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[Archives]
October 2009
- Banner Upgraded to 8.1.1
On October 2nd, Banner was upgraded to version 8.1.1. The upgrade was considered a major accomplishment. The next upgrade will occur the weekend of November 13, 2009.
- Human Resources Team Preparing for Transition
The HR team ran parallel payroll on 6,900 records. They are working on resolving minor differences. Development is underway to get faculty appointment letters scanned and attached to records in Banner. Community reports are also being evaluated for post go-live. For January, the team will focus on providing internal HR and outside benefits carrier and retirement submissions such as TIAA-CREF.
The final Banner HR assessment occurred during the week of October 19th. The weekly go-live checklist meetings are going well.
- Kronos Implementation on Track
There are 7,500 employees set up in Kronos. The implementation continues in accordance with the rollout plan published on the Kronos website.
- Town Hall Meeting Held on Main Campus - Get Ready to Do Business in HR!
An invitation was sent to all faculty, administrators, and staff to attend a series of Town Hall meetings on Main Campus Main Campus (October 28), the Ambler Campus (November 3), and at the Health Sciences Center (November 5). The Main Campus It’s a Banner Day event was held and the presentation included an update on Project Enterprise, a list of upcoming deadlines for administrator and employees, an overview of Electronic Personnel Action Form (EPAF), a preview of the new Self Service Banner, and information on the Human Resources department relocation.
- Student Team Attends Training
Training continues for the Student team in the areas of Scheduling/ Catalog, Financial Aid, and Enrollment Management. The team is also investigating simplifying data and course scheduling issues for the implementation of Resource 25, a classroom and event scheduling program.
- Guidelines Developed for ISIS Service Requests
With the ongoing implementation of Banner, staff resources are limited for making ISIS or student system changes. Due to this constraint, guidelines were developed for service requests. The timeframe for processing requests will be four weeks for new ad hoc requests and two weeks lead time for existing ad hoc requests. Presidential /Board and government mandates will be given priority. Also, requests must be evaluated in relation to Banner functionality.
September 2009
- Human Resources Activities in Full Swing
The Human Resources team is evaluating internal HR reports and working with the Reporting team. An evaluation of security is also underway to determine how HR security will layer over the existing Banner Finance security. Creation of testing scenarios for Cognos is in development as well as a plan for mapping out future external departmental security. The team has also been running payrolls. True parallel payrolls will start in the next several weeks. A communications plan has been developed and Town Hall meetings are scheduled.
- Town Hall Meetings to Preview Banner Human Resources
Dates have been established for Town Hall Meetings to inform the community about upcoming Banner changes. The dates and locations are: Main Campus, Kiva Auditorium, on October 28th; Ambler Campus, Ambler Learning Center, on November 3rd; and the Health Sciences Center, New Medical School Auditorium, on November 5th.
- Improving Banner Finance
The Finance Focus Group will be reconvened in November to provide ideas on Banner Finance functionality. In addition, a Competency Center is under development as a resource for the functional and technical staff to meet operational and technical needs. Currently, there are 70 items on the list to enhance the functionality of Banner Finance.
- Preparation Continues for Banner Student
The Student team attended training on Financial Aid, Enrollment Management, and Cognos. A decision was made to migrate the Apply Yourself application, used by the Graduate Schools and the Fox School of Business, to Banner Enrollment Management.
The Non-Credit team is working on 40 policy and process issues they have identified. They are also evaluating a new Banner flexible registration module. In addition, the Student Steering Committee met on September 29th, to discuss policy and process changes and to simplify fee assessment which currently has 2200 sets of rules.
- Banner System Upgraded
During the first weekend of October, there was an upgrade from Banner 8.1 to 8.1.1. In November, there will be an upgrade to Banner 8.2. In addition, a training environment for Human Resources and Student modules was established.
August 2009
- Banner Finance Up and Running
The new Banner Finance system is stabilizing and accounts are reconciling appropriately. The month of July was closed and transactions were posted successfully. Cost center summaries, formerly e-mailed, are now available in Cognos through TUportal. Reports are in html, PDF or Excel format. Mangers can drill down to transactions and payroll detail is also available.
- Preparation Continues for Banner HR
The Human Resources team participated in the first round of quality assessments in conjunction with SunGard consultants during the week of August 24, 2009. The assessments covered all items that need to be completed before the new system goes live.
Work is underway to configure Employee Self Service (ESS) for TUportal. The pay stub was completed with an attractive new design. For calendar year 2010, employees will obtain W2s electronically. Banner Self Service functionality is under development on areas including EPAF’s for hiring, terminations, and labor distributions and also imaging and workflow.
Communication and training plans are under development. Town Hall Meetings are scheduled for late October and early November 2009. The community will also be informed that December 11, 2009 is the cutoff date for payroll and Human Resources updates in the current HRS system. The database must be frozen in order to convert data for the Banner system.
