Give the ERP Project a name and win an iPod

By now most of us have seen or heard the acronym "ERP", which stands for Enterprise Resource Planning – but are you familiar with what an ERP system is and what it will do to support the UN?

The ERP Project is an organization-wide effort to improve our administrative and operational functions by making them less complicated and more efficient. This, in turn, improves our ability to manage resources as well as to provide services to constituents and beneficiaries across the world. From a staff perspective, the ERP Project will help us to streamline current everyday processes as well as better share and access the information we produce. Over time, the ERP will replace a number of IT systems such as IMIS, Galileo, IMDIS, and Mercury.

The system and the project now need a name. Secretariat staff have been responsible for some of the most creative names so far such as Galaxy, Mercury, Galileo or the Fast-Forward Programme and the ERP Team would like to continue this tradition by challenging you to submit the most innovative name for this enterprise project.

As an incentive, the person who proposes the winning name will win an iPod Touch for his or her creative efforts!

The name should be easy to pronounce, easy to remember and should be reflective of the multilingual, diverse UN community that we all belong to. For example, current ERP systems implemented in other UN agencies and programmes have names such as ATLAS (UNDP), IRIS (ILO), and GSM (WHO).

Please send your suggestions to the ERP Project Team at erpproject@un.org by 30 October 2008. Your submission should include an explanation of why your proposed name is the most suitable name for the project and explanation of the acronym, if it is one.

Additional information on the ERP Project can be found below or within the Secretary-General’s Report A/62/510/Rev.1.

We look forward to seeing your ideas!

Originally published on iSeek on Thursday, 23 October 2008, New York

ERP team launches Change Readiness Survey

Staff and managers alike agree that IMIS, which has been operating since the early 1990s – has approached the end of its useful life. In support of the Secretary-General's reform initiatives, the General Assembly has recognized the need to replace IMIS (Integrated Management Information System) with a new global and integrated system that is better suited to the Secretariat of today.

The project, which is in its preparatory phase and awaiting funding from the General Assembly, will replace IMIS and more than 260 other systems with a single-instance Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. The new system will connect work processes consistently across organizational boundaries and provide up-to-date information on financial, human and physical resources, wherever they are located.

With peacekeeping operations and other field missions having grown in both size and complexity, it is essential to have an integrated system that can serve everyone’s needs.

While the new ERP system is ICT-based, (Information and Communications Technology) it presents a significant opportunity for the UN Secretariat to streamline and simplify the operations of the entire organization through process re-engineering and implementation of best practices and standards. This will mean significant changes in the way we currently do business.

It is against this backdrop that the ERP Project Team is conducting a Change Readiness Survey to gauge the Secretariat’s ability to undergo such a major transformation. The results of the survey will assist the Project Team to prepare appropriate change management strategies to ensure a smooth transition from the legacy systems to the new one.

The survey has been designed with three goals in mind:

• Gather input from affected members of the UN Secretariat community (UNHQ, offices away from HQ and field missions),
• Increase awareness of stakeholders about the project, and
• Begin the process of building buy-in among stakeholders.

The survey is designed so that you can take less than 10 minutes to complete it. It is targeted at occupational groups that will be considerably impacted by the new system. They include administration, conference services, engineering, finance and budget, human resources, ICT, air and surface transport, logistics, procurement, programme management, security and central support services. At UNHQ, this includes all staff working in the Departments of Management, Field Support, General Assembly and Conference Management, Safety and Security, OIOS, CMP and all Executive Offices; in field missions and OAHs, all staff working in the Divisions of Mission Support and Administration respectively. Other interested staff members may also take the survey.

To access the survey please click on the following link: http://efm.unlb.org/perseus/se.ashx?s=6ACDF2C263BC7ABB

For additional information on the ERP Project, please read the ERP Fact Sheet. Any questions or comments regarding the survey or the project can be sent to the following email: erpproject@un.org.

Your survey responses will be confidential and anonymous. The aggregated findings will be published and used as a baseline for future exercises.

Please be sure to complete the survey by close of business Monday, 18 August 2008.

Thank you for your participation.

Originally published on iSeek on Friday, 15 August 2008, New York

ERP - A business transformation project

By now you've probably heard the acronym ERP, which stands for Enterprise Resource Planning, but are you familiar with what an ERP system really is?

ERP is an integrated software system that manages an organization's business. It manages processes and information on financial, human and physical resources. It facilitates effective planning, management, and decision-making in a single system, irrespective of departments or geographic locations. It has been implemented by more than 15 peer organizations including UNDP and UNICEF.

Like these peer organizations, the Secretariat is undertaking an ERP implementation which will obviously require a great deal of change. Staff members will not only have to learn how to use a new computer system, but in many cases an entirely different business process. Different units and missions will face the challenge of continuing to meet their mission-driven goals while working to make a successful transition from the legacy systems to the ERP. Although this is a major undertaking, we want to assure you that you will be fully supported throughout this process. We will be providing you more information as the project progresses.

