Umoja Newsroom

Recently Umoja hosted colleagues from DFS to consult and collaborate on the strategy for deployment. Over two days on 19-20 January, Ian Divers, Umoja OIC, and his team led intensive discussions in New York with senior representatives from MONUSCO, UNAMID, the Global Service Centre at Brindisi and the Regional Support Centre at Entebbe, as well as OUSG/DFS and the IPSAS Team (the International Public Sector Accounting Standards initiative). The purpose of the meeting was to validate Umoja’s deployment approach with colleagues, to introduce local preparatory activities that will enable deployment (including training and change management activities), and to work together to identify dependencies, risks and mitigating measures.

Umoja is tasked with transforming the way the UN manages financial, human and material resources through a single organization-wide system. The first phase of the project (Umoja Foundation) will be deployed at a pilot site in early 2013 and will be continually rolled-out through 2014, while the second phase (Umoja Extension) will be deployed in 2015, realizing the full power of the system’s technology and bringing about comprehensive improvements to UN resource management. As the initiative prepares to build and deploy, collaboration with stakeholders across the global Secretariat will become ever more critical.

The frank insight and advice of workshop participants, particularly in relation to the deployment schedule, the Umoja pilot, deployment roles and responsibilities, and the preparation and delivery of end-user training will benefit Umoja greatly. The Umoja team will take the results of the workshop into account when finalizing the deployment strategy. Umoja is grateful to the participants for their active engagement and constructive approach.

Going forward, Umoja will run a similar workshop at the beginning of February with colleagues from the Offices Away from Headquarters, and other entities in Geneva, before bringing its final deployment strategy to the Umoja Steering Committee for approval.

To learn more about Umoja visit:

• Umoja NET, an online portal providing UN staff with detailed access to Umoja materials and information (log in required request access)
• Umoja's public website

Originally published on iSeek in English and French on 31 January 2012

Umoja, tasked with transforming the way the UN manages financial, human and material resources through a single organization-wide system, has revised its implementation approach.

Umoja's initial plan was to deploy a comprehensive system at one time, but based on lessons learned from the last two years, it will now use a phased approach instead. Full deployment is now projected for the end of 2015, instead of 2013 as initially planned.

This new strategy will help mitigate some of the risks associated with implementing Umoja. The first phase of Umoja will give staff members (those with administrative responsibilities) a gradual introduction to Umoja's new business processes and software. Staff will not be carrying out all transactions in a new system from one day to the next.

A phased approach also enables better managerial control during deployment and reduces risk in the event of system problems - since a smaller population of staff would be affected.

The first phase, 'Umoja Foundation', includes processes in finance, procurement, assets, inventory and property management, and some programme & project management. As shown in the timeline below, Umoja Foundation will be deployed at a pilot site in early 2013 and will be continually rolled-out through 2014. During this phase, approximately 8,500 staff in multiple duty stations will be introduced to Umoja.

Umoja Foundation will lay the system's core building blocks and support the UN's adoption of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS).

Umoja's second phase, referred to as 'Umoja Extension', will complete implementation of the project's full scope, including: human resources, travel, budget, force planning, demand planning, logistics execution, conference & event management, full grants management, and commercial activities. Upon completion of this phase, approximately 14,000 staff will be using Umoja.

The most critical aspects of Umoja Extension – human resources, travel, and budget formulation functions – will be deployed in 2014, and the rest of Extension's functionality will be deployed in 2015.

Umoja Extension will realize the full power of the system's technology and bring about comprehensive improvements to UN resource management.

The Umoja team thanks all staff members who have collaborated with them in the last year to finalize aspects of the system’s design. Lots of hard work, creativity and dedication have led to the project’s new implementation approach.

Beginning early in 2012 the Umoja team will collaborate ever more closely with the rest of the Organization to prepare staff, departments and offices for the coming deployment. On 13 December, the Umoja team briefed the Department of Management's monthly Managers' Forum on the project's status and next steps. They discussed some of the key activities that will be undertaken jointly, such as completion of acceptance of new processes, data cleansing and conversion, testing, and training.

Staff members can expect to hear much more about Umoja in the coming months. The team is counting on your continued support to make Umoja a success – and bring about a new level of efficiency to the UN Secretariat.

The Umoja team is also growing, so be on the look out for Umoja vacancies, especially temporary Subject Matter Experts positions advertised on iSeek and this website in the next few months.

