About Customer:
Kansas Board of Public Utilities (BPU) is a not-for-profit public utility, who have been providing safe, dependable water and electric services for more than 100 years. As of today, BPU Customer services 65,000 electric customers and 51,000 water customers, over approximately a 130 square mile area.
Customer Requirement:
Requirement 1:
Upgrading PeopleSoft HCM from version 9.1 to 9.2 for intuitive and automated processes, enhanced reporting capabilities, and for better ROI from HCM investment.
Requirement 2:
BPU needed Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) implementation for Budgeting, Planning, Forecasting, Modeling, and Analytics.
The Challenge
Challenge 1:
BPU was looking for a IT Consulting and Services firm who can ensure “Business Continuity” while upgrading their PeopleSoft HCM from version 9.1 to 9.2.
Challenge 2:
BPU’s existing ERP system and newly upgraded PeopleSoft HCM 9.2 should be integrated seamlessly with EPM to couple Operational Efficiency with Financial Capabilities and Insights.
So, DILIGENT was tasked with building a team of PeopleSoft and Oracle Consultants, who are adept at bringing ERP, HCM, EPM and other third party systems under one roof.
The Technology:
PeopleSoft v9.2 HCM Modules
- Absence Management
- Compensation
- eBenefits
- Enterprise Learning Management
- ePay
- ePerformance
- Recruiting
- Succession Planning
- Directory Interface
- Pension Administration
- Payroll Interface
- Global Payroll
- Human Resources
- Time and Labour
- HR HelpDesk
- Benefits Administration
Hyperion EPM Modules
- Public Sector Planning and Budgeting
- Financial Management
- Financial Planning
- Workforce Planning
- Capital Asset Planning
- Strategic Finance
- Disclosure Management
- Financial Performance Scorecard
- Profitability and Cost Management
- Financial Data Quality Management
- Operational Planning
- Margin Planning
The Solution:
DILIGENT team was equipped with Consultants, who were more than a decade experienced in handling multi-faceted PeopleSoft and Oracle projects.
DILIGENT team worked closely with BPU’s business team, and followed a two-phase approach to fulfill their two requirements.
Phase 1:
In this phase, DILIGENT team upgraded BPU’s PeopleSoft HCM from version 9.1 to 9.2 by leveraging the following step-by-step process to ensure Business Continuity:
Step 1: Planning Application Upgrade: First, copied production database; and then defined upgrades to databases, increased database space, identified customizations and backed up demo databases that come with installation.
Step 2: Preparing Database for Upgrade: Defined a set of tasks, from initial audit to renaming records and fields, for database upgradation on production copy.
Step 3: Applying PeopleTools’ Changes: Performed all the tasks, from Verifying Upgrade User and Performing Script Modifications to Configuring the Scheduler and Server, to apply PeopleTools’ changes newly installed PeopleSoft HCM 9.2.
Step 4: Running and Reviewing Compare Reports: Compared two databases of Production Copy and Newly Installed Software, and then identified changes or decisions to be made for upgradation. Finally, executed Alter Analyzer Loader and renamed Tables.
Step 5: Applying Application Changes: Applied the changes made on newly installed PeopleSoft HCM to the Production Copy. And then performed all the tasks, from updating the database overrides to executing final audit reports, restoring new release demo and upgrading global payroll extensions.
Step 6: Database Changes: On the Production Database, performed changes such as Configuring the Upgrade Environment, Reapplying Customizations to Stamping the Database, Reviewing the Change Control and many more. Finally, tested newly upgraded PeopleSoft HCM to ensure Business Continuity.
Step 7: Moving to the Production: Performed transition testing twice and then moved the upgraded PeopleSoft HCM to the production successfully.
Phase 2:
In this phase, DILIGENT team implemented Hyperion EPM and brought HCM, ERP and EPM under one roof.
DILIGENT team followed the below step-by-step process to setup EPM processes such as budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, and operational planning:
Step 1: Discover: Analyzed and accessed the need of EPM.
Step 2: Prototype: Developed Wireframes and Prototypes of the EPM implementation to make stakeholders understand the process.
Step 3: Preparation: Performed Infrastructure Enhancements, 3rd Party Integrations and Data Mapping.
Step 4: Iterative Implementation: Planned iterative implementation by defining Sprints and Milestones.
Step 5: Testing: Performed testing parallel to implementation and ensured smooth transition.
Step 6: Production: Performed UAT and deployed into production environment successfully.
The Success
BPU achieved the following benefits by upgrading to PeopleSoft HCM 9.2:
- Efficient workforce management: time, attendance and leaves management, labor scheduling and budget management, efficient workforce optimization: workforce planning and workforce analytics, and efficient talent management: recruitment, onboarding, compensations, succession planning and analytics.
- Easy-to-use interface made HCM interaction intuitive.
- Users are enabled to retrieve accurate and actionable search results with a new global, free text search driven approach.
- Reduced the need for customizations as there are many more new features and functionalities that business users can use to streamline business processes for a better productivity.
Benefits achieved by Implementing Hyperion EPM includes:
- Improved efficiency in financial planning and budgeting
- Improved accuracy in financial forecasting
- Increased management efficiency through faster and better decision making.