Given these challenges, many have wondered just why a change is necessary. To start with, the sheer number of the Secretariat’s unintegrated systems (more than 270) is one important reason to implement an ERP solution. Currently, there are more than 20 systems that support human resources and payroll administration, and more than 50 systems that support financial management, procurement and other administrative areas. This fragmented technological environment has the following drawbacks:

Data itself is fragmented and hard to bring together in a usable format, making it difficult for management to generate useful and timely information for decision-making.

• Systems are costly to maintain and operate.
• Systems are difficult to use – especially for staff members who are used to a Windows-based environment.

Some of these systems are also 10 to 20 years old; they were originally implemented in a dramatically different technological landscape. Furthermore, many of these systems were developed specifically for the Secretariat using archaic programming language. As a result:

• The Secretariat is exposed to significant risk as the current technologies are becoming obsolete and increasingly difficult to replace or even maintain.
• The Secretariat is unable to easily take advantage of new technologies.

Quite simply, the current systems no longer meet the Secretariat’s business needs. It is expected that the ERP system will relieve a great deal of the administrative burden that currently rests on managers, and enable staff members at every level to better serve the needs of the United Nations.

In addition to the projected cost savings, the ERP will lead to a more effective and efficient Secretariat in the following areas:

Streamlined Processes
A lot of time is wasted entering the same data into different systems. Currently, a department might have to enter identical information into IMIS, Galileo, ProcurePlus, a service-delivery system, and an Excel spreadsheet. The goal of the ERP is that information will only need to be entered once. This leads to fewer errors, increased efficiency, and time and money saved. The system also makes the approval process more efficient by allowing electronic workflows, signatures and approvals. In other words, when a staff member in Sudan completes a task, you’ll know immediately and be able to approve the work just as quickly.

More Effective Decision-Making
An ERP system gives managers access to real-time data, allowing them to make decisions based on the most current information. The ERP’s integration will also help to make information consistent across functional units, departments and geographic locations. For example, the names of staff and vendors will appear in a consistent manner throughout the system because the information is only entered once.

Opportunity to Reevaluate Business Processes
Many of our current business processes serve the Secretariat well. Many do not. It’s likely that staff members at every level have experienced a process that just doesn’t seem to make sense – the procedure that no one seems to know the reason for, other than that it’s been done that way for as long as anyone can remember. The ERP will allow the Secretariat to take advantage of best practices available to commercial and government organizations, and give managers the opportunity to eliminate some of the processes that have outlived their usefulness. The result will be more efficient and effective service delivery.

Improved Staff Morale
In addition to the cost-saving benefits, staff members will be freed from repetitive and redundant tasks, enabling them to devote their energies to providing value-added services. In addition, staff will be able to update their personal information, complete benefits enrollment, view their leave balances, submit travel request and expenses, and check their payments – all online.

A Few Specific Examples
The Staff Self Service (SSS) system will give staff members access to enter and change many types of personal information, freeing up time for managers and human resources officers. Staff members, for example, will be able to complete the following processes online:

• Enter leave and overtime requests and track their approval;
• Enroll in training courses;
• View and update personnel data;
• View staff and dependent benefit enrollment;
• Participate in interactive performance evaluations.

Obviously, many of the new rights will be regulated to ensure proper use of information and maintain the integrity of data.

For more information, read the Secretary-General's Report: Enterprise systems for the United Nations Secretariat worldwide, A/62/510/Rev.1 or email the ERP Project Team at erpproject@un.org.

Originally published iSeek Friday, 18 July 2008, New York

The selection process for the ERP software is in full swing!

Since June 16, 2008, two software vendors for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software identified through a competitive process, Oracle and SAP, have been demonstrating different business solutions to a UN Team comprised of scorers and subject matter experts. At present, SAP is concluding its final week of demonstration.

To kick off the scenario demonstration, the ERP Project Team conducted a four-day preparatory workshop providing participants with insights from UNDP and SRA-International on scenario demonstrations. They also received training on "Ethics and Integrity in Procurement".

The participants also met with the Chief Information Technology Officer and Assistant Secretary-General Choi Soon-hong. Mr. Choi reiterated the importance of the ERP system as an element of the Secretary-General’s reform package. He expressed his appreciation to the participants and noted that the scenario evaluation was a critical component of the overall evaluation exercise

You might wonder: What is a scenario demonstration? Included in the Request-for-Proposal, the Secretariat provided business cases, representing core and sometimes unique UN activities, and requested the vendors to propose solutions. The scenario demonstration provides an opportunity to review and evaluate the solutions proposed by the vendors. The scenario evaluation is conducted by 12 full time scorers representing HQ, OAHs and field missions. They are assisted by an array of subject matter experts who are called upon to provide technical insight.

