Friday, April 8, 2022

Five Things to Know about FST: April 7, 2022

 


1.  FST Fridays continue in April. If you aren't spending your Friday mornings with your colleagues and the FST team getting a sneak peek into common Workday functions, you're missing out!  But no worries, we're recording the sessions.  

Want to read more?  Click here for the details.

2.  Security Roles are rolling out.  Soon school and unit leadership will be sharing Workday Finance roles with their teams.  We've prepared some "day in the life" summaries of the roles in Workday to give you a snapshot.

Want to read more?  Click here for the details.

3.  Training starts in May.  The training calendar should be posted around mid-April so you can start saving some dates on your crowded calendar.  

Want to read more?  Click here for the details.

4.  We're ramping up support efforts. UVAFinance is making ongoing strides in our plans to keep things as smooth as possible before, during, and after go-live.  In addition to training, you'll have the support of the Finance Solution Center and our Workday Finance System and Data Support Team, too!


5.  Crosswalk available.  As we get closer to the go-live of Workday Financials on July 1, 2022, we want to make sure you can speak the language.  We've added a crosswalk of Oracle to Workday terms on the Business Terms site. 

Want to read more? Click here for details.

Workday Finance System and Data Support Team Assemble!

Earlier this year, Sue Clements accepted the Director of Workday Financial Systems and Data Support position. Since then, she’s been assembling a Workday Finance System and Data Support Team to help her manage Workday Financials after go-live in July. This team will be responsible for configuring, maintaining, and supporting Workday Financials workstreams.

Seven positions are filled, and Clements and the team will continue the search process to recruit someone for the final available position. All members will officially join the team throughout April and early May. After all positions are filled, we'll introduce those who are new to UVAFinance in the blog. So, keep an eye out for that. 

 Here’s a look at who’s on the team so far:

  • Tommye Arnold, Senior Analyst 
  • Nancy Honeywell, Senior Analyst 
  • Lisa Atkins, Analyst 
  • Jonathan Agop, Analyst 
  • Josh Breeden, Senior Architect 
  • Thomas Schneeberger, Senior Architect 
  • Mandy Eames, Senior Architect

Each team member brings their own unique skills and knowledge to the group. Tommye, Nancy, and Lisa have experience in ITS-EA; Jonathan, Josh, and Thomas have experience in UVAFinance; Mandy has experience with Workday from her previous position as Senior Workday Financial Business Analyst at the Nevada System of Higher Education.

Clements is eager for her team to start “the exciting work of looking beyond go-live and into the future" as soon as the team is complete. 

Security Role Assignments: What will I be doing in Workday Financials?

It's the most prevailing question related to the implementation of Workday Financials (besides "will there be training?" -- which you can read more about here):  What will my work look like when we move to Workday Financials?
Check out the Security Role Summaries

The answer to that question hinges on security roles, and how roles from Oracle have been mapped to Workday Finance.  

**Be sure and check out the link at the bottom of this article to our "Day in the Life" Security Role Summaries.**

What are Security Roles in Workday?

Workday's security framework enables what a user can see and do within Workday.  Security Roles determine what secured content, workers or transactions, and specific items or values, users can access. All employees receive the "employee as self" security role, which allows them to initiate self-service transactions. 

What has been done with Security Roles so far?

We just finished a sprint with UVA school and unit leaders on Security Role Mapping.  The first draft of this mapping was submitted to the project team in mid-March.  Currently, the FST team is reviewing those submissions to make sure everything looks good and that there are no conflicts.  There is still time for roles and responsibilities to be adjusted before go-live.

What's next?  When will I know what my role is within Workday Financials?

Starting this month, school and unit leaders will share role assignments with their teams.  These are discussions that managers and leaders will have with their teams.

How will I learn how to function in my role?

Training is role-based and begins in May.  We are providing Security Role Summaries that will help you understand what you will do in your role, what reports you'll be able to run, and what training you will need to take.  As your leaders have conversations with you about the role you will fill, this resource will be helpful as a snapshot of what you'll be doing.  

