Please note: This is a working draft and as information becomes available we will update this document accordingly. A timeline will be developed for ease of reference, and will be posted on the IU Kuali website at http://kuali.iu.edu/index.shtml, on the FMS website at www.fms.indiana.edu, and on the Purchasing website at www.indiana.edu/~purchase. Please check these websites periodically for the most up-to-date information regarding the implementation.
Information regarding the KFS implementation at Indiana University will be shared using a variety of tools available:
The IU Kuali website will feature the most updated information. The current implementation timeline and project deliverables will be posted. Minutes from ongoing implementation and steering committee meetings will also be available on the website as these meetings occur. An overview of Kuali improvements over the FIS and EPIC will be highlighted. Finally, a FAQ sheet will be updated throughout the implementation process. The website will be utilized as a communication tool throughout the project. Additional relevant information and links to the IU Kuali website will be part of the FMS and Purchasing websites.
Email will be used to periodically communicate about the implementation as well. The FIS list-serv will be used to send out information as needed and each quarterly FMS newsletter will include a project update going forward. These notifications will be posted on the FMS website for anyone who does not subscribe to the various list-servs. Purchasing will also continue to update users via the PurNews listserv, the Purchasing website and the Purchasing newsletters. Purchasing newsletters are archived and available on the Purchasing website.
Live information sessions will be offered throughout the implementation process. On the Bloomington campus, the Business Officer Group (BOG) and Campus Administrative Training Series (CATS) meetings will be utilized to share information about the implementation and to preview KFS. On the Indianapolis campus the RC Fiscal Officers group meetings will also be utilized. Finally, in coordination with campus personnel, at least one live information session will be offered on each campus.
Webinar (web conferencing tools) technology will also be utilized as a way to communicate to the larger audience. This technology will allow FMS and Purchasing to communicate to individuals on all campus locations in a consistent and cost efficient method.
In addition to the above methods of communication, Adobe Captivate, an online interactive training tool will be tested as a means of demonstrating Kuali functionality. Initially, an overview highlighting the best of the KFS changes will be posted on the IU Kuali website. If online training proves to be an effective means of communication it will be used throughout the course of KFS implementation. Training modules will also be created for each portion of traditional training that we offer. These modules will be available for review on the FMS and Purchasing websites 24/7.
The Kuali training plan is based on the fact that KFS is very similar to Indiana University's FIS and EPIC systems. Current users will not have to learn all the basics, such as document business rules or the chart and organization structure for the University. For that reason, the training plan focuses on how to navigate within the new system and the differences between KFS and the FIS and EPIC systems. There are two approaches to achieving that goal:
During the implementation testing process, Kuali Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will identify super users for their particular areas who can assist in testing. Each campus will also identify campus and departmental "super users" who should be involved in testing KFS. The objective is to identify a diverse group of users from multiple campuses and departments in order to ensure that KFS is fully tested and that these super users are able to spend time learning the system from the inside out.
Initially, super users will be testing primarily in KFS. They will document their work in the following fashion:
After the initial testing period, they will do parallel testing between KFS and the FIS and EPIC Systems. The parallel testing will consist of entering documents in both systems and tracking the results of both. An OnCourse project will be setup to facilitate communication between the SMEs and other testers. This project can be used to facilitate group email communications, to post shared documents and as a Wiki for group interactions. It will also serve as an archive of all the project work. The expected time commitment for these super users is approximately 2 hours per week during both phases of testing.
Training for regular FIS and EPIC users will take a more traditional form. There will be a live “train the trainer” session for the IN campus trainer and for any campus experts who would like to attend. There will also be live training sessions on every campus for anyone able to attend. In-depth training will be offered for employees who are new to IU transaction processing. For those unable to attend live training, there will be Breeze webinar training sessions available. The Breeze sessions will be taped so they are available for later review as well.
These training sessions will focus primarily on KFS navigation and the differences between KFS and the FIS or KFS and EPIC. The FMS training website will be updated to support this training as will the Purchasing website. See “Documentation” header under “Support” section below for detailed information. If other opportunities to use the FMS training website to support KFS training and implementation are identified, they will certainly be taken into consideration.
Initial and ongoing support for KFS will take 5 forms:
The FMS Customer Service team will be involved in testing and training throughout the implementation process. This will ensure they know the system well and are able to offer assistance when needed. Furthermore, we are training one of the Customer Service team members to be a Kuali expert, who has been involved in the implementation planning and will be a key tester when we begin implementation testing, and will also be involved in developing user documentation. The objective is to have a true KFS expert who is able to assist users and work with the Kuali Implementation Manager to troubleshoot problems when we go live.
The Purchasing Department will be involved in testing and training throughout the implementation process as well. Again, this will ensure the staff knows the system and can offer support and training as needed. Purchasing will have one testing coordinator and a Communications and Training specialist who will both be fully inserted into the training and testing roles of KFS.
In addition to live support, Kuali has online help on almost every screen. This help is based on the overall Kuali functional documentation; however we are undergoing a review of each page of help to ensure that it is relevant to every level of user. The objective is to make it possible for a new user to navigate through an entire document using only the online help for guidance. The various SMEs will ensure that the online help is correct for their particular area of expertise, while the training and documentation team will ensure that the formatting and information presented is consistent between documents.
There will also be relevant documentation available on the FMS and Purchasing websites and in the Kuali OneStart portal. The comprehensive Kuali functional documentation will be posted with IU specific customizations. Abbreviated user training materials will be available on the training website. There will also be a KFS FAQ page that will highlight the differences between the systems. The various online interactive training modules will also be available on the training website. Finally, the FMS knowledge base will be updated to include information about Kuali.
Prior to implementation, functional user groups will be convened to act as KFS peer representatives after implementation. They will also act as resources to each other as they learn the system. If desired, they can periodically meet to bring issues and questions forward. These groups will serve to build expertise and direct our ongoing training and documentation efforts.
