Town Halls and Training Scheduled for New Financial Systems
Colleagues,
The Financial System Transformation (FST) project team has developed extensive town hall and training opportunities to support faculty and staff who will use the new cloud-based financial systems.
A series of town hall meetings beginning on Oct. 27 will provide an overview of the various cloud-based solutions. I encourage you to mark your calendars and attend the town hall meetings below that are appropriate to your role and your use of financial systems. The town hall meetings are a critical part of our training plan. They’ll cover changes to business processes, so users will have important information they need in advance of the in-depth training sessions.
We are offering multiple dates and times for each town hall, so you can choose the one that best fits your schedule. The town halls also will be live streamed at the date and times listed below. The FST project team will send out more detailed information to specific user groups about the town halls and other training opportunities.
Town Hall Meetings
|
TOPIC |
SESSION 1 |
OR |
SESSION 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Deans, Directors & Department Chairs (DDDC) Overview of FST |
Tuesday, Oct. 31 2:30-3:30 pm Big 12 Room (Kansas Union) |
or |
Thursday, Nov. 2 3:30-4:30pm Simons Research Labs Auditorium |
|
Accrual vs Cash and DARBI (Departmental AR/Billing) |
Monday, Oct. 30 8:30-9:30 am Alderson Auditorium (Kansas Union) |
or |
Wednesday, Nov. 1 1:30-2:30 pm Big 12 Room (Kansas Union) |
|
Business Intelligence (BI) tools and Planning & Budgeting Cloud Service (PBCS) |
Friday, Oct. 27 8:30-9:30 am Big 12 Room |
or |
Thursday, Nov. 2 1:30-2:30 pm Big 12 Room |
|
Principal Investigator session |
Friday, Oct. 27
|
or |
Monday, Nov. 6 |
|
Procure to Pay (P2P) and Concur for Travel |
Monday, Oct. 30 11:00 am - noon Big 12 Room (Kansas Union) |
or |
Wednesday, Nov. 1 9:30-10:30 am Kansas Room |
|
Procure to Pay (P2P) and Concur for Travel (Edwards Campus session) |
Friday, Nov. 3 (Edwards Campus) |
|
|
|
Streamlyne and Grants for Research |
Tuesday, Oct. 31 Big 12 Room (Kansas Union) |
or |
Friday, Nov. 3 9-10 am Alderson Auditorium (Kansas Union) |
In-depth Training Opportunities
The FST project team is finalizing the development of training and documentation for the roll out. Over the next several months, we will offer hands-on and in-depth training to help you successfully use the new systems. Due to the timing of closing KU’s financial transactions while launching these new systems, central office staff, SSC finance staff and some shoppers and approvers will be invited to attend training prior to the December go-live date. Training for most campus faculty and staff will be available starting at the go-live date.
The FST project team will be reaching out to specific user groups with more details on recommended training sessions. You can also find information about training sessions and town hall meetings listed under “Training & Events” at fst.ku.edu.
How will the Financial Systems Transformation Affect You?
The KU IT Technology Instruction team created two videos to help explain the FST project and answer questions about what the changes might mean for you. The first video (4:45) outlines the new cloud services, their functions, and the current systems they will replace. The second video (6:25) talks specifically about three key changes and how you might be affected based on your role or position.
Most faculty and staff will experience very little change. If you purchase through KUPPs, have travel expenses, or submit research proposals, you will see some changes. Shared Service Center Staff, Campus Budget Officers, and people in similar positions who extensively use financial systems will experience the most change. Administrative Assistants and others who use parts of our current financial systems will see change depending on the extent to which they use those systems now.
The Financial Systems Transformation project will position KU’s financial management system for the future. Oracle Cloud offers improved budget forecasting, robust reporting and business intelligence tools to help leaders make better financial decisions for their individual units and the University.
The ultimate success of the FST project depends on campus customers having the information and training they need to use the new cloud-based systems. You can learn more about the project, training opportunities and updates at fst.ku.edu.
Sincerely,
Diane
Diane H. Goddard
Vice Provost for Administration and Finance
Office of the Provost