To learn more about Umoja and the revised approach visit:

• Umoja's public website: http:///umoja.un.org
• Umoja NET, an online portal providing UN staff with access to Umoja materials
  and information: https://www.unumoja.net (log in required - request access)

Originally published on iSeek in English and French on 22 December 2011

The Umoja team, dedicated to implementing UN administrative reform and developing a technical solution to support it, has been meeting with World Food Programme (WFP) staff in recent weeks to learn about how WFP achieved its own administrative reform goals.

Seven WFP staff are in New York for three weeks to share the methodology used to streamline WFP business processes and to present their technical solution. Main accomplishments include reduced reliance on manual processes and compliance with international accounting standards. The World Food Programme aims to reach more than 90 million people with food assistance this year in more than 70 countries.

“The WFP team has countless lessons learned for us” said Ian Divers, Umoja’s Service Delivery Manager. “Their system has core functionalities that we can possibly build upon” said Divers. Umoja may adopt certain elements of WFP’s solution and adapt them to meet the Secretariat’s needs. For example, WFP has developed a customized module for managing UN entitlements which will facilitate the realization of similar functions in Umoja.

For their part, WFP colleagues are enjoying the experience of showcasing the centralized, sophisticated tool that makes their organization tick. “It has been educational and enjoyable for us” said Massimo Nasta of WFP. “We’re learning about where the Secretariat is headed. Ultimately, Umoja will help the UN become more efficient, and in turn help more people who need it – and that’s encouraging” said Nasta.

To learn more about Umoja visit www.unumoja.org

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/unumoja
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/UNumoja

Originally published on iSeek in English and French on 25 May 2011

Conference and event management staff from Nairobi, Geneva, Vienna and Addis Ababa, as well as several UNHQ Departments (DGACM, DM, DPI) gathered in New York recently for a three-day workshop (4-6 May) to learn about Umoja's progress in re-engineering processes that support UN conference and event planning.

The Umoja team has been examining our current administrative processes, technology and policies across the United Nations and identifying opportunities for improvement. They have documented 318 processes and are finalizing their endorsement and acceptance with Umoja’s Steering Committee.

Umoja’s Event Management Track has worked with a wide range of staff to understand all user requirements. Together they are assessing whether Umoja should integrate with existing systems. The overarching goal is to give event managers the best possible tools for planning !and managing their meetings and events.

At this workshop, nearly 50 participants learned about Umoja’s proposed technical structure and functionality. They saw Umoja “storyboards” – series of screen shots that illustrate how a staff member would accomplish specific actions – like scheduling of resources.

“It was a highly effective meeting of the minds” said Anne Matthews, Team Lead for Umoja’s Central Support Services Team. “We received crucial feedback from the people that we need to hear from in Offices Away from Headquarters and in DPI, DM and DGACM. There were excellent questions and concerns posed from participants. We’re already incorporating their comments into our work” added Matthews.

The workshop was also a success from the participants’ perspectives; on a post-workshop !questionnaire, 89 per cent of respondents said they were “very” or “extremely” satisfied with it. Syed Shamsie from Geneva welcomed the opportunity to meet face-to face with the Umoja team and reported that he learned a lot: “the workshop helped in developing a very good understanding of common processes and data between Umoja and DGACM's global IT applications.”

The Umoja team thanks all workshop participants for their input and collaboration. To see more photos from the event, check out Umoja’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/unumoja.

All conference and event management staff (and all UN staff) are invited to see Umoja’s progress by logging in to Umoja NET at www.unumoja.net, a password-protected site. Request an account here (www.unumoja.org). Once your registration is confirmed, visit the Umoja Solution page, look for event management processes and send in your feedback.

If you have questions, contact Umoja at (212) 963-4140 or e-mail umoja@un.org.

Originally published on iSeek in English and French on 16 May 2011

How do you describe Umoja to colleagues?

I explain that Umoja is the Secretary General’s administrative reform initiative. The Umoja team is dedicated to re-engineering the UN’s business processes and developing a technical solution to support them.

What is your role on the Umoja team?

I was selected as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Procurement on the Change Management Team. My overall role is to help strategize and advise on the re-engineering of procurement business processes and policies. It’s a great opportunity to put my administrative expertise to work in a new way.

What specific projects are you working on now?

I’m working very closely with the Supply Chain Team on the “Procure to Pay” process. It encompasses all steps involved in securing goods and services – everything from planning what you need to acquiring the product.

I’m also working with the Procurement Division in the implementation of a new category coding system. Every product category – like vehicles or furniture – is assigned a code which facilitates the whole process – from requisition to procurement to inventory management. The objective is to implement a coding system that is widely used in the marketplace. It will enable the UN to more clearly communicate the Organization’s requirements to suppliers. This is an important step toward improving the overall UN procurement process.

