring and Performance Tuning
- Technical Infrastructure preparedness
The upgraded PeopleSoft Financials 9.0 Application is planned to be thoroughly tested using a multiple test pass approach with each test pass using the most recent month-end data. The "Test Pass 1" testing was completed on Friday, June 20, 2008. This was the initial test pass to verify the major functionality and identify what has changed and what remains unchanged in the Financials 9.0 Application. Subsequently, the Test Pass 2 testing has commenced using recent Production data. A special test pass for testing year-end processes is planned for mid-July.
The Users from the different campuses will be heavily involved in the User Acceptance Testing (UAT) at the time of Test Pass 3. The user involvement is critical to the success of the project and a Testing Kick-Off Meeting is being planned for mid-August.
Upgrade Timeline & Tasks
Oracle Upgrade Lab - Initial Creation of Database and Conversion of Data (March 10 - May 2)
- Compared Reports - Identified differences between the vanilla 8.8 and 9.0 versions
- Analyzed Data - Identified any data issues that would cause problems in conversion
- Analyzed Queries - Identified any queries that will not work in 9.0 (tables or fields that are no longer valid). The total number of queries with issues in both RPT and PRD environment is 228. There were 5,238 queries with issues during the financials 7.5 to 8.8 upgrade.
- Reapplied 8.8 modifications in version 9.0
- Created PeopleSoft 9.0 environment
- Performed initial conversion of data
Analysis of Database - First Pass (May 5 - June 1)
- Complete setup - Apply setup for modules, make changes needed for new release
- Validation - Run reports to compare balances in 8.8 to 9.0, check converted data to ensure accuracy
- Testing - Create new transactions, ChartFields, reports, proposals in 9.0 instance to evaluate functionality and identify changes from 8.8
Analysis of Database - Subsequent Passes (June 1 - October 15)
- Subsequent passes will include different scenarios to test, such as data conversion with month-end data, mid-month data, before PO rollover, before June final close, etc. This will allow us to test different processes at various points in the year. We plan to do between 4-6 additional passes.
Testing (May 5 - November 23)
- The initial test plan was created and adjustments are being made to the plan as we make progress in testing. Testing will be done in phases with more people being added with each pass. Campuses will be asked to identify groups who can help with testing during the late summer and early fall. Functional leads will work in version 9.0 during the next few months to identify key areas for testing. We will bring in core users initially and gradually add more testers as we continue to work toward the upgrade.
Communication (May - November)
- Stakeholders will receive regular communication on the upgrade and its progress. The project manager is working to identify each group and the timing and type of communication they will receive.
- Conference calls will be utilized with functional teams as the leads evaluate the software and identify areas where discussions and decisions are needed.
- A Finance 9.0 Upgrade Web site will be established for communication to the University community and will reside on the Division of Information Technology´s Web site. Other offices may set up links from their own Web sites to the upgrade URL for their users. The availability of the site will be communicated via newsletters, e-mail, and by campus finance offices. The Project Charter and regular updates will be posted to the Web site, as well as other pertinent information.
- A SharePoint site has been set up with documentation, project calendars, status reports, issue tracker, and other pertinent information and updates. This will be managed by the Project Manager and utilized by the project team
- Members of the Upgrade team will meet with Administrative Management Council (AMC) at their July meeting to give an update and to answer any questions.
Training (October - November)
- Training opportunities will be identified as the functional leads and testing groups work in the 9.0 instance.
- UPK content for several modules will be used when developing online training.
- Existing training materials will be converted to version 9.0 and if possible, changed to online training.
- Quick reference "Delta" training will be utilized if deemed helpful.
Readiness for the upgrade - what can I do?
- Cleanup of Queries - Delete any old queries that you no longer use. This will reduce the amount of data that needs to be converted and give you a cleaner start in the new system.
- Stay informed by reading the updates and watching for training and testing opportunities.
9.0 Upgrade compared with the previous Upgrade
When compared with the previous upgrade from 7.5 to 8.8, the upgrade to 9.0 upgrade has many core, vital differences:
- There are fewer business process and technical changes between the versions 8.8 and 9.0 and thus much less complexity.
- The 9.0 upgrade is being treated as a limited upgrade only - that is, we are bringing over and integrating UM modifications under the 9.0 environment and using new vanilla functionality where it meets the UM requirements. The implementation of new functionality (e.g., grants.gov and electronic approval) will be planned as separate projects post the 9.0 upgrade. Only limited exceptions will be allowed in areas where the functionality changes are minimal and can be easily integrated within the UM Business processes.
- As of 03/01/08, the changes to existing production were effectively "frozen" with the exception of production emergencies. The code freeze restricts enhancements to the current functionality and helps with a smoother 9.0 upgrade implementation.
- The year-end processes will be tested using a separate instance created specifically for this purpose. The testing of PO Rollover, Bank Reconciliation, and other year-end processes will be performed in it.
- With the 9.0 upgrade, we do not have the same complexity of change as experienced during the 7.5 to 8.8 upgrade. We have also put more planning and project management processes in place to ensure a smoother upgrade. The scope of changes in financials 9.0 is not expected to consume as much of our users´ time and resources.
Overall, the objective is to ensure a successful and smooth upgrade cycle with a focus on providing regular updates and a high level of service to our stakeholders.
Why Upgrade - Key Benefits
The University of Missouri uses PeopleSoft Enterprise Financials, Human Resource, and Student Administration Applications. The benefits of the PeopleSoft Financials upgrade project include continued vendor support, enhanced software functionality, and improved technical capabilities.
- The vendor´s support for the PeopleSoft Financials 8.8 Application ends in December 2008. The timely completion of this project will ensure that the University´s PeopleSoft Financial Application remains current on PeopleSoft application technology and functionality, and continue to receive uninterrupted support and maintenance from Oracle´s Global Support Center.
- The functional leads at the Controller´s Office made recommendations to upgrade, citing enhancements in functionality.
- The project provides an opportunity to return the PeopleSoft Financials application to a more "vanilla" configuration where PeopleSoft has delivered functionality in Financials 9.0 that meets or exceeds the benefit of prior customizations in Financials 8.8. This has the potential to require less resources and effort when applying future maintenance, patches, and upgrades.
- The PeopleSoft Human Resource and Student Administration Applications require upgrades in year 2009 and later. The undertaking of the Financials upgrade project now with the November 2008 implementation appears to be the most suitable timeframe.
Project Steering Committee
For the PeopleSoft Financials Upgrade Project, the Steering Committee is comprised of:
- George Rickerson (Associate VP, DoIT- Enterprise Application Services (EAS))
- Jane Closterman (Controller)
- Bill Cooper (Chief Procurement Officer)
- Cuba Plain (Assistant Vice President for Budget Planning & Development)
- Joseph H. Sanning (Assistant Controller Post-Award Sponsored Programs Administration)
- Donna Johanning (Director, Financial Information Systems)
- Ben Canlas (Manager, Financial Application Services)
- Ken Yelton (Manager, Database Administration & Technical Services)
This committee may also be influenced by other key stakeholders with a vested interest in the outcome of the project. This group will be consulted when decisions are needed about functionality changes, testing plans, training plans, changes in the project plan, etc.
Stakeholders:
- Campus Accounting Directors
- Budget Directors
- Grants Managers
- AMC members
- Procurement Managers
- UM User Groups, Campus IT Support
- All Users of the PeopleSoft Financial System
Project Charter
TESTING Groups (MS Excel 37KB)