- Technical Team Plans for Upgrades
During the weekend of July 25, 2009, TUportal and Banner systems had to be shut down due to a power outage required for work scheduled for the construction of the Joint Operations Center with the Temple University Health System. Additional outages are scheduled in October and November. Communications will occur once the dates are known.
To coordinate system upgrades, technical bi-weekly meetings are being held. In the fall, Banner will be upgraded to 8.1.1 to support updates in the grants management module. Work is also underway to create a pure training environment for the Human Resources and Student teams.
- Teams Move to New Workspace
With the launch of Banner Finance, the Finance Team has moved out of the dedicated Project Enterprise workspace in the Bell Building. The Human Resources team remains and the Student Team is moving in.
- Development on Student System Continues
The contract for the Nelnet cashiering system was signed. An implementation plan is in development. Also, training continues for the Student Team. Topics include data mapping of academic history, overview of financial aid, and future business process states. A policy and process review is also in progress.
July 2009
- First Major Project Enterprise Milestone Goes Live
After 20 months of development, Banner Finance, TUmarketplace Phase II, and Cognos Reporting were successfully launched on July 1, 2009. These new systems provide the University community with new technologies and tools to manage financial information, make purchases, and run reports.
Access to the Banner Finance system for authorized staff members is centralized through TUportal. The portal also includes a Unified Resource Center, accessible through the portal Help icon, with training materials and other Banner and system resources.
The go-live announcement included a link to Business Processes Under Banner, a handy summary listing standard Temple processes and whether or not they will change under Banner.
- FMS Transition Plan Being Developed
FMS will be available through next year for fiscal year detail prior to 2010. In June 2010, FMS will be shut down. A plan for accessing pre-Banner historical financial data is under development.
- Kronos Rollout Continues
The Kronos implementation continues in accordance with the rollout plan published on the Kronos web site. All departments have received assessments. The Human Resources Team is reviewing the time keeper’s structure and how to administer the system. In addition, conversion of nonexempt employees from monthly to biweekly is complete.
- Training Continues on New Systems
Community training on Banner Basics, TUmarketplace and Cognos Consumer Reporting continues. The training schedule and registration are available through the Human Resources Learning and Development web site.
Currently, Cognos Query Studio training is scheduled for internal Finance users. This training will be available to the community soon after internal training is completed.
- Upgrades Scheduled for July
During the July 24th weekend, the first production upgrade to the Banner environment involving Oracle was implemented. Also, the SciQuest quarterly upgrade for TUmarkeplace was installed, bringing the program to SelectSite version 9.2.
June 2009
- Banner Finance Launch Scheduled
The Banner Finance system is scheduled to go live on July 1, 2009. The Banner tab will be available on TUportal at 7:00 a.m. A Support Center has been set up at the Help Desk so staff can answer questions and provide assistance. The Knowledge Base also includes information to help answer questions and there are Camtasia help videos on TUportal.
- Community Training Continues
To date, over 330 community members have been trained on Banner Finance and TUmarketplace. Over the next two months, training will continue on Banner Basics, TUmarketplace, and Cognos Consumer and Cognos Query Studio. The training schedule and registration are available through the Human Resources Learning and Development web site.
- Additional TUmarketplace Upgrade Coming Soon
TUmarketplace II will be introduced when Banner Finance is launched on July 1, 2009. On July 24th, TUmarketplace II will be upgraded to a new release. In this version, the approval flow will appear when shoppers enter a requisition. More details will be released as the implementation date nears.
- Non-Credit Courses Evaluated
The Non-Credit Team is analyzing individual programs in order to create standardization. Currently, there are close to 30 sets of registration rules, which need mapping to determine similarities. Current processes include everything from paper to electronic methods. Some units use agencies to assist in the registration process.
- Preparation for Banner Human Resources Continues
The Human Resources team has completed all training required for the January 2010 Banner HR implementation. The team is developing a training plan based for internal Human Resources staff and for the community at large. A communications plan is also under development.
The team is reviewing Employee Self-Service with the goal to deliver the same functionality as today with some new features. Additional system design activities, reports assessment, and evaluation of workflow processes continue.
- Kronos Plan Posted
The Kronos implementation plan and training schedule is posted on the Kronos web site. The target date for all University departments to be live on Kronos is late August with some overlap in September.
May 2009
- Getting Ready for Go-Live
The Enterprise teams are meeting twice a week to review Move to Production items, a detailed list of planned activities necessary to have the system ready for Banner Finance on July 1st. System staging is important because activities have to be done in the correct order. SunGard consultants were also on campus for several days to perform a Readiness Assessment on the processes needed for go-live.