"Workflow Control & Approvals" is another name for the work
we do involving Security Role Mapping


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Training Update: Answering some Frequently Asked Questions


Contributed by Patty Marbury

Now that roles are in the process of being finalized and folks may be taking advantage of FST Fridays to get a sneak peek of the system, questions about training are bubbling up to the surface.  Here are a couple of the most frequently asked questions we're getting, with answers!


How do I register for training? Where will the training calendar be posted when it is available?

The training calendar with links to register will be posted on the UVAFinance website by April 15, 2022.  Enrollment will be done in Workday. We will offer multiple instructor-led sessions for all courses, but more for high-volume roles like financial accounting, grants management, and payroll. The role with the highest volume is Procurement Shopper with over 2400 people identified for the role, but this course will be offered as a web-based course, so when you don't see that on the schedule, do not worry!

What methods of training will be offered?

Everyone will have access to an instructor-led class held virtually on Zoom for the role(s) they must fulfill. Every instructor-led class will also have a web-based class if you prefer. Instructor-led classes will provide hands-on activities and opportunities for Q&A. The web-based courses are self-paced and also provide an easy way to review the content whenever you want. Any questions that arise from the web-based courses (including technical questions about accessing the course or other issues) can be submitted for answers to askfinance@virginia.edu. Post-July 1, 2022 we will also be offering open office hours.

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you have about training!


Click image for a larger view


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Read Patty's previous training update on the blog.

Read about Security Roles in Workday

Fund Ownership Visibility

Contributed by Katie Walker

One of the many notable transformations from the FST project is fund ownership visibility, or fund balance ownership, as you may often hear it referred to.  In the future state, post Workday Financials go-live on July 1, units will be able to accurately report on funds available without needing to wait for year-end settlement and carryforward calculations.  The consistent transfer of funds will make it clear who "owns" the fund balance and who the "owner" is of any funds, as well as where the funds have transferred and how much has been spent.

This new model allows units to streamline manual tracking methods for these funds that they may have been using, which in turn means a reduction in the risk of errors and increased capacity for staff to devote time to analytical work rather than manual tracking of funds.

We realize, however, that even with its benefits, this represents a departure from our usual meaning of "budget" -- instead of "budget" meaning spending authority or funds available, it now refers to the unit's plan for the year.  There will need to be training on how to view expendable fund balances and a change in the types of transactions done.

With those types of change management activities in mind, we're reconvening the Budget Process Redesign group to help us refine materials to distribute to our stakeholders.  These are materials that will support you in this change.  You can see particulars on the timeline below, but in general, know that we expect to have final materials ready in June. 

The materials being developed will include:

  • FAQ Document
  • Detailed transaction processing document that will ultimately include unit-level guidance
  • Revised finance policies (especially FIN-033 Monitoring Cash Balances and Resolving Deficits)
  • A detailed timeline
  • Specific reporting guidance (budget to actuals variance reporting and fund balance reporting)


If you have questions about this change, please email them to askfinance@virginia.edu with the subject line "Fund Balance Ownership Question" and we will include them in our FAQ and incorporate them in the resources above!

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See Katie Walker's presentation on this topic in the recording from the April 6, 2022, Fiscal Administrator's Meeting recording, available here.  (Click on "Fiscal Administrators" - the Fund Ownership Visibility content begins approximately at minute 56)

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Meet the New User Success Agents!

To complement training and further ensure a smooth July 1 go-live, the Finance Solution Center continues to develop and prepare. The Center serves as a first human point of contact for most support requests, and three new User Success Agents have joined the team and are looking forward to supporting users across Grounds.


Teri Bowen
User Success Agent


Previously a Case Manager at UVA Infectious Diseases Ryan White Clinic, Bowen helped HIV/AIDS patients with access to care and medications as well as provided help and/or resources for their housing, food, and transportation insecurities that would be a barrier to their care.

Now a User Success Agent, she will provide top-notch customer service to the university community
and external entities seeking support from all areas of UVAFinance. Bowen and her fellow team members will also be at the forefront of support for users during the Workday Financials launch.

