1

How much training, when, and how long?

·         The number of end-user training hours is specified in the contract and will be detailed in the project schedule.

·         End user training will be carried out during the two weeks prior to “go live” dates.

·         Many Mercer SMEs will become conversant enough with the system during the various implementation phases that these people could be called upon to provide additional training support to end users (in effect, train the trainer).

2

Will there be adequate staffing levels with adequate expertise?

·         We believe adequate funds have been set aside to provide extra student support and other types of temporary hires for the various departments affected by this implementation.

·         Each department will develop a project staffing strategy that best meets the needs and characteristics of the department.

·         Creative solutions to this problem will be needed.

3

What do we do if we have a 3^rd party system that is incompatible with CMC?

CMC provides the mechanism to develop custom APIs to integrate 3^rd party systems into their system.  The Mercer application programming staff will be trained to develop these custom APIs or CMC could develop them under a separate contract.

4

Have we allocated enough time for the implementation?  If not, what happens?

To ensure adequate implementation time, Mercer’s timeline will be several months longer than the timeline proposed by CMC.  CMC believes the software can be installed in 12 months or fewer.  Mercer’s timeline is 18 months.

5

Do we have funding for unexpected expenses?

A fairly large percentage (15 percent) has been added to the budget to cover unexpected expenses.

6

Will there be functionality to be able to convert grants to loans?

This will be answered during the business process analysis session for financial planning.

7

How do we market the new system to our students?

·         Communication and engagement of students is part of the project communication plan. 

·         Elements of the plan include having a student advisory team for getting reactions and input to the portal design and using students for mock registrations, etc.

·         Communication designed to reach broader numbers of students will be designed and carried out through input from various student organizations and with the help of the Dean of Student Affairs. 

8

What are the key milestones?

The currently proposed key milestone dates are:

·         Project kickoff  - 10/24/08

·         Business process analysis completion – 1/30/09

·         Configuration & data mapping – will begin 2/9/09 for CampusVue

·         CampusVantage Finance go-live – 7/1/09

·         CampusVue, CampusCRM and Portal go-live – 2/8/10

·         CampusVantage HR & Payroll go-live 10/5/09
·         CampusCornerstone go-live – 10/26/09

9

Will there be access to historical data in the system?

Yes.

10

Should we emulate our current structure or use this as an opportunity to start fresh?

This project provides the opportunity for the university to take a fresh look at business processes and organizational structure.

11

Will this project continue to be inclusive of all areas of the university?

Yes – all programs, colleges, and departments will be invited to actively participate in the business process analysis phase of the project.

12

Will we be able to have more consistency across departments across campuses?

It is one of the major goals of this project to streamline business processes and make them more consistent across all departments and colleges of the university. 

13

Will CPS manage the new loan system implementation?

It has not yet been determined if a new loan system is needed.

14

Are the modules slated to go live at the same time or will they be staggered?

The go-live for the modules will be staggered.  Refer to #8 above.

15

Should all of the modules go live at the same time?

No – it would present too much of a strain on the university’s resources. 

16

How much time will this take away from my regular job?

That will depend on your role on the project and when the module supporting your department’s function will be going live. 

17

Do we have strong enough system capabilities to support this system?

The IT staff at Mercer is very experienced and very capable of supporting the new system.  The Administrative Computing team, however, will need some training in the new technology.

18

What hardware needs to be in place first and when?

The hardware to support the configuration and data mapping phase will need to be in place first and that is targeted to begin January 2009.

19

Is there anyone form CMC with an HR background?

Yes – there will be a resource on their consultant team. – CMC will check.

20

Will there be a smooth transition?

Everything will be done to plan for a smooth transition.  There is always the possibility, though, that problems may arise during the go-live.  If they do, CMC staff will be onsite to assist and correct the problem as quickly as possible.

21

What add-ons are needed to support current IT initiatives?

Additional hardware and networking capabilities are needed and have been ordered.

22

Does CMC allow view but not reporting of certain data?  (FERPA)

Yes, there are capabilities to block fields to be printed on reports.

23

What will be source of self-help for the system?

Training documentation, quick reference guides, online help.

24

How will the security of the data be setup?

Defining the data security will be a key component of the data analysis and configuration phases of the project.  Each department will be able to provide input into who will have read, write, and update capabilities for their data.

25

How will CMC integrate grants and contracts?

There is grants management functionality in CampusVantage.  The details of this will be reviewed during the BPA sessions.

26

How will external software connect with CMC?

This will be handled by system integrations that will be built and tested prior to go-live.

27

Why are we doing this? What are we going to get out of this project?

In March of 2007, the software provider, SunGard, announced that they would no longer support Mercer’s software after December 2011.  In addition, the current software cannot support the growing needs of the university.  This new system will provide additional functionality and growth capabilities that the current system cannot provide.

28

If we have a system problem who do we go to?

The first point of contact will be the Mercer help desk.  If they cannot resolve the issue than it will be escalated to the CMC help desk.  Mercer has a premium level support contract with CMC. 

29

What functionality does the new system have that the old system does not?

There will be a discovery process you will go through at the beginning of the project to identify new functionality and gaps.

30

What will we lose with the new system?

See #29 above.

31

Where will training be held?

Training will be held on site in Macon and Atlanta.

32

Will there be ample time allotted for testing?

Additional training time has been built into the services contract.  The details of the training schedule will be developed during the business process analysis phase of the project and publicized to the university community.

33

Will there by buy-in across the university?

Yes, that is the goal of the university’s executive management team.

34

Will someone have the authority to make the changes happen?

During the planning phase of the project, an executive steering committee will be formed that, along with the project sponsors, will have the authority to make the proposed changes happen.  Ultimate authority will rest with President Underwood.

35

Where will the loan management system fit into the process?

CMC has a student loan management functionality in CampusVue in the Financial Aid module while the student is in school and loan management functionality after graduation in Student Accounts.

36

Will the new system have the analytical capabilities that we need?

There are standard reports that come with the system plus the ability to create custom reports.  In addition, Mercer has purchased CampusQuery.

37

Will the primary beneficiary be our students?

The ultimate goal of this project is to approve service to all university constituents including students, alumni, staff, and faculty.

38

Are there any reference colleges we can visit and talk to?

CMC will provide names of schools and contacts.