Where did you serve prior to joining Umoja?

Just prior to joining, I was the Chief of the Policy and Best Practices Section in the Procurement Division/OCSS where I participated in procurement reform initiatives. All together I’ve worked in UN procurement for 17 years, including 6 as Chief of Procurement at the UN Office at Geneva. Before the UN I worked in private sector procurement for about 13 years.

How do you think Umoja will benefit the Organization?

From a procurement perspective, Umoja will improve how we plan and manage the purchase of goods and services. In general, Umoja will enable administrative staff to work more quickly and efficiently, especially in peacekeeping missions where time is of the essence.

Originally published on iSeek in English and French on 9 May 2011

The Umoja team has a unique workspace design and layout that facilitates frequent staff interaction and expression of ideas. This open-plan layout has been cost-efficient and supports the team’s work: the re-engineering of UN business processes with the goal of creating a more flexible and efficient organization.

The Umoja office on the 24th floor of the Mobil building (150 E 42nd Street) has no cubicles and only a few offices, most of which are shared. With few physical boundaries between staff, they can meet easily with other colleagues and consultants. The environment is dynamic, interactive and fast-paced.

Staff occupy adjoining desks positioned in long rows and they are not arranged hierarchically. Directors, Professional staff, General Service staff and interns work alongside each other. This encourages staff to express themselves and creates a friendly, collegial atmosphere.

“When you look at our office space, it’s impossible to tell which staff are Professional or General Service” says Travis Weyer an Umoja Central Services Support Team Member. “It creates a positive environment that’s good for team morale. It’s also easier for newcomers to feel welcome and learn quickly about Umoja” says Weyer.

Newcomers find many surprises on joining Umoja. While staff enjoy their open, light-filled space, it’s sparse and purely functional in many ways. Staff members have been sharing phone lines while more lines are installed.

Phone booths from the old Secretariat building were moved to Umoja’s space to provide space for phone calls. It’s a rare example of old technology being used successfully to support modern communications. It also supports the UN’s goal of recycling its assets whenever possible.

Another unique aspect of the space is the high number of meeting rooms: there are 16 in total for the team of 155 staff and consultants. These rooms are heavily used each day for meetings, workshops and ad hoc group discussions. Since all Umoja staff use laptops instead of desktops, it’s a common sight to see people carrying their laptops to conference rooms for individual or group projects.

The environment has made staff more flexible and adaptable. Newcomers go through a period of adjustment, but most grow to prefer the open, mobile way of working to their former cubicles or offices.

The Umoja office space may be an example of what’s to come for many Secretariat staff based in New York. According to the website of the Capital Master Plan, the renovated Secretariat building will have “more open, common space and less closed hierarchically defined individual space.” The Umoja team will certainly be prepared for these changes – and they will have a list of lessons-learned to share!

To learn more about Umoja visit www.unumoja.org.

Originally published on iSeek in English and French on 29 April 2011

Vladimir Reyes has been working for the UN for the last 29 years. He recently joined Umoja's Central Support Services Team.

Do colleagues from other departments ask you what Umoja is?

A lot of staff are learning about Umoja these days. Many think it’s a technical system that will replace IMIS, but it’s so much more. Umoja is about reforming UN administrative processes and improving the way we do UN business. So Umoja is a reform process and a technical application.

What is your role on the Umoja team?

I joined Umoja’s Central Support Services Team in a temporary position as a Subject Matter Expert (SME). My role is to share my UN experience in administration and information technology…over the years I’ve worked in procurement, peacekeeping and most recently as a service desk manager in OICT/UNHQ. I’m helping Umoja colleagues understand all the different systems that staff use to request assistance – for computer problems, office maintenance, conference rooms…you name it. We’re trying to develop new ways of handling these queries so that they are fulfilled faster and more efficiently.

What is Umoja's working environment like?

You have to adjust, work fast, improvise and adapt. The space itself is not your typical UNHQ office layout. We have an open space structure and you are aware of what everyone is doing. It is conducive to open communication but it can limit your concentration sometimes. I have been fortunate to have worked in the field so I know how to simply work with what’s available.

Why did you join Umoja?

I was excited by the idea of helping make significant improvements in the way we do things. I’ve worked at the UN for 29 years so it’s a pleasure to participate in a reform of this scope.

What do you like about your job?
I like learning about how Umoja will bring our Organization together. We are so used to working in our own little worlds and getting 5 signatures on a piece of paper just because it’s always been done that way. Here I get to figure out how we can work outside our own silos.

Is Umoja hiring?

Yes! Check out the UN Careers Portal (http://careers.un.org/lbw/Home.aspx) and do a search for vacancies in the Department of Administration and Management – the Office of the Under-Secretary-General.

And to learn more about Umoja, check out our intranet portal called Umoja NET. You can register through our public site at www.unumoja.org.

Find Umoja vacancies on UN Careers Portal by using these search parameters:

Originally published on iSeek in English and French on 15 April 2011

Umoja, the UN Secretariat's administrative reform initiative that will improve processes and systems that manage financial, human and physical resources, has passed a key milestone:

Over half of released business processes have been accepted!

What does this mean?

Some background:

The Umoja team is working with staff Subject Matter Experts from around the UN who have volunteered their time to help re-engineer business processes in the areas of finance, human resources, supply chain and central support services.

Staff members from field missions and departments such as DGACM, DM, OICT and DFS are analyzing hundreds of everyday operations – such as invoice processing, managing requests for conference rooms, moving staff among posts and reporting of annual leave, to name just a few.

Umoja’s Steering Committee members accept the new business processes based on feedback from Subject Matter Experts.

In the last few weeks, Umoja has achieved a major milestone: 60 per cent of future business processes that have been released for review have been accepted by the Steering Committee.

The 60 per cent mark represents 38 per cent of the larger pool of all business processes; new processes are continuously released for review and acceptance.

The re-engineered processes will be incorporated into Umoja’s technical solution which will enhance the efficiency and speed of UN administrative functions. Umoja will move the Organization away from slow, paper-based administrative practices that are exacerbated by disconnected and outdated systems.

The Umoja team thanks all those who have contributed to the progress made so far.

All UN staff can see the excellent work happening by logging in to Umoja NET at www.unumoja.net. You’ll find details about the current and future business processes, including process maps that outline the future processes.

If you’re not already an Umoja NET member, visit Umoja’s public website to request an account. Once your registration is confirmed, you can access the Umoja Solution section to view presentations on all released processes and give us feedback.

So register today to learn about and contribute to a once-in-a-lifetime reform process at the UN.

If you have questions, contact Umoja at (212) 963-4140 or email umoja@un.org.

Umoja’s public website: www.unumoja.org
Umoja NET: www.unumoja.net (members only)

Originally published on iSeek in English and French on 1 April 2011

A new workstream has been added to the Umoja administrative reform initiative: Programme and Project Management.

In December, the General Assembly endorsed an ACABQ report that supported this addition to Umoja’s scope of work.

The Programme and Project Management (PPM) workstream will ensure a harmonised approach to the planning, monitoring and evaluation of UN programmes and projects. It will enhance UN methodologies and tools to support Results Based Management (RBM) - which will provide United Nations staff and Member States with more information about the linkages between programme and project expenditures and results.

The PPM workstream is cross-cutting; it will complement and integrate with the other Umoja workstreams, namely Finance, Human Resources, Supply Chain and Central Support Services. Over the past 18 months, Umoja has worked closely with staff Subject Matter Experts with deep expertise in these respective fields. Together they have made enormous progress in re-engineering business processes that will change how the UN operates.

The PPM Team in Umoja is hiring core team staff who will work with Subject Matter Experts in the area of PPM throughout the Organization. Umoja invites you to view the current PPM vacancies at the Professional level through the UN Careers Portal.

To find these vacancies select the job network “Economic and Social Development,” the job family “Programme Management” and the department “Department of Administration and Management” (see screenshot below).

Originally published on iSeek on 23 March 2011

The Umoja team, charged with implementing the Secretary-General’s administrative reform initiative, gives interns a unique work experience at UNHQ in New York.

Sixteen interns currently assist Umoja staff and staff Subject Matter Experts from across the UN as they re-engineer and reform business practices in programme management, finance, human resources, supply chain and central support services.

Interns are placed on teams that work on these practice areas. They learn about the challenges involved in simplifying a vast range of business processes that were developed in the UN’s early years. They also learn about how Umoja’s technological solution will support new business processes and replace hundreds of transactional systems.

Cheryl Stafford, an Umoja Project Management Officer, reports that intern enthusiasm in strong: “They realize that we present a special opportunity to them because they learn about current and future UN operations here. It’s a unique chance to learn about organizational change. ”

Over 50 interns have been placed with the team since 2009. Umoja requests interns with diverse skill sets to meet the team’s needs; those with experience in management consulting and strong technical programming skills are especially good fits.

Many stay longer than the standard two-month period to maximize their learning: “six-month internships here are pretty common” says Stafford.

What do the Umoja interns say?

“I’m so glad I’ve been placed here” says Ying Zhou of Umoja’s Change Management Team. “My team has to get staff around the world ready for Umoja. Here we are putting organizational reform ideas into practice.” says Zhou.

Intern Sanna Teravianen enjoys the office atmosphere: “Everyone has been really helpful and welcoming towards me. Umoja is a really nice place to work.”

When interns complete their time with Umoja, all team members, including Director Paul van Essche, get together to thank them and say goodbye. “These young people give so much to our team. It’s important to acknowledge them and encourage them to stay interested in the UN’s mission” says van Essche.

For more information on Umoja, visit www.unumoja.org.

Originally published on iSeek on 16 March 2011

Last week the Umoja team hosted a meeting with UN system focal points who work on “greening” the Organization – or making our operations more environmentally sustainable.

Participants from UNEP, the World Bank, the Department of Field Support and the Department of Management attended the session in New York where they gave feedback on Umoja’s plans to incorporate sustainable work practices and tools into its reform initiative.

“A key objective of the Umoja reform is to implement a climate-neutral approach to UN business” says Umoja Director Paul van Essche. “We need to lower our greenhouse gas emissions, to recycle more and to use energy more efficiently. Last week we received valuable input on our approach for tackling these issues” he added.

As many of you know, Umoja is working with UN staff across the Secretariat in re-engineering business processes in programme management, finance, human resources, supply chain and central support services. This will include the capture, management and reporting of environmentally-relevant data elements. The Umoja Solution will also enhance the way we plan our programmes, measure results, and simplify a vast range of administrative practices.

At the event focal points learned how Umoja’s capacity to support environmentally sustainable practices will make the UN a safer, healthier place for staff. “Umoja will improve our ability to monitor health risks, to report incidents and manage hazardous substances” said Ian Divers, Umoja’s Service Delivery Manager.

The Umoja team will integrate feedback from the meeting into its sustainability roadmap. Many participants will meet again in June at the next meeting of the Issue Management Group (IMG) on Sustainability Management in Rome. The IMG focuses on implementing the UN’s climate-neutral strategy and convenes four times a year.

To learn more about Umoja visit www.unumoja.org.

To learn how to contribute to a greener UN visit www.greeningtheblue.org.

Originally published on iSeek on Tuesday, 8 March 2011, New York

The Umoja team briefed Chief Procurement Officers (CPOs) last week about exciting changes that are coming to UN procurement practices.

Thirty-five procurement specialists attended the annual, five-day CPO Conference in New York to exchange information and learn from each other and guest speakers. It was a chance for Umoja to reach key procurement stakeholders from Field Missions, Offices Away from Headquarters, Economic Commissions and Tribunals about how the Umoja administrative reform initiative will affect them.

Umoja will make it easier for the UN to purchase the wide range of products and services it needs to carry out its mandates - from helicopters and jeeps for peacekeeping missions to office supplies and construction services for all duty stations.

Umoja team members with UN expertise in procurement described how Umoja business processes and technology will enable faster and more efficient procuring of goods and services. Ian Divers, Paul Holden, and Joanna Porreca of Umoja, who together have decades of UN procurement experience, were able to speak to audience concerns about how Umoja will integrate with current tools and enable flexible workflows.

The Chief Procurement Officers expressed keen interest in the coming changes and showed enthusiasm about contributing to ongoing Umoja development. They were encouraged to explore the new procurement business processes on Umoja NET (www.unumoja.net) and leave their feedback about them.

Umoja NET is an online community where the Umoja team collaborates with UN staff in the creation of new business processes. There are 194 processes now available online for all staff to see and comment on.

If you’re not already an Umoja NET member, visit Umoja’s public website to request an account. Once your registration is confirmed, you can access the Umoja Solution to view presentations on all released processes and give us your feedback.

If you have questions, contact Umoja at (646) 380-0218 or email umoja@un.org.

Originally published on iSeek in English and French on 1 March 2011, New York

The Umoja team recently concluded a two-week workshop on changes that are coming to UN real estate management.

Representative staff from offices away from headquarters and field missions who specialize in central support services attended the New York event, where they previewed the Umoja Solution for managing UN buildings and property.

One participant said it was a “huge breakthrough” to see that complete architectural details, including the measurements of floors, rooms, fixtures and fittings, will be accessible in Umoja, as well as building leases and staff office assignments.

Over the last year, these staff members have been working with Umoja as Subject Matter Experts in re-engineering a wide range of business processes - everything from lease management to garage administration and planning for office moves.

The Umoja Solution will replace current ways of tracking and managing this