The scenario demonstration is part of the technical evaluation which also includes the requirement traceability matrix (RTM) and performance testing. The RTM and performance testing are concurrently taken in New York and Brindisi, Italy respectively. RTM is a list of over 3,000 business requirements developed through a collaborative process involving departments, offices-away-from HQ and field missions, while performance testing will determine the response time and the technical features of the software.

Meanwhile, the Software Evaluation Committee has been constituted. The role of the Committee is to direct, oversee and monitor the evaluation activities, with a view toward ensuring that a thorough evaluation of the ERP software proposals is conducted in a fair, transparent and competitive manner as per the RFP and applicable procedures, as well as rules and regulations of the Organization. Members of the Committee, which is chaired by the CITO and Assistant Secretary-General Choi Soon-hong, include: Mr. Clemens Adams, Acting Project Director; Mr. Jayantilal Karia, Director Accounts Division; Mr. Paul Buades, Director Procurement Division; Ms. Joan McDonald, Director Facilities Management Division; Ms. Sandra Haji-Ahmed, Director Operations Service Division, OHRM; Mr. Maxwell Kerley, Director Logistics Support Division, DFS; Mr. Chandramouli Ramanathan, OIC-ITSD; and Mr. Rudy Sanchez, Chief CITS, DFS.

In other project news, in June, the ACABQ held its deliberation on the Secretary-General’s Report, Enterprise Systems for the United Nations Secretariat worldwide, A/62/510/Rev.1. The discussions centered on the resources required for the project.

The Secretariat was represented by the Chief Information Technology Officer and Assistant Secretary-General Choi Soon-hong, Mr. Warren Sach, Controller and Assistant Secretary-General, Mr. Philip Cooper, Director Department of Field Support and Mr. Clemens Adams, Acting Project Director. The Secretariat team highlighted the inadequacies found in current IT systems, the importance of the proposed ERP system and how it would induce business process re-engineering and facilitate compliance with IPSAS standards.

Originally published on iSeek on Tuesday, 8 July 2008, New York

Update on Enterprise Resource Planning Project

Led by the Assistant Secretary-General & Chief Information Technology Officer (CITO), Choi Soon-Hong, the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Project Team, on Monday, 12 May 2008, convened a kick-off workshop for the technical evaluation of the ERP software.

The workshop, which drew close to 100 staff members from UNHQ, Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna, was aimed at preparing evaluators in selecting the software solution that best fulfills the Secretariat’s requirements. The selection of the software, along with the business process re-engineering, is a critical element of the ERP implementation.

The UN scorers will evaluate the proposals received from two leading companies in the ERP marketplace, Oracle and SAP, which responded to the Request for Proposal (RFP) that had been issued earlier. The ERP Software Evaluation Committee, chaired by the CITO, will oversee the evaluation activities. The evaluation exercise consists of three components: technical, commercial and contractual. The ERP Project Team, as the client, is responsible for the technical evaluation.

The technical evaluation consists of three parts with more than 112 subject-matter experts representing UN HQ offices, offices-away-from HQ and peacekeeping missions serving as scorers over the next 2 months. Every effort is being made to ensure that the process is fair and transparent including the use of a third party consulting firm to assist the technical evaluation.

A typical ERP system uses multiple components of software and hardware to achieve full implementation. The implementation of the ERP software will be assisted by third party firms. Concurrent procurement activities are being undertaken for the implementation services. The Expression of Interest (EOI) for implementation services attracted 8 respondents and the Statement of Work to be included in the RFP is being developed.

During the 63rd session of the General Assembly, Member States are expected to consider the Secretary General’s Report on Enterprise systems for the United Nations Secretariat worldwide [A/62/510/Rev.1 and A/62/510]. The following are highlights of the Secretary-General's Report:

• The project will be implemented in two waves commencing in mid-2008 and concluding in December 2012.
• It is expected that certain staff members, mostly heavy users in specialized functions such as finance, human resources, budget, and procurement, will receive classroom training. Other users will receive training through e-learning, DVDs, emails, and brochures. Strong emphasis will be placed on e-learning and "train the trainer" programs.
• The Report proposes a full-time project team consisting of 44 temporary posts that would be responsible for various aspects of project implementation including process re-engineering, project and change management, software configuration and functional activities.

While funding is being sought for a dedicated project team, the Business Process Re-engineering sub-team has already engaged business owners and expert users to identify and analyze major process, policy, and structural opportunities to maximize ERP benefits. The result will be used to establish a high-level strategic framework that will guide the detailed design and implementation work to come.

For more information please refer to the Secretary-General's Report: Enterprise systems for the United Nations Secretariat worldwide, A/62/510/Rev.1 and A/62/510 and the attached PowerPoint presentations (PDF of slides).

As the project has gained traction, branding has become a recurrent theme. We strongly encourage staff members to send suggestions for a project name to erpproject@un.org.

Originally published in iSeek Thursday, 29 May 2008, New York