ConnectCarolina: Enterprise Resource Planning

Ad Astra

The company from which the University purchased its event-management and room-scheduling software.

As-Is Process

During Phase 1, the analysts on the ConnectCarolina project team documented “as-is” business processes in the relevant campus offices, providing a baseline, or starting point, for the subsequent analyses that took place in Phase 1 and Phase 2. See Process.

BRICE

BRICE is an acronym that stands for Bolt-Ons, Reports, Interfaces, Conversions and Enhancements. During Phase 1 of the project all BRICE items were catalogued for design and development during Phase 2 of the project.

Campus Solutions

A comprehensive suite of software from Oracle that is one of the PeopleSoft Enterprise Applications and is designed for higher education.

Change Management

The process of developing a planned approach to change in an organization, dealing primarily with the human aspect of change.

Component Projects

There are several component projects that are being completed in conjunction with the ConnectCarolina project. These are:

• PID Management: replacement of the PID system and integration with a new mechanism for dispensing IDs in conjunction with PeopleSoft
• Portal: the web-based front-end access to PeopleSoft and other enterprise applications
• Document Management: a tool for the automated acceptance, indexing and storage of documents supporting system processes
• Data Warehouse: the tools and data structure required for enterprise analytical reporting purposes
• Payment Gateway: will allow users of University web applications to pay for the application offerings (classes, services, and products) via credit card or e-check using a hosted server

Configuration

Configuration is the act of setting up the student systems in PeopleSoft to meet UNC-specific business rules and requirements. The configuration workshops are used in Phase 2 to determine the UNC-specific configuration; those decisions are documented in the configuration workbooks.

Configuration Testing

Once the UNC-specific configuration of PeopleSoft has been entered into the system, the system is tested to verify that it performs according to the specifications of the configuration.

Configuration Workshop

Configuration workshops bring together the ConnectCarolina team and representatives of the appropriate campus offices to make and document configuration decisions so that PeopleSoft can be configured in accordance with the University’s needs.

Conversion Iterations

These are opportunities to test the conversion of University data to PeopleSoft prior to go-live. The data stored in the current UNC student systems, or legacy data, will be brought over to the PeopleSoft system. Although the data are the same, the tables and fields in which those data are stored are not the same from system to system. Three iterations of the conversions of the legacy data to PeopleSoft will be conducted; after each, an evaluation of its success will be made and the next iteration will be informed by that experience.

Customization

Altering a system's software code to include functionality specifically wanted by an organization, although not originally included in the package itself.

Data Warehouse

Data warehouse is a data structure for the storing of data and the tools necessary to provide enterprise analytical reporting. The University has a requirement for the long-term storage of data for reporting and analysis (trends, population studies, etc.).

Design Specifications

Design specifications document the development details for BRICE items. Specifications contain both functional requirements (how the software will work from the end user’s perspective) and technical requirements (how to program the development item). Design specifications assure that the delivered code meets the functional and technical requirements to support the business process.

Design Workshop

Design workshops are conducted with members of the ConnectCarolina project team and representatives from the broader campus community with specific functional or technical expertise in order to clearly define and document the functional and technical requirements of a BRICE item.

Development

Development is the writing of code by a technical analyst that delivers a BRICE item to the PeopleSoft software according to the requirements in the design specification.

Document Management

Document management employs a tool for the automated acceptance, indexing and storage of electronic documents supporting system processes.

EmplID

EmplID is the PeopleSoft label for the University ID known as PID.

End User

An end user is a University employee, student, or faculty member who accesses one or more ConnectCarolina applications ( PeopleSoft Campus Solutions 9.0 – Admissions, Academic Advising, Financial Aid, Student Financials, Student Records; HR/Payroll; or Finance) to process transactions, generate reports, access information, etc.

FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal mandate that protects the confidentiality of student records. FERPA training is required of all users across campus who will have access to the PeopleSoft student system. An online training module is available through the University’s Blackboard Learning Management System.

Functional Expert

A functional expert is a University employee with operational expertise in one or more legacy system and the related policies and procedures. These individuals and their expertise of legacy systems and business processes are invaluable to the ConnectCarolina implementation process.

Functional Office

A functional office is one with primary responsibility for one or more business processes impacted by the ConnectCarolina implementation. The Student Systems phase functional offices include campus-wide admissions offices and registrars as well as the offices of Scholarships and Student Aid, and Student Accounts and University Receivables.

Functional Team

Part of the ConnectCarolina project team, the functional team works with colleagues in the University’s functional offices to document and analyze existing business processes and apply or redesign them for maximum efficiency and effectiveness within the ConnectCarolina environment. The main functional areas for the Student Systems implementation are Admissions, Financial Aid, Student Financials and Student Records.

Gap Analysis

A comparison of the “as-is” to the “to-be” processes. Gap analyses helped the ConnectCarolina team identify which processes from one did not fit with the other and develop proposals to resolve these issues.

Go-live

Go-live is the cutover of PeopleSoft to a live, working system.

Identity Management

This involves identifying an individual and granting access to electronic resources based on the individual’s role within the organization.

ImageNow

This is the name of the document imaging, document management and workflow solution that is being deployed with PeopleSoft Campus Solutions.

Integration

Coordinating data from different sources so it moves seamlessly from one module to another.

Interface

A computer program whose purpose is to transfer data from one system to another.

