HR considers next steps

Murphy

The University's installation of the new Human Resources Information System (HRIS)--from the software company PeopleSoft--replaced a vintage 1960s collection of systems which had become difficult to maintain and could not have functioned beyond December 31, 1999.

Typical of other large complex institutions, the project was complicated by the number and variety of employment, benefit, payroll, and timekeeping systems that had to be changed. The HRIS system maintains information for 245 benefit plans, 639 formulas for calculating benefit plan deductions, 131 earning codes, 15 vacation plans, 1,309 job codes, 29 employee classes, and 11 employee status codes. The system exchanges information with 47 other internal systems and 20 external systems (for such tasks as financial reporting and to handle deductions that employees specify for health care and retirement benefits).

With the initial installation successfully accomplished, the Human Resources Office is now planning enhancements to make the system more useable by staff and to enable it to deliver better management information. Director of Human Resources Charles Murphy answered some questions about future developments.

What comes next?

We now have to think about the next phase of development.

The first order of business was to make our HR systems Y2K compliant and to do so without violating the first commandment of payroll projects--never miss a payroll!

Now that we've done that, we've taken a deep breath, and said to ourselves, "Where do we go from here? What are the capabilities we want to develop and in what order?" We've been working with consultants to determine how to proceed efficiently and get the most out of our investment in the new system. As I say, the initial installation is well behind us, and it's now time to move forward.

Any ideas of what those plans will include?

Since July 1, 1999, the system has been collecting data in a way that makes it more useable for management reporting and analysis.

Going forward, we're planning to build
on that base to develop greater capabilities which will support better decision-making. We're looking to simplify our business processes, improve the availability of information for departmental administrators and senior management, and eventually allow employees online access to their own personnel records.

Can you give us some examples?

Right now we have HR staff keying basic data--such as name, address, and birthdate--at the applicant level, again when the official employee records are created, and a third time when they complete forms to enroll in benefit programs. Our goal is to streamline the process and create a basic record just once, and thus reduce the chance for errors. Ultimately, this will improve response time to departmental administrators.

Another benefit: New employees will be able to complete necessary paperwork even before they arrive in Rochester or on campus, perhaps over the Internet.

When will the system be able to accept electronic requisitions or record changes from administrators?

We know that the flexibility to make changes online ultimately will be a real benefit to departmental administrators and to employees. We do expect that kind of capability at some point, but there's much to be worked out on that score before we can announce timeframes.

Will these enhancements shift more work to departmental administrators?

Administrators will be able to make changes or file staff requisitions without sending us paper forms. For some, it will mean a different way of working, but we don't believe it will be more work. Plus, departmental administrators will be in a position to know, in "real time," the status of requisitions. And the "self-service" element for employees will mean that department administrators will no longer need to oversee many of those requests on behalf of their staff.

Do these plans suggest that the original implementation project was less successful than planned?

Frankly, we would like to have accomplished some of these things already. But the fact is that the requirement to have the system up and running by July 1, 1999--with no grace period--did not allow us to take the time for a thorough study of our business practices. We had to get it done. Now with that victory behind us, we're taking a very careful look at how we can leverage this investment to deliver the best service possible to our University and Medical Center customers.

When will we hear more about this?

Our planning process has a number of key elements, including testing out ideas with a representative sample of departmental administrators and other users from around the divisions. Plans will be developed this summer, and they'll be shared in the fall with the University leadership and campus community. Stay tuned!

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