ARD and PeopleSoft

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Picture this: you've just slid into the seat of a rollercoaster. The shoulder straps come down with a thunk, leaving an alarmingly big space between your shoulders and the safety of the metal bars. An attendant, who looks to be about 12, pulls absentmindedly at the safety bar and gives the operator a quick thumbs up before shuffling back to his comic book. Your car lurches forward a few feet and then begins a perilously steep climb, the chink, chink of the metal chain pulling the cars upward echoes in your ears and you begin to wonder if you'll ever reach the top...

These first moments of the roller coaster ride are a metaphor for the work being done laying the foundation for PeopleSoft implementation. Sounds like a stretch? Not if you consider the amount of preparation that must be accomplished before these systems can work effectively, kind of like the slow, steady upward climb that precedes the fun part of the ride.

PeopleSoft is a comprehensive software system that allows universities to provide services without duplicating information unnecessarily. It offers a logical approach where everyone uses information provided by three main systems: Student, Financial, and Human Resources. Each system is comprised of smaller modules; for example, the Financial system includes the General Ledger, purchasing, accounts receivable and payable modules. Depending on the service you provide, you have direct access to the information you need right from your desktop.

To get these systems up and running involves more than simply plugging them in. According to Craig Pearson, assistant project director, "We're not simply 'technologizing' the current system. Instead, we're finding ways to implement the modules so they meet the needs identified in ARD groups and in other campus activities. We also want to avoid customizing the software to any large extent - - and that may mean changing our business processes." For each module there is a team of people who are working through the documents produced by ARD groups to identify the tasks they will have to complete. The module teams work with an advisory group that reviews the information and guides the team as they complete these tasks. One module leader, Stephanie Moore (who provided the roller coaster image) says that PeopleSoft is a tool for implementing the ideas generated by ARD and encourages everyone to talk to the module team members. She says this work acts as building blocks for PeopleSoft implementation: "Once everything is in place it's like the rollercoaster: you pick up momentum and then the fun really begins!"

- - By Ellen Evans