PeopleSoft HRMS 9.1 Upgrade: Don’t forget to Bundle Up
We all know that even after Spring arrives cold winds can still blow. How do you keep yourself safe and warm? You “bundle up”. It is the same with the new HRMS 9.1 upgrade. I know that Oracle exhaustively tested the recently released HRMS 9.1 upgrade process. However, nothing and no one is perfect. Errors and omissions do arise from time to time.
These errors and other known issues can be found in the “Master Solution” (See previous posting.)
The upgrade bundle is Oracle’s main mechanism for fixing upgrade problems. If you have not started your upgrade it would behoove you to download the available upgrade bundles and apply them to your upgrade process. If you have started your upgrade and are experiencing problems help may be only a few clicks away.
For convenience, Oracle provides a comprehensive HCM maintenance schedule including tax updates, HRMS 9.1 application update bundles, Maintenance Packs (cumulative bundles), and, of course, HRMS upgrade bundles. For example, HRMS Upgrade 9.1 Bundle #1 was first made available on February 7, 2010.
For those of you on My Oracle Support the “HCM Maintenance 2010” and related documentation can be found by performing this knowledge search:
“ HCM Maintenance 2010”
“PeopleSoft Enterprise HCM Maintenance Schedule for 2010”
Please stay tuned for many more postings on the subject of 9.1 upgrades.
PeopleSoft HRMS 9.1 Upgrade: The Master Solution
If you have already started your HRMS 9.1 or anticipate starting your upgrade in the near future you should be aware of the Master Solution. I admit that the term Master Solution may sound a little ominous but in reality it is quite benign and can be very helpful. The “Master Solution” is Oracle’s central collectons point for known HRMS 9.1 upgrade issues and solutions.
For those of you on My Oracle Support the “Master Solution” and related documentation can be found by performing this knowledge search:
“HRMS 9.1 Master”
…PeopleSoft Enterprise HRMS Human Resources – Version: 9.1 to 9.1 – Release: 9 to 9 Information … relating to the HRMS 9.1 Upgrade path….The purpose of this knowledge document is to act as a repository for issues relating to the HRMS 9.1 Upgrade…
Currently, there are 8 issues and 8 potential solutions. If you have started your upgrade and have run into a problem this should be the first place you look. If you are about to start an upgrade and you want to avoid some frustration it could be worth your while to take a peek before you start executing the upgrade scripts.
Please stay tuned for many more postings on the subject of 9.1 upgrades.
PeopleSoft 9.1 Upgrade: Tis the Season of the Fit/Gap
Many PeopleSoft customers are entering the season of the Fit/Gap. The new PeopleSoft 9.1 demo has been installed. Several people in your organization have looked it over and discovered quite a lot of nice features. However, the main question remains: What are we going to do with it?
A well thought out, well executed Fit/Gap process can help you find the answers you need to be successful.
This seems like a particularly good time to resurrect some PeopleSoft Upgrade Insights from previous postings on the subject of Fit/Gaps. You can’t cross home plate safely if you can’t get to first base. And you can’t get your project out of the batter’s box and running efficiently without executing a successful Fit/Gap.
This is the last of three postings describing how you can obtain the maximum benefit out of your Fit/Gap process. In the next part of this series, PeopleSoft Upgrade Insights, I will discuss how you can use the results of the Fit/Gap to jumpstart the re-development process. Stay tuned.
In my last posting, PeopleSoft Upgrade Insights: Fit/Gap (Part 2 of 3), I talked about how to conduct your Fit/Gap sessions and gather information in an organized and efficient manner. You have created a nice, long list of issues. Now what do you do?
How do you turn all this raw data into useful information that will jumpstart your next phase and set your project on a solid path to success?
- Research and resolve – The main purpose of the Fit/Gap sessions were to identify issues, not resolve them. Your rules were that if it could not be resolved in 10 minutes or less then you would address it later. Well, “later” has now arrived. Maybe, it requires a follow-up meeting with selected individuals. Perhaps, a technical review is needed. One way or another a resolution for each item needs to be generated. One of my favorite resolutions is to do nothing.