She says of the future challenges, “With this much change there are bound to be some challenges however, with the great team that I am now a part of the transition will be a smoother one. We come together and with our different skills and knowledge to be able to give excellent customer service and provide answers for the finance users.”

Thus far, Bowen has enjoyed working through some of the complex cases and having to match invoices to determine they are correct and checking for pay statuses.

“Working as a unit to be able to bounce ideas off one another,” she says. “In time, we will all have a very broad knowledge of each of the areas in UVAFinance which will allow all of us to expeditiously assist internal and external finance users.”

Outside of work, Bowen enjoys spending time with two daughters (21 and 18) and traveling and seeing new places, and exploring new places to eat and shop. She also loves being at home with her seven fur babies, six chihuahuas, and one pug – she reports that it’s never a dull moment with them!

Carrie Crosby
Administrative Assistant and User Success Agent


Carrie joined UVA in November of 2018 as the Administrative and Front Desk Assistant of UVAFinance at Carruthers Hall and is now a User Success Agent with the Solution Center.

She will be at the forefront of providing support to constituents in all areas of UVAFinance. Most immediate, she and her team members will be at the forefront of support for users during the Workday Financials launch.

The team is new and thus far, Crosby said their challenge is carving out the clear-cut answers they will soon provide users. She says, “We are doing our own research to find what each customer is looking for, but as time goes on and we learn more from doing more, common questions will be easier and faster to answer and resolve.”

Crosby enjoys working with the team, “The other agents and Joey have all been very welcoming and fun to work with. With time, we will be able to solve issues faster than in the past without having a direct point-of-contact for many issues.”

In her spare time, she is almost always doing something with her kids. She has a 5-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter who both keep her very much on her toes and she no longer has any concept of “downtime”.

Dawn A. Wood
User Success Agent


Dawn Wood joins UVAFinance after serving as Assistant Manager at the Charlottesville Trader Joes. She’s ready to provide excellent customer service to users across Grounds and outside parties seeking support from all areas of UVAFinance.


Of the upcoming launch, she says, “The exciting thing is that this is a brand-new team on the precipice of change, and we are learning together. We have already faced some challenging cases and have worked together as a team, using our resources and diverse backgrounds to solve each issue as it arises all while giving exceptional customer service. We are already working well as a unit, and I have no doubt we will be able to tackle any issue that arises together as a team.”

Wood has enjoyed connecting with her new team and meeting everyone within UVAFinance. She says she already feels right at home.

“As the team gains more insight, we will be further equipped to work expeditiously to assist internal and external finance users,” she says of her team and their orientation to UVAFinance.

Wood enjoys attending outdoor concerts, hikes with her family, working in their yard, bird watching, and having a glass of wine by the fire pit with friends.







Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Hey UVAFinance: Help us Hire!

Visit UVAFinance's LinkedIn Page

As we post new job opportunities, we'll be turning to you for some help. That's right - you! 

By sharing these opportunities on your personal LinkedIn pages, you help demonstrate the culture of UVAFinance and attract the right candidates. Currently, we are looking for a few positions and ask for your assistance in helping us broaden the scope. 

We invite you to share open positions to help us get views across a variety of networks. To do this:
  • Visit the UVAFinance LinkedIn page here
  • Locate the job announcement you wish to share and just under the post, click “Share”
  • From there, you can add some text such as “UVAFinance has an exciting opportunity to join our team as a Sourcing Specialist. UVAFinance is a phenomenal place to lead, grow, and work in a welcoming and supportive environment where everyone feels empowered to be their authentic selves and share ideas. We embrace a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and invite qualified applicants to apply and for anyone to share this opening with their networks.”
Thank you for helping us reach potential new team members!

Questions?  Need some help?  Contact Karen Templeton.

UER Wraps Up

The FST team has wrapped up the User Experience Review sessions phase of the project! 

UER participants got familiar with the upcoming transition to Workday Financials through sessions specific to processes such as creating and updating gifts, account certification, creating accounting journals and adjustments, and more.

