9.2 Upgrade Assessment-Sample

Herff Jones, Inc. PeopleSoft Finance 9.2 Upgrade Assessment

Table of Contents

ALL MODULES4ATTACHMENTS 4MOBILE APPROVALS 5CHARTFIELD SECURITY 6WORKCENTERS 7DASHBOARDS 8AUDIT FRAMEWORK 9

GENERAL LEDGER 10JOURNAL APPROVALS 10BATCH JOURNAL POST 11RELATED CONTENT AND DRILLING URLS 12GL DETAIL VIEW 13BATCH POST REVERSING JOURNALS 14ALLOCATIONS 15SPREADSHEET DECIMAL EDITS 16DATA MIGRATION WORKBENCH 17PROJECT CHARTFIELD 18NVISION REPORTING - VARSITY 19SUBSYSTEM RECONCILATIONS 20WEB SERVICE FOR COMBO EDITS 21CONSOLIDATIONS 22CHARTFIELD REQUEST TOOL 23REVALUATION 24

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE 25RELATED CONTENT AND DRILLING URLS 25COLLECTIONS WORKBENCH 26APPROVALS 27UNPOST 281099-C WRITE-OFFS 29AR WORKCENTER 30CREDIT CARD WORKSHEET 31SMALL BALANCE WRITE-OFF 32ITEM SEQUENCE NUMBER 33

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Herff Jones, Inc. PeopleSoft Finance 9.2 Upgrade AssessmentADVANCE DEPOSITS 34CUSTOMER STATEMENTS 35EDI PAYMENTS36

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE 37ACH PAYMENTS/FILE NAMES 37SINGLE PAYMENT VENDORS 38SELF SERVICE VENDOR 39ON DEMAND PROCESSING 40CD-COM AND VOUCHER ATTACHMENTS 41PO/RECEIVING INTEGRATION 42AP WORKCENTER AND DASHBOARD 43FINANCIAL SANCTIONS 44MONTH END ACCRUALS 45PAYMENT ADVICES 46SUPPLIER ENTRY AND APPROVALS 47VOUCHER SPREADSHEET UPLOAD 48CRYSTAL CHECK AND AP REPORTS 49SUPPLIER HIERARCHY 50VALIDATION OF SUPPLIER TIN 51SAVE INCOMPLETE VOUCHERS 52RELATED CONTENT AND DRILLABLE URLS 53PAYROLL GARNISHMENTS 54RECONFIGURE/CONSOLIDATE BANKS 55ESCHEATMENTS 56

ASSET MANAGEMENT 57ATTACHMENTS 57PARENT/CHILD ASSETS 58RELATED CONTENT AND DRILLABLE URLS 60EXPENSE LEDGER REPORT 61WHAT IF ANALYSIS 62IT ASSET MANAGEMENT63BONUS DEPRECIATION 65AM WORKCENTER AND DASHBOARD 67ASSET MANAGEMENT LEASES 70ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS 72ASSET DISPOSAL OR RETIREMENT 74ASSET DISPOSALS 76CIP RECONCILIATION AND APPROVALS 77

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Herff Jones, Inc. PeopleSoft Finance 9.2 Upgrade AssessmentCE REQUESTS 78

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Module: All Business Process: AttachmentsItem No Current State Pain Point ExplainedALL-010 Attachments are not included with transactions. From a review or audit perspective the user has to pull hard copy files to

see the attachments for a transaction. This can be a time consuming process and periodically these hard copy documents may get lost.

Future State DescribedPS now includes an attachment framework that allows transactions to include referenced attachments. Attachments are critical for approval workflow and implementing a paperless business process. The attachments are extremely valuable during audit engagements too.

The PS training should include proper scanning techniques so that the users are minimizing the file sizes (no color, proper scan settings, 300 dpi standard, etc.). Many customers are finding that a cheap desktop scanner (about $100) connected directly to the user’s workstation is more efficient than sending a user to the copier for scanning for active documents.Upgrade Scoring (Must Have / Should Have / Nice to Have) Should HaveUpgrade Effort Level (High / Medium / Low) LowUpgrade Scope Recommendation (In Scope / Out of Scope) In ScopeRecommendation Described:

Recommend that HJ start using the attachment features going forward (post go-live) and that attachment functionality is configured and included in the upgrade process.

Attachments may be PDF, spreadsheet, or document type format but it is recommended that training is provided to have users attach as PDF format. If it becomes necessary, the types of attachments that a user can add are configurable. Attachments can be stored on a separate file server or directly in the database tables. It is recommended to store the files in the database tables as the benefits of using a separate file server are marginal and storing attachments directly in the database will make it easier to archive PS and still retain access to the attachments. PS has the ability to set the max file size for the attachments.

Attachments are now included in generally all of the main PS documents (journals, vouchers, etc.). HJ should evaluate the importance of attaching critical documents to the transactions and develop the user procedures and training material to achieve the desired results.

Benefit

Technical EffortFunctional EffortConsulting Effort 1

Priority High

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Module: All Business Process: Mobile ApprovalsItem No Current State Pain Point ExplainedALL-020 No approvals or mobile approvals are in place Approval process is manual and paper based. Managers do not have the

ability to approve their transactions from smart phone, iPad, or other external device.

Future State DescribedPS now delivers ability to have constant access to voucher, vendor, journal or other approvals via desktop, tablet device, or smartphone. This includes the ability to review attachments. Below is a page shot of what the voucher approval looks like from an iPad.

Upgrade Scoring (Must Have / Should Have / Nice to Have) Nice to HaveUpgrade Effort Level (High / Medium / Low) MediumUpgrade Scope Recommendation (In Scope / Out of Scope) Out of ScopeRecommendation Described:

Recommend putting the approvals in place first and then configure the mobile approval process.

Benefit

Technical Effort N/A

Functional Effort N/A

Consulting Effort N/A

Priority N/A

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Module: All Business Process: ChartField SecurityItem No Current State Pain Point ExplainedALL-030 Currently have row level security only on SetID and BU by primary

permission list but no chartfield security is active.A few chartfield values have to be monitored to make sure users do not manually post entries into these restricted values.

Future State DescribedChartField security is configured and maintained within the 9.2 application and is flexible to let administrators determine which chartfields should be secured for which modules. The security is role based and can be setup at a user, permission list, or role level. You can also exclude components that you choose from being included in chartfield security.

Chartfield security configuration is very flexible but will take some time to configure and test. If it is not configured properly to meet the business needs it can quickly become a hindrance to process/analyze transactions. HJ could secure certain chartfield values such as construction in progress but the setup would likely include creating CF Security trees and assigning the security rules to roles, permission lists, or user profiles. HJ may also need to configure the exception components that should be included in the configuration so users can still inquiry on certain restricted chartfields values.Upgrade Scoring (Must Have / Should Have / Nice to Have) Nice to HaveUpgrade Effort Level (High / Medium / Low) HighUpgrade Scope Recommendation (In Scope / Out of Scope) Out of ScopeRecommendation Described:

Unless the desired chartfield security can be identified as easy to configure and maintain the recommendation is that chartfield security should be implemented post upgrade.

Benefit




Priority N/A

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Herff Jones, Inc. PeopleSoft Finance 9.2 Upgrade AssessmentModule: All Business Process: WorkCentersItem No Current State Pain Point ExplainedALL-040 WorkCenters are new in PS 9.2. Current version requires extensive navigation for a user to take action

on task or review analytics. The number of clicks that a user has to make in order to perform a task or pull information is too high.

Users have to remember all the navigations to complete a task and difficult to train new users due to how relevant pages are “buried” deep in the menus.

Future State DescribedPS WorkCenters are designed to simplify the business process and reduce the time and effort it takes to perform a business process. The WorkCenter was originally conceptualized in the PS Enterprise portal and in the latest release of tools WorkCenters are more of a configuration item than a development item.

One of the best qualities of the workcenter is how it provides “one stop shop” type of navigation instead of the traditional top navigation menu. The items that are relevant to the user are included on one page in the workcenter instead of having to navigate through the traditional menus. WorkCenters are role based so they should be developed for a group of similar users (i.e. AP Clerk, etc.).

Here is an example of a WorkCenter. PS delivers several pre-built WorkCenters and HJ can create their own as well. Notice in this workcenter how the step by step work that needs to be performed are listed in the My Work area and the right frame is the main transactional area that is updated as user works through a process.

Upgrade Scoring (Must Have / Should Have / Nice to Have) Should HaveUpgrade Effort Level (High / Medium / Low) Med to HighUpgrade Scope Recommendation (In Scope / Out of Scope) In ScopeRecommendation Described:

The WorkCenter has a solid potential for positively changing how HJ users interact with the system. The recommendation is that the WorkCenter functionality is included in the scope because it will be a key driver for training material and potential benefits included.

Benefit


Priority High

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Module: All Business Process: DashboardsItem No Current State Pain Point ExplainedALL-050 Dashboards are not currently used at HJ. Currently managers do not have a single page to “check the

pulse” of their department. They are running sets of queries, etc. to perform department level analysis such as number of unposted vouchers, top suppliers, etc.

Future State DescribedDashboards have the potential to give department managers quick access to their data in a format that is meaningful from an analysis standpoint. The dashboard has potential to replace or supplement the reports and queries that are in current use. The data is presented in a manner that generally starts off at a high level (Total Expenses for my department) and allows the user to drill into the details (What transactions make up the amount that posted in April to travel account?). Dashboards are role based so users will have to be assigned the appropriate role to use the dashboard. WorkCenters are directed more towards the end-user while Dashboards are generally a higher-level slice of the data for business/department managers. Here is an example of a supplier dashboard:

Upgrade Scoring (Must Have / Should Have / Nice to Have Should HaveUpgrade Effort Level (High / Medium / Low) Med to HighUpgrade Scope Recommendation (In Scope / Out of Scope) In ScopeRecommendation Described:

The Dashboard has a potential to provide quicker and more relevant analytics to the business mangers and should be included in the upgrade process as new functionality. It would probably make sense to scope out the dashboards by module and determine which ones would offer the most benefit and include these as “in scope”. Other dashboards could be installed post upgrade as time permits.

Benefit


Priority High

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Module: All Business Process: Audit FrameworkItem No Current State Pain Point ExplainedALL-060 Not audit log being recorded in Finance Lack of audit trail on key processes

Future State DescribedPeopleSoft delivers an audit framework with version 9.2 that is used for tracking of transaction processing. Many of the key processes are delivered with the audit functionality and you can also build your own processes.

Steps for Using Audit Framework:

1. Turn on the business process you want to track 2. Use online inquiry page to see audit details:

Upgrade Scoring (Must Have / Should Have / Nice to Have Should HaveUpgrade Effort Level (High / Medium / Low) LowUpgrade Scope Recommendation (In Scope / Out of Scope) In ScopeRecommendation Described:

Turn on auditing for key business processes.

Benefit


Priority Med

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Module: General Ledger Business Process: Journal ApprovalsItem No Current State Pain Point ExplainedGL-010 No current system configuration for approvals. Varsity may not have

interest in setting up journal approvals. Auditors require that we run a query of all the manual journals that were posted and are reviewed by CFO. General Acctg. Manager would highlight the large dollar manual journals and would have CFO review those. Auditors would pull files and then a sample is taken and they audit looking for backup and accuracy.

Varsity indicates that there is not a pain point with current manual process. HJ Inc. is also performing manual approvals and has expressed some interest in building approvals. Manual process exists now for internal control compliance and could be replaced with workflow approvals.

Future State DescribedThe journal approval is available in three forms 1) Virtual Approver (Old Method) 2) Approval Framework (New Method) or 3) PS Security Method. If HJ decides to set up journal approvals they should use the new Approval Framework (AF) method. This process is configurable from within the application and does not require application designer or much technical intervention. If HJ wants to only keep certain individuals from having the ability to post journal entries they could use the PS Security Method. This will not assure that each journal has been properly reviewed but will assure that only certain individuals have the ability to post journals. Journals that are approved are considered “Marked to Post”. There is a setting in the GL user preferences that allows certain users to mark journals to post, which will not require the journal to route through approvals. Otherwise, journals are set “Marked to Post” once they successfully complete the approval process.PS Security MethodYou could implement journal posting controls by skipping the approval setup and only allowing certain users to have security to the “Mark Journals to Post” page (General Ledger > Journals > Process Journals > Mark Journals for Posting). If you turn off the user preference to mark journals to post and do not give access to the Mark Journals to Post page the user will not be able to set a journal to post. You could also control the access to the GL Post application engine process through process group security, which will keep a user from being able to run the post process.Approval Framework MethodThe best practice approach is to set up the Journal Approval workflow using the Approval Framework method. This will assure from an internal control perspective that each journal has been routed to the appropriate person for approvals. Using this method allows more individuals to have access to post because the control is within the approval process and not as much with just the post process. The approval routings are highly configurable within the application to allow routings to meet the business requirements. Routings can be performed by chartfields that are included on a journal, dollar amounts, etc.Upgrade Scoring (Must Have / Should Have / Nice to Have) Should HaveUpgrade Effort Level (High / Medium / Low) Medium to HighUpgrade Scope Recommendation (In Scope / Out of Scope) Out of ScopeRecommendation Described:

Recommend configuring the full Approval Framework for journal approvals and utilize the attachment process. The approval routing design should be kept as simple as possible but this will still require enough effort that we recommend setting this as Out of Scope for the upgrade but to follow-up in post upgrade with this approval configuration.

Benefit




Priority N/A

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Documents

9.2 Upgrade Assessment-Sample