Legacy System

A legacy system is an existing computer system or software application. The University relies on many different legacy systems to conduct its business. While a number of these systems are serving the campus very well, others are outdated and no longer provide the needed flexibility and functionality. The ConnectCarolina project will replace these aging systems with a powerful and fully integrated administration infrastructure.

Menu/Page Security

Menu/Page security is used to control who can access specific PeopleSoft pages and functionality. Access to pages is granted through the Permission List. This enables users to navigate to the appropriate pages to perform their job responsibilities.

Modification

Software changes to functionality provided by the out-of-the-box software.

PeopleSoft

The specific software application the University is using for ConnectCarolina, its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project, is Oracle’s PeopleSoft Campus Solutions. PeopleSoft was chosen based on a detailed review of the product’s capability to meet the University’s requirements.

Permission List

A permission list is a set of authorizations needed to perform a task. Permission lists are assigned to roles which are then assigned to users. There are however, some permission lists which are assigned directly to the user profile: Primary, Row Security, Navigator Homepage, and Process Profile.

Portal

A new portal, as a replacement for MyUNC, will be a web-based front-end access to PeopleSoft and other enterprise applications.

Porthole Training Facility

The Porthole Training Facility is the primary venue for project-related training. The facility is located at 100 Porthole Alley, southeast of E. Franklin and S. Columbia streets, roughly behind Carolina Coffee Shop off Franklin and the Ackland Museum off Columbia.

Process

A process is any set of linked activities that create a result (admitting a student, hiring an employee, etc.). During the ConnectCarolina implementation phases, existing or “as-is” processes were meticulously documented and analyzed by those who perform them in cooperation with the ConnectCarolina team. The ConnectCarolina team, along with functional experts, then developed “to-be” processes that will be implemented by the PeopleSoft software.

Role

A role can be thought of as the type of work that a user performs. A role is associated with one or more permission lists and is the intermediate object between a user profile and a permission list. (Users are assigned roles which are associated with a given number of permission lists.)

Row-Level Security

Refers to controlling access to specific rows of data that an individual is authorized to see.

Scenario

A narrative describing foreseeable interactions of users and the system, illustrating the functionality the system needs to support.

Search/Match

Determines whether a person already exists in the database before creating (or recreating) the record and assigning another EmplID.

Security Integration

This defines the access provided to specific users and groups of users. The security matrix is developed in the structure phase and finalized in the configuration phase. It establishes a plan to ensure appropriate security standards and addresses all security needs pertaining to the technical environment.

Self-Service

Self-service will provide the ability for students and employees to update addresses, phone numbers and other contact information via a browser-based portal.

Single Sign-On

Single Sign-On is a process by which the user only has to log in once to have access to several University systems and services. Once logged in, the user can access all of the resources he/she is authorized to use without further log-ons to those individual systems or networks. This process is referred to as Single Sign-On or SSO.

SPOTS

The ConnectCarolina project will rely on SPOTS (Space Planning and Occupancy Tracking System) as configured by the Facilities Planning and Construction as a canonical data source for building and room information. This will be the sole source for facilities identification across campus.

Stakeholder

A stakeholder is a subject matter expert who provides information on current business processes and data and helps shape future processes. Stakeholders work closely with the ConnectCarolina functional team. Learn more about the Student Stakeholder Coordinating Committee.

StARLight

The ConnectCarolina project will interface with StARLight, a new version of StARS (Student Aid Reporting System), which is a comprehensive system to collect and report all funds, especially departmental awards, given to a student in support of their attendance at the University.

Super User

A super user is a departmental employee who has specific, in-depth knowledge of a certain ConnectCarolina application. Super users are highly valuable in that they serve as unit-level training and support resources for other users.

Support

A range of technical support services to help users resolve specific problems with the components of the ConnectCarolina solution.

Technical Team

Part of the ConnectCarolina project team, the technical team addresses issues related to security/access, development/reporting, interfaces/conversion and technical infrastructure. Members of this team work closely with their functional counterparts and their colleagues in ITS.

Testing

The testing strategy outlines the processes and procedures to perform all of the required testing to ensure quality, stability and performance objectives for the implementation of the applications. There are three kinds of testing: unit based, scenario and user acceptance.

To-Be Process

After meticulously documenting and analyzing existing or “as-is” processes, the ConnectCarolina team, along with functional experts, then defined “to-be” processes that will be implemented by the PeopleSoft software. See Process

Training (Training Team)

The ConnectCarolina training team provides online training and instructor-led workshops to support users of the new system.

User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

This testing is performed to obtain user sign-off. Users to verify that all system components operate together to satisfy the user requirements as outlined in the“to-be” process models developed in Phase 1. The test is designed to simulate the users’ regular use of the system.

User Profile

A User Profile or ID stores a user’s password information and system access rights. Roles and Permission lists are assigned to user profiles.

Workbook

This document defines how PeopleSoft tables will be configured to achieve the desired process flow or structure.

Workforce Transition

The process of transitioning people from the current way to the new way of doing things by giving employees the tools they need to accommodate the new software, processes and procedures. Workforce transition activities include:

• Identifying impacts to employees’ roles
• Matching employees to the correct security access
• Designing and delivering ‘just-in-time’ training

Workshop

Workshops determine and define requirements so that PeopleSoft can be configured in accordance with the University’s needs. Workbooks document these requirements.