- Data Standards Coming Soon
The Data Standards document is close to completion. The Data Standards Committee is in the process of finalizing alternate and professional names that will be stored in Banner.
- Training Sessions Start for New System
The first sessions of hands-on Banner Basics kicked off this month for Business Managers and designees. The training topics include FOAPAL, Self-Service Banner, Reporting, and TUmarketplace. Departmental training is also in progress for Accounting, Accounts Payable and Grant Accounting.
- Training and Testing Continue for Human Resources
The Human Resources team completed training on two new areas, Electronic Personnel Action Form (EPAF) Processing and the Salary Planner. These components are the road between IGreentree and Banner. Most configurations are complete. Testing and configuration are underway for wage attachments and non-resident alien processing, benefits and deductions.
- Kronos Rollout Begins
Human Resources, the first pilot group to come on board with the new version of Kronos, is going live with payroll processing for this period. The Bursar’s Office will go live next pay period. A second pilot group, including the School of Communication and Theater, Podiatry School, Internal Audit and Diamond Dollars, has been trained and have started to record their time using Kronos. A payroll date has not been established.
- Student Processes Reviewed
On April 23rd, a full day Student Lifecycle Review was conducted. The workshop focused on 106 processes and policies that need to be evaluated and mapped and configured in Banner.
April 2009
- Town Hall Meetings Scheduled – It’s a Banner Day!
An invitation was sent to all faculty, administrators, and staff to attend Town Hall Meetings at the Health Sciences Center (April 28) and on Main Campus (May 4). The presentation will cover information on the launch of Banner Finance on July 1st including the fiscal year-end and transition to Banner, purchasing, finance reports, FOAPAL, and training.
- SunGard Summit Conference Hosted in Philadelphia
Over 6,500 representatives from higher education attended the SunGard Summit Users Conference held in Philadelphia. Temple Enterprise team members from all areas of the project attended. The conference gave team members a chance to talk to product managers and make contact with staff in other schools using Banner.
- Appointment of Data Stewards and Custodians in Progress
The process of appointing Data Stewards and Custodians is underway in the schools, colleges and administrative offices. Stewards will assure data quality, approve appropriate access, and assure /define data. Custodians will deal with day-to-day management.
- Courtesy Accounts Evaluated
Several thousand courtesy accounts are under evaluation for migration to the Banner system. The process to apply for a courtesy account is also under review.
- Integrated Finance Testing Underway
The Finance Team is working on integrated testing and the check writing and voiding process as well as items on the project go-live checklist. In addition, SunGard is performing assessments.
- Progress on the Human Resources Module Continues
The Human Resources team completed Self-Service training. Banner design activities are ongoing and wage attachments and non-resident alien processing are being tested and configured. Work is also in progress on calculating benefits and deductions, refining position and job class and running payrolls.
- Pilot Groups Using Kronos
Human Resources and the Bursar’s Office are two pilot groups now using the time and attendance system Kronos. Computer Services will be the next pilot group going live. Meetings are being held with seven other departments to establish an implementation schedule.
The Kronos timeline has been extended to August 2009. Banner parallel testing begins in September and will coincide with the KRONOS timeline change.
- Project Timeline Updated
Several go-live dates in the Student area have been moved up a month. The date for Student Recruitment and Enrollment Management has been moved from September 2010 to August 2010. Admissions has been moved from October 2010 to September 2010. The go-live date for Resource 25 remains October 2010 but it is now separated from Admissions.
Kronos has also moved from June 2009 to August 2009 and Non-Credit Courses implementation has been added for June 2011.
- Technology Team Moving Forward
The Technical Team has begun loading general person data into the appropriate Banner modules including Student and Human Resources. A two week data verification period is in place so functional areas can sign off on the validity of the conversion.
Resource 25, room scheduling software, has been installed. Training begins in May. Also, e-Print has been installed and is operational. This program will replace Report to Web. Access to ePrint will appear as a channel on the portal.
In addition, Banner Identity Gateway System has been installed. It creates usernames and passwords and integrates them in Banner for access privileges. The Gateway will go live in January with the Human Resources.
March 2009
- Finance Focuses on Testing and Training
The Finance Team is in the process of performing integrated testing and developing training and documentation materials for the University Community. Initial finance community training will focus on Banner Basics, with an emphasis on train the trainer so information can be passed along. The Banner Basics Agenda will include an overview of Internet Native Banner (INB - for administrative department use), Self-Service Banner (SSB), TUmarketplace, and Reporting. Separate classes focusing on TUmarketplace and Cognos for Reporting are also under development. Training begins in May.
- Human Resources Activities Continue
The Human Resources Team continues to work on system design activities. Benefit, deductions and earning calculations are being tested and position and job class information are being further refined.
