QuestDirect.org
Deep Dive into the Grants
Suite 9.2 Functionality,
including best practices and
lessons learned from a
9.2 upgrade
QuestDirect.org
Introductions
Speakers
Parker Madden City Collages of Chicago
Mike Castronovo AMC
Combined
• over 50+ years
experience with ERP
• Involved in 10+ Grants
Upgrade /
Implementations
• Formerly on the Oracle-
PeopleSoft Customer
Advisory board
• Quest SIG Leadership
team
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Agenda
• The Grants Suite – PS 9.2
• Deep Dive into Grants 9.2 Features
• Lessons Learned
• Review of People Tools 8.53
• Best Practices for maximizing your 9.2
upgrade
• Key Takeaways
• Q&A
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What is the Grants Suite
• The Former ESA Suite Modules
• Market Perception
• The Grants Suite Modules
• GM/CA/PC
• AR/Billing
• KK (GL)
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Diagram of Grants Suite
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Grants Suite in 9.2
• New Features that Wow Users
• Notable Integration Points
• New Invoice Formatting Tools
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New Features that
Wow Users
• Grant Proposal Project Budgets • Entry within Proposal Navigation
• Grants.Gov - Proposal Integration
• Grants Portal • 9.x Feature
• Concept is Spot On
• Implementation is Challenging
• Grant Portal Tree Not Based on Budget Rollup Accounts
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Notable Features
• Grants Work Center
• Multiple Fund Distributions (simplified admin in 9.2)
• Billing Workcenter
• Billing Manager Dashboard
• Contracts WorkCenter / Workbench
• Collections Workbench
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Notable Integration Points
• Internal
• Professional Data
• Budgets with KK
• Cost Collection
• Billing -> AR
• External
• Third Party Proposal Mgmt Systems
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New Invoice Formatting Tool
• BI Publisher (XML)
• Predecessors • SQR
• Crystal
• Learning the Tool • Word
• Interfaces Similar
• May not be an End User Toolset
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Lessons Learned • Strict Tech Upgrade is not Realistic
• Security
• Search Engine Changes
• Customizations • Keeping
• Replacing with Vanilla
• PeopleCode Changes
• Data Considerations • Conversion
• “Bad Data”
• Get Educated on 9.2
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People Tools 8.53x Note: To Upgrade to PS version 9.2, you must upgrade to People Tools 8.53x
• PS Upgrade Manager (PUM)
• Work Centers / Dashboards
• Enterprise Search
• Form Builder and Approvals
• Activity Guides / Trains
• Interaction Hub
• Pivot Grids
• Related Actions
• Mobile Support (fluid 8.54)
• Test Framework
• Data Migration tool
• Type Ahead
• Customize login page, sort navigation, breadcrumbs
• Audit
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Work Centers
Supports day in the life activities that you do in PeopleSoft.
Contains embedded pagelets:
– My Work - Actions
– Reports – add run cnt.
– Queries – Can Add
– Links
– Processes
Preconfigured by user role – Can personalize, Queries / Filters / Run controls, etc.
Supports Pivot grids
Supports related actions, new pages
The Work Center combines transactions, analytics, workflow notifications, and reports into a configurable framework that can be tailored to each role-based user in the enterprise.
QuestDirect.org
PeopleSoft Update Manager (PUM)
PeopleSoft Update Images
released approximately
every 10 weeks - New
changes can be selectively
applied
Choose individual fixes
from bundles and patches.
Creates custom change
package. Can be migrated
to each environment
No longer have to maintain
a patched demo
environment
PeopleSoft Upgrade Manager is a new way to maintain patches and fixes for
PeopleSoft
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Forms and Approval Builder
Create basic forms in PeopleSoft
Has basic workflow capabilities, link to worklists
Linked to Component Interfaces to feed PS Tables
Eliminates paper and email based forms.
