Most of us have heard at least some information about the IRP (Integrated Renewal Program), and SASI (the Student System replacement project) before it. While many of you have taken part in IRP or SASI related workshops and meetings, others have not had any direct participation, and may have only a high-level understanding about the projects.
As we continue through this journey, we want to support connection to the program. Starting with this article, and continuing regularly on ES Connected, and via other methods, we’ll be sharing more regular program updates and information to help get you up to speed about what the IRP is, how Enrolment Services is—and will continue to be—involved, and what that means for you.
While we certainly can’t claim to have all the answers, there’s lots of information we can share. At the end of this article, we’ll share some links and resources so you can read more about the IRP and find out who to contact when you have questions.
The Basics
The Integrated Renewal Program brings together three systems renewal projects under one program umbrella. Because UBC was in need of a new student system to replace the SIS as well as new HR and Finance systems, a decision was made to combine the three projects into one program. After thoroughly evaluating a number of potential systems providers, UBC was thrilled to select the Workday platform—a cloud-based, user-friendly, mobile-enabled platform. Workday is an innovative and industry-leading company that will provide enterprise-wide systems to meet our Student, HR and Finance system needs.
3 Work Streams
The Student, HR and Finance system replacement work will be organized into three work streams. The image below outlines scope areas for each of the three work streams. Please note that these lists may be updated as additional functionality is released, or as scope is refined.
While some ES staff may be involved in training or workshops in the HR and/or Finance Streams, most of our involvement will be in support of the Student Stream.
A number of ES staff members have been seconded full-time to join the Student Stream team, and they officially began their secondments on November 1. Additional ES staff will join the team in the coming months. We’ll update you in future articles.
Student Stream
A core team from the IRP have been working together for many months to prepare for the official launch of the Student Stream. The core team will lead the stream work in collaboration with business and subject matter experts from ES and other faculties and departments across UBC.
Student Stream Core Team
- Director, Transformation: Jenny Phelps
- Associate Director, Transformation: Asima Zahid
- Project Manager: Dan O’Brien
- Business Analysts: Jacqueline Kendrick (Senior. BA), Jen Duggan, Shanna Walters, RJ Dolamulla, Davin McLeod, Angel Cheung, Bonnie Dean-Stobie, Alan Goodwin, and Sandra Yee
- Senior Change Management Specialist, Marianne Boyles
Seconded ES Staff Supporting the Student Stream
Four teams, corresponding with four scope areas in the Student Stream (Admissions, Records & Advising, Student Finance, and Student Financial Support), have been recruited from Enrolment Services, and other departments and faculties across UBC. These staff have been selected based on their experience and expertise in the scope areas they will represent.
The team is comprised of a business lead and a number of faculty and/or administrative subject matter experts (SMEs). The following Business Leads and SMEs have been seconded from Enrolment Services into full-time roles on the IRP.
Admissions
- Business Lead: Debbie Oon
- SME: Carina Brongers
Records & Advising
- Business Lead: Raymond Kaan
- SME: Nancy Low
- SME: Janey Shum
- SME: Stephanie Boudreau
Student Finance
- SME: Alan Lieu
Student Financial Support
- Business Lead: Camille Johnson
What happens to the vacancies left due to people being seconded full-time to the Student Stream?
Full-time seconded roles will be back-filled. Some positions have already been filled, while recruitment is underway for others. We’ll introduce you to the staff filling the back-filled positions in upcoming newsletters.
Transition Network
Additional roles supporting the IRP, but not seconded to the program, include Transition Leads and Captains.
ES Transition Leads and Captains will be guided by members of the IRP team to help translate the impacts of the new system and enable us to understand how to transition to the new systems.
Enrolment Services’ Transition Network members will cascade Integrated Renewal Program communications throughout the department across both campuses, share information about upcoming activities, help organize local training, and serve as informed resources.
ES’s Transition Network is an extension of the Integrated Renewal Program with a mandate to:
- Understand Enrolment Services’ local environment: Understand our strengths, challenges and resources in relation to the Integrated Renewal Program transformation.
- Localize the change: Translate the people impacts, business process and technology changes emerging from the Program to our local context. (Consider: What will this mean for us? How do we need to change to embrace the opportunity?)
- Embed and adopt the change: Prepare ES staff to navigate changed processes and tools, and sustain that change.
Lead (definition)
The primary liaisons between Enrolment Services and the Integrated Renewal Program. The transition leads will be the key facilitators of ES’s transition to new processes across the new Workday Student, HR and Financial systems.
ES transition leads will remain in their operational roles and devote up to 0.6 FTE (3 working days/week) to their transition lead role.
Student Transition Leads
- Mike Becir
- Coby Thurmeier
HR Transition Lead
- Ashley Elchuk
Finance Transition Lead
- Maria Mannella
Captain (definition)
Trusted, local knowledge experts who will support localization of workflow, and business process change and adoption within their unit and/or functional area. They will become a go-to resource for sustainment of the Workday Student, HR and Financial systems.
Captains have not been identified yet. If you are interested in learning more about a Captain’s role, please get in touch with one of the Transition Leads. More information will follow in the New Year.
IRP Location
The majority of the IRP staff are currently located on the second floor and in the basement of Brock Hall. In December or January (TBC), full-time IRP staff will move to the FERIC building on the south end of campus. We’ll share details about how the vacated IRP space will be used in an upcoming newsletter.
Transformation Leads and Captains will not move with the IRP team. They will remain with their units.
Ongoing information & engagment
How would you like us to communicate with you about the IRP and news regarding the Student, HR, and Finance systems renewal?
So far we’ve come up with the following ideas:
- Updates and collated resources shared regularly in ES Connected
- Presentations and/or Q&As at ES stand-up meetings
- Visits to team meetings
- Open-ended survey or sli.do where people can ask questions about program
- An all-staff event where we get together to learn about and and discuss benefits and challenges related to the IRP in relation to our work is ES.
Do you have feedback about these ideas, or other ideas to share? Tell us in the comment box below, or email coby.thurmeier@ubc.ca or any of the Transition Leads.
How you’ll hear from us next
- ES stand up meeting early in the New Year.
- Regular updates in the ES Connected.
Resources
- Integrated Renewal Program website
- Ongoing posts on ES Connected blog. To sort for all posts related to the IRP, click on the Integrated Renewal Program category in the right hand column.
- Transition leads: Contact us directly if you have questions about the program. We may have the answer, know where to find it, or know when the answer might be available.