Work also continues on the Kronos implementation. Meetings have been held with most of the schools and colleges. Assessments are continuing with community users and pay rules and work rules are being summarized for review with Labor Relations and the Kronos Steering Committee. The HR, Computer Services, and Bursar’s staff will be the first pilot group to go live with Kronos.
- Financial Aid Go-Live Date Changed
The Financial Aid timeline has been moved from October 2010 to January 2011.
- Data Standards Governance Guidelines Under Review
Documents outlining Data Governance Structure and the responsibilities of Data Stewards and Custodians have been developed and are under review. Stewards will assure data quality, approve appropriate access, and assure /define data. Custodians will deal with day-to-day management.
- New Series of Town Hall Meeting Dates Proposed
Two Town Hall Meetings have been proposed for April 28 at the Health Sciences Campus and May 4 on Main Campus. Agenda and details are under development.
- Finance Update
The Finance team is refining system configurations, writing test plans, and developing documentation and training materials. The team is also developing plans for fiscal year-end and working on FMS and Banner at the same time during the transition.
- TUmarketplace News
Phase 1 of TUmarketplace is operational. The go-live date for Phase 2 has been moved from May 1st to July 1st. Phase 2 will replace Ultimus and allow the community to requisition all purchases through TUmarketplace.
- Institutional Advancement Update
The go-live date for the Institutional Advancement module has been moved from October 2010 to January 2011. The date was moved to allow for a smoother calendar year-end processing in the current Millennium system and a transition into the new year (2011) with Banner. The Advancement team training kicks off next month with formal Business Process Analysis development.
- Human Resources Status Report
Work continues on the Human Resources Banner module with 90% of configuration completed. The team is building rule forms and validation tables. The project team is also meeting with small groups of business managers from the schools, colleges, and departments to see what types of system access the community will need. In addition, the team is identifying forms, such as payroll adjustment forms and overtime forms, to incorporate FOAPAL (Fund-Organization-Account-Program-Activity-Location) which will replace the current FMS account/center structure.
- Imaging and Workflow Planning
There are 20 departments currently using the Feith imaging system to electronically scan and store documents. Planning for migrating those departments to Extender, the Banner document imaging program, is underway. Also, the redesign of the Accounts Payable internal document imaging/workflow process to Extender is ongoing and is expected to be ready for testing in March.
- Data Standards Development
The Data Standards Committee continues to develop the University’s Data Standards for the new Banner environment. The document now has consistent and streamlined information organized into 16 sections relating to shared data. The operational procedures and documentation required for making changes to various data fields is included. The procedure for appointing data stewards and custodians has also been formalized.
- Finance Progress
There have been a number of developments in Finance:
- The Finance team conducted a survey of forms requiring modification to accommodate the Banner FOAPAL (Fund-Organization-Account-Program-Activity-Location) which replaces the current FMS account/center structure. A forms coordinator and functional offices will standardize changes to forms and post them to the Temple Forms web site (www.temple.edu/forms) for implementation in July. A number of HRS and ISIS screens will be updated to incorporate FOAPAL.
- Finance team members presented an overview of ERP Finance / Doing Business in Banner to the Business Managers Meeting in Kiva Auditorium on January 14th. The presentation included a demonstration of Self-Service Banner and Cognos and also a section on TUmarketplace.
- The final chart of accounts is scheduled to be loaded into Banner Finance on February 6.
- TUmarketplace Additions
The Alpha Office Supplies and Dupli Graphics successfully moved to TUmarketplace, Beta version, on Monday, January 5th. All Temple University purchases through these two vendors are now being placed exclusively at TUmarketplace.
Also, Fisher Scientific was moved to punch-out status on Friday, January 16th. Punch-out status allows Temple staff to get quotes from Fisher and use these quotes for their orders in TUmarketplace.
- Non-Credit Courses
The Non-Credit Courses Committee is finalizing the definition of a non-credit course. The team received 90% of the surveys back which initially indicate that there are between 35 to 40 very diverse programs.
- Kronos Implementation
An article on the Kronos implementation was published in the last Temple Times in December. Also, on January 13th and 15th, Town Hall Meetings were held to answer questions and provide an overview of Kronos. A Kronos web site and e-mail account have also been established to provide information and answer questions.
A working group of Business Managers from the schools and colleges, administrative units, and pilot group participants has been established to assist in the Kronos implementation. Assessment questionnaires were distributed in mid-December to all University departments.
- Technical Update
A TUportal upgrade was completed over the January 9th weekend. The upgrade makes the portal compatible with Banner 8.1 and allows Temple to take advantage of identity management features.
An INTG (integrated) database was created to support the Finance go-live activities and provide a final testing and conversion environment for all Banner modules. The final chart of accounts and converted legacy data will reside here. The next stage of integrated banner finance testing, which includes feeds of legacy HR data and various interfaces, is slated to begin shortly.
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