Instructors hosted virtual sessions in which users get familiar with a particular tenant and they reviewed scenarios with the instructor. The participants got time to work through their own scenarios with access to resources such as the UVA Business Terms site and quick reference guides.

 







UER participants provided helpful feedback that will help inform more in-depth Workday Financials training. Comments provided demonstrated that staff are learning and preparing and are overall feeling positive about the launch.








Constructive feedback received is helping improve user experiences moving forward. But don't take it from us, hear what two UER participants Maurice Walter and Whitney Richardson have to say!



UER is an integral to the FST rollout of Workday Financials and the time put into these sessions is an investment in ensuring a smoother go-live and system use. The FST team is grateful to all 400+ participants and appreciates their thoughtful feedback and questions!

Click the image for a larger view


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First comes testing, then comes training!  Find out more about Workday Financials Training here!

FST Fridays: Make plans to join us!

Don't forget to join the FST Team for FST Fridays!

More than 260 stakeholders from different units across Grounds participated in the first session, which took place on April 1, 2022. This session was an overview of the Foundation Data Model, featuring an explanation of the "worktag" and "crosswalk" terms. 


Live demonstrations in Workday of the following transactions also took place:


  • How to use worktags when creating an expense report
  • How to use worktags when creating a journal
  • How to access an FDM Reference Report to find specific worktags in Workday 



To participate in future sessions, head to the 
UVAFinance website and click "Join us for FST Fridays in April!"   


You can also see the slides and recordings of previous sessions on this page. 

Crosswalk of Oracle to Workday Terms

It's back by popular demand!  

We've resuscitated the old "Workday Words" idea from earlier in the project and pulled together a crosswalk of Oracle terms to their new terms in Workday Financials.  

This crosswalk should be a helpful bridge between the current state and the future state as we approach go-live of Workday Financials on July 1. 

You can find the crosswalk on the Business Terms site here.

Happy Crosswalking!



The Mystery of A. Coe of Procurement

Contributed by Addie and Anders Coe

Siblings often get mistaken for one another - it's par for the course. However, it's not often that siblings work in the same office and for the same department. Also, many people are still working from home and mostly interact by exchanging email. All these factors create more opportunities for siblings to be mistaken for one another, to be mistaken for twins, or worse yet.... for one to be mistaken for the other's parent.

All joking aside, it can be fun to work with your family member. There are a lot of family duos within UVAFinance, but one duo who often deals with the previously described confusion is Addie and Anders Coe (That’s us!). We both work in UVAFinance’s Procurement and Supplier Diversity Services. Here’s a little more about what we both do in that department.

Anders' role in Procurement


Anders joined Procurement in May of 2021 as the Customer Experience Lead. Signs that you have spoken to Anders (not Addie):
          •  You emailed buy-pay@virginia.edu
          • You were sending inquiries about past due invoices
          • You experienced superior customer service
          • You left the interaction with a positive impression of PSDS
Anders has been the "face" of Procurement since May 2021, fielding all general inquiries to the buy-pay inbox.

Addie's role in Procurement


Addie joined Procurement in October 2017 as a buyer and transitioned to be the Procurement Systems Manager in 2018. Signs you have spoken to Addie (not Anders):
          • You were having issues within Marketplace
          • Your requisition disappeared, and you couldn't find it
          • Your purchase order refused to approve
          • You got a definitive answer for a non-definitive question
Addie and her team maintain the various Procurement systems used to create requisitions and purchase orders, such as UVAMarketplace.

But don't worry if, going forward, you accidentally email the wrong A. Coe. We'll always make sure your email gets to the right person.

Here's a fun Venn diagram that shows more similarities and differences between us: 



Click the image for a larger view


Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Hey UVAFinance: Spring Fling is coming!

 


Getting excited for the Spring Fling*? We are, too! 

We’re pleased to announce that there will be three food trucks available for lunch at Carruthers Hall that day. You can look forward to local, organic food from FARMacy; burgers, eclectic offerings and “tater totchos” from Firefly; and delicious wood-fired pizza from Popitos. 