- Mind the Gaps – Many issues were recorded in the Fit/Gap sessions. Are they all gaps in functionality? Likely not. I classify them in three ways.
- FIT - The delivered function meets 100% of the requirement. Nevertheless, some level of end user community and/or IT effort may be required to use effectively.
- GAP - The delivered functionality does not address a particular requirement. If the requirement is to be met alternative methods must be developed.
- PARTIAL FIT - The delivered functionally does not meet 100% of the requirement. If the requirement is to be fully met alternative methods must be developed. These methods may involve internal/external workarounds, changes in current processes, modifications to delivered components, and/or development of new components & programs.
Pay particular attention to partial fits. These may be the best opportunities for reengineering.
- Is it important? – The gap may be obvious but perhaps it is not important. Prioritize your list.
- 1-High Importance
- 2-Medium Importance
- 3-Low Importance
- 4-Research Item
- Is it worth it? – Several significant gaps have been identified. Should you fill them? How much time will it take and, more importantly, whose time are we talking about. Information Technology (IT) is not always the biggest player. Often, substantial effort is required on the functional side. I divide the estimates into two columns: IT effort and Process effort for the functional departments. Here is a sizing scheme the seems to get good support from IT and end-users alike.
- None
- Very Low – 1 day or less
- Low – 1 week or less
- Medium – 1 to 2 weeks
- Large – 2 to 4 weeks
- Very Large – 1 to 3 Months
- Sort, filter, slice, and dice – Your list of issues has been researched, classified, prioritized, and estimated. Now you can force the cream to the top. Which are your most important issues? Which items will take the greatest IT effort? Will a large amount of user effort be required? All these questions and more can be addressed by manipulating your list.
PeopleSoft FSCM 9.1 Upgrade Templates Now Available
Oracle has just recently posted the FSCM 9.1 upgrade templates. For those of you on My Oracle Support the new templates and related documentation can be found by performing these knowledge searches:
“FSCM 9.1 Upgrade” – PeopleSoft Enterprise Finance and Supply Chain 9.1 Upgrade Pages for 8.8, 8.9, and 9.0
“9.1 Documentation Home” – FMS, ESA, & ALM 9.1 Documentation Home Page
“8.50 Documentation Home” – PeopleTools 8.50 Documentation Home Page
FCMS PeopleBooks can be downloaded at the Oracle technology PeopleSoft Enterprise site.
Please stay tuned for many more postings on the subject of 9.1 upgrades.
The coming Talent Storm. Are you ready?
A talent storm could be brewing in your organization. The clouds may be gathering just over the horizon. There are several studies and articles that have recently come across the wires that incorporate some form of this critical warning: Retain and attract talent or risk being left behind as the world recovers.
In December 2009 a study conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by StepStone Solutions found some very troubled waters indeed. Those closest to the workforce are warning that the most talented are not fully engaged in their work yet those at the very top have not yet realized that fact.
A summary of this new report – Companies at the Crossroads which surveyed executives spread over three continents – can be found here. The full version is available at www.stepstonesolutions.com/eiu. Here are a some statistical findings from the report:
- 41% of respondents agreed they have a shortage of talent in their organization
- 44% agreed they find it increasingly difficult to recruit talented employees
- One respondent in two plans to ramp up recruitment over the coming year; only 18% still plan to reduce or freeze headcounts
- Only 16% of line managers said that staff were fully engaged with the business, yet this is not recognised in many boardrooms, with 38% of CEOs saying that trust is ‘high’.
- The top three priorities for talent investments for 2010 are:
- Performance management (voiced by 46% of respondents)
- Leadership development (41%)
- Training and development (36%)
How can you get ready? There are many ways that you can tackle the coming talent storm. Some are strategic. Some are organizational. Some require new policies & procedures for retaining and attracting talent. And some will require better technology.
One new technology worth considering is PeopleSoft HCM 9.1’s talent management product. A previous posting entitled Managing Talent Mismatches covers some of the more useful talent management features incorporated into the current release. Maybe it is a time to take a closer look before the coming talent storm dampens your organization’s prospects for success.