PeopleSoft is one of the leading ERP solutions used by businesses today. At Meyer we provide PeopleSoft support to many of these companies. When onboarding a new support client, we find that when these businesses originally implemented PeopleSoft, they designed their system based on a set of requirements that made sense at the time of implementation. As companies grow and technology improves, the initial system and business requirements may no longer meet the needs of the organization. When this happens, companies put temporary solutions in place that tend to become permanent like the use of excel spreadsheets and other labor-intensive business processes that can result in unreliable data and business process issues. What should your company do if you are facing these issues? As PeopleSoft experts for the past 25 years, we recommend a system wide PeopleSoft Assessment. A PeopleSoft assessment consists of three key components:
PeopleSoft Business Process and Integration Review
The first phase of any assessment is to understand the current environment. In PeopleSoft terms, this means that our Meyer Team of experts will meet with representatives from each module. These discussions are focused on the daily tasks that are usually transaction based. We also review monthly processes that include the month-end close, and annual tasks that revolve around year-end close. Integration between modules is also reviewed at this time, for example the Process to Acquire Assets between PO, AP and AM. The goal is to understand and map out a “Current State” in several process flows by module that allow the reviewer to highlight areas of improvement.
Listening to User Feedback
During the second phase, the Meyer team will meet with the user base to understand their needs and give them a chance to provide any feedback they may have and to document any new requirements that result from these conversations. This is some of the most important feedback the team can receive since these are the users who are interacting with the system on a daily basis. This will result in a comprehensive listing of user pain points and new requirements.
Providing a Solution Roadmap
After a thorough review of the current business process and user feedback, the Meyer team can formulate a plan that will help close the gaps and introduce improvements. We present these solutions through the use of an Improvements Roadmap. Each item on the roadmap is reviewed and prioritized with company leadership, using metrics around the Severity of the Issue, Work Effort to Implement, Business Impact, and Return on Investment.
The timeline for a PeopleSoft Assessment is usually dependent on a few variables: company size, project team size, the number of modules owned, and user availability. A typical PeopleSoft Assessment can usually be completed in six to twelve weeks. The most time-consuming phase is the Business Process and Integration Review. Once completed and compiled into a final report, the PeopleSoft Assessment will provide your organization with a roadmap to fully embrace all of the functionality and efficiencies that PeopleSoft can provide.