We are all looking forward to sharing the day (and some great food) with our UVAFinance colleagues on Wednesday, April 27! Keep an eye out for more information and updates in your Spring Fling calendar invitation.

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*  Click on UVAFinance Events

Three Months Out: Anxiety & Excitement

Click image for a larger view

 Did you know that anxiety and excitement are basically the same state of mind?  They're both states of "high activation" according to a Harvard research study, with the difference being that anxiety is when we imagine a future where everything goes wrong, and excitement is when we focus on the things that could go right.

Three months out from the go-live of Workday Financials, we're definitely feeling the stress of a large change, and nobody can blame any of us for having anxiety about all that's left to be done.  It can be hard to remember that there are good things that will come from the process change and new systems that FST brings.  The graphic above contains comments from the project Steering Committee and Advisory Group on what makes them excited about FST.  These are great examples of things that will "go right" with the FST project, even if there are bumps in the road.

The same research study referenced above describes how, when we feel anxiety, it's easier to try to shift our anxieties into excitement as opposed to trying to calm down, since anxiety and excitement are so similar.  While this is probably not a cure-all for our FST stress, it's still good to try to keep the positive outcomes of FST in mind from time to time -- all of this hard work really will be worth it!

Thanks for everything you are doing to make this transformation successful; we look forward to enjoying a smoother future state with you!

Monday, April 4, 2022

UVAFinance Strategy Group Preps for Go-Live

Contributed by Bill Ashby

Workday Financials goes live on July 1 of this year, and the UVAFinance Strategy Team continues to fine-tune its processes and structure to deliver solid support to both central users and our stakeholders across UVA. The most recent tweaks to the team's organization further the transformation to our new support model.

In March we launched the Finance User Success Center as a centralized point of contact for finance support requests.  User Success Manager Joey Carls has staffed the Finance User Success Center with a great team of User Success Agents (read more about them here) and they have already begun handling support needs in buying and paying, training, communication, financial planning and analysis, and more. 

The additional steps we're excited to report to you are as follows: 
  • Andrew Sallans, our Director of User Success and Services, is now responsible for leading both physical and virtual engagement. As a counterpart to Joey Carls and the Finance Solution Center, Stacey Rittenhouse, as Business Services Manager,  will supervise our Administrative Support team and lead all efforts related to the physical operation of Carruthers. This strategic alignment of physical and virtual services will foster a coherent experience and expectations for our stakeholder community.
  • We are also refocusing Scott Adams' role as Director of Business Systems to work more closely with Andrew, Sue Clements, and Mark Anderson to ensure that our business systems environment is efficient, secure, and that everything is working well together.  This builds upon the work Scott and his team have done in the past couple of years to inventory and assess our many legacy systems and will allow us to strategically expand and modernize our full ecosystem.

We are pleased to get to make these changes now, in advance of the launch of Workday Financials, in order to position our teams and UVAFinance as a whole to deliver excellent service.  Given our commitment to continuous improvement as a core value, be on the lookout for more news and we learn through experience.

We look forward to serving you!
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Finance Solution Center: Serving you since March 14!

askfinance@virginia.edu
User Success Agents in the Finance Solution Center (read more about them here) have logged over 450 cases as of April 6.  That's over 450 questions answered and people assisted, just in the first three weeks of operation!

What do User Success Agents do?
  • Gather customer information
  • Analyze the problem to identify the cause
  • Solve the problem if there is a documented solution/answer
  • Escalate cases to appropriate specialists if they cannot be resolved
Why was the Finance Solution Center put in place?

  • To have a dedicated, full-time team to support you and answer your questions
  • To be a single point of entry for all UVAFinance inquiries (Workday Finance and others)
  • To have a live, personal response to your inquiries
  • To monitor cases and ensure prompt response and resolution

The Finance Solution Center team is excited to be your first human point of contact for support requests.   Please reach out with your questions at askfinance@virginia.edu

Click the image for a larger view

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