Bridges: The Next Phase in the Transition

By Dr. Michael Conlon, UF Director of Data Infrastructure and PeopleSoft Implementation Officer

The new systems are in place and the next phase of the transition is now underway. For most university departments, this next phase is making sure the new systems can be used to do their work. Our legacy systems were in place for many years and many thousands of staff members contributed to their building and refinement. Departments put data into the legacy systems in the form of transactions—job actions, financial transactions, grant spending. All this data has been loaded into the new systems. Just as you experience dislocation in moving from one house to another, we can anticipate that our move to the new systems will involve a period of time where data needs to be refined and improved so that the new systems can be used to support our work.

In using the new systems, most university departments have discovered elements of data that need to be improved. Employees need to be in the correct departments. Chart fields need to be organized properly. People need to have the right security to do their jobs. Departments across the university are inspecting and improving the data as needed.

Much of this work can be done by the departments without assistance using the new tools available in the new systems. With training, staff members are able to make the necessary adjustments. In some cases, assistance is needed. Assistance is always available at (352) 392-HELP.

Some of the changes brought on by the new systems are now evident. More people can see more data. The university does not have more data than previously. But more people can see the data that the university has concerning its faculty, staff and students. This “visibility” is surprising to some and will result in more information and better decision-making. By improving the visibility of data, we empower more people to identify problems and correct them. The result will be improved data quality and fewer errors in business processes.

Additional resources have been created to assist departments in this phase of the transition. For assistance in security related work, a new menu item “My Roles” can be found under “My Account” when you sign on to the portal. My Roles shows you the security roles you have been assigned. This will assist you and your department security administrator in getting you the right roles for your work. System alert notices are available in myUFL under Help > Alert Notices. Instruction Guides have been organized in myUFL under Help > Instruction Guides.

As the data improves and people are authorized properly, the work of the university will move forward with the new systems.

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