USER Project Scope

Preliminary Scope

The proposal includes a technology infrastructure component and several service areas that could benefit from the project (human resources, grants & contracts, goods and services acquisitions, and travel expenses). The 1997-1999 UIF award covers the technology infrastructure and the payroll/personnel service area.

The technology infrastructure component will develop an architecture for conducting business via the web, as well as a toolkit to help people develop high quality applications using the new architecture. The scope includes design, development, and ongoing support.

The payroll/personnel component initially encompasses all activites related to payroll and personnel from when an employee is hired until they leave the University. It includes the operational requirements and the management information requirements. One of the first responsibilities of the Process Improvement Team is to narrow down the scope by identifying the highest priority functions.

Recognizing the important differences between departments, the project will develop and provide access to new services, but it will not reengineer and implement unit-specific processes. The scope will include all activities required to change to the new services, such as business analysis, process design, systems development, training, and ongoing support. Individual departments will have the option to participate.

Refining the Functional Scope

Based on University-wide input, the Process Improvement Team (PIT) will identify the highest priority functional areas within payroll/personnel. They will present the recommendations to the Steering Committee, then make any required adjustments, leading to a more specific scope definition.