Create custom forms that can be routed for approval, and linked to component interfaces to feed PeopleSoft tables
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Activity Guides and Trains
There can be a train stop
for each step of the
process. This allows the
user to know exactly where
they are in the process and
what comes next.
Good for infrequent tasks
such as self service or
complex tasks such as
month end close
Activity guides allow you to define guided procedures for users to complete.
Users are presented with a list of actions, or tasks, that need to be
completed to finish the procedure.
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Oracle Secure Enterprise Search (SES)
Users search with freeform text – Result pages are pulled from designated PS areas, and other linked content repositories. Users can then take direct actions from results.
You can only see search results that you have security to
Requires the set up of linking search results and other technical requirements environments
Oracle Secure enterprise search enables you to search on key words, brining
back relevant search results. Replaces the verity search engine
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Interaction Hub A configurable user interface with single navigation across all applications
including search capability. It contains numerous web 2.0 features. Used to
be called enterprise portal. Comes with a limited license
Links your ps applications
together into portal, replaces
enterprise portal
Links to external systems
Can have custom pagelets
Pages Can be personalized by
Role. Can provide Content
Management / publish
capabilities. News, blogs,
calendars, forums etc…
Pages support the Branding
Framework
Users can conduct search
Supports Fluid user interface in
8.54
Common security framework
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Best Practices with PS 9.2
#1 Adapt New Investment Cycle Old Model
Former ROI model – Upgrade every 3-8 years based
on the PeopleSoft software release cycle and
customer upgrade cycle
New Model – Continual updates.
Incremental opportunities - every quarter
People Tools upgrade – every year
Major upgrade every 3 years
Should impact the way you approach investments in your
PeopleSoft assets.
May be a challenge to implement
Upgrades should not just be technical
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Best Practice
#2 Continual Stakeholder Engagement /
Alignment
With the new 8.53x release delivery schedule… You
can align stakeholder requirements to solutions much
faster… thus
Leadership needs to stay engaged, and aligned –
in an ongoing basis.
Continual engagement of stakeholder groups –
Identify / manage expectation gaps
Provide incremental delivery of value to each
stakeholder group, Thus, requires more focus on
relationship management
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Best Practice
#3 Continual Business Process Improvements
Start with a common
understanding of the process
Layout processes with key
components
Look for pain points or areas of
opportunities
Review industry benchmarks
Develop KPI’s
Determine ROI for
improvement steps
Not just technical upgrades - Allow you to switch to more
of a continual process improvement model … Tasks
for the business analysts
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Best Practice –
#4 Road mapping new features/changes
• Create / Review your PeopleSoft roadmap after each new PeopleSoft update -- This will need to blend production support efforts, new releases, and other ongoing initiatives. Be sure to communicate appropriately.
• Annually determine if unused PeopleSoft applications are fit for purpose – If fit, place on the PS roadmap
• Prioritize roadmap, communicate, implement
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Best Practice –
#5 Develop a Competency Center
There is a natural tendency is for people and systems to come out of alignment.
A Competency Center does 3 main things
• Determines what skills are needed by the users
• Evaluates system use and determines gaps
• Provides training to users as needed.
QuestDirect.org
Reality of Upgrading to 9.2
Upgrade considerations for
• Technical Staff – Customizations and vanilla may not work when upgrading to 9.2
• Functional Staff – need strong functional leads, software is more complex and more feature rich, this can help remove customizations
• Support - Train team in advance, having them participate throughout the entire process
QuestDirect.org
Key Takeaways
• Grants suite has expanded to include other modules not just ESA
• Lots of clients conduct the initial Grants proposal management still outside of PeopleSoft.
• Analytics – still not prime time, but improving
• Adapt to the new ROI Model
• Grants Portal –right idea, hard to implement
• Any report in Crystal is going away - BI publisher is Kludgey but a respectable replacement for Crystal Reports.
• Work Together!
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Mike Castronvo [email protected]
www.amcpeoplesoft.com
Contact us for more Information
Q&A
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