Resource planning project making progress, says executive director

The UWinsite Project, UWindsor’s new campus-wide resource planning system, has been making significant progress over the past several weeks as project teams have now shifted efforts to support implementation, says its executive director, Ryan Kenney.

“It is an exciting time for both the project and the campus as we look to bring improved functionality and new features for core student and finance systems,” Kenney says. “Teams have been actively engaged in the project over the past several months and general support from the campus has been tremendous.”

He highlights several key developments: 

  • As a result of a thorough procurement process, the University has selected Oracle (PeopleSoft) as its solution provider and Deloitte as its implementation partner.
  • Project teams have been ramping up activities since early March and are currently working to complete visioning and planning activities as part of what is being referred to as “Fit-Gap,” where teams are seeking to identify and better understand “gaps” between current state and potential future state the new solution offers.
  • Project teams are holding information sessions for students, faculty and staff to further promote and communicate key project activities and other important updates. The main focus of these sessions to date has been updates regarding the roll out of new processes, technology and training.
  • In parallel, project teams have conducted a number of pre-implementation workshops focused on change readiness to ensure a shared vision for success and an enthusiasm for where the University is headed.
  • As part of the overall change management strategy, project teams have also been developing change and communications plans to help all stakeholders be successful on this journey and stay informed.

“We recognize that one of the most important elements of our ability to be successful with the implementation of UWinsite will be campus commitment to and support for adopting this transformative change,” says Kenney. “To this extent, we will continue to utilize the UWinsite website to provide critical information, collect feedback and answer any project related questions.”

Kenney adds that project teams will also make use of such communications channels as the DailyNews, focused update meetings and town halls, and targeted e-mail messages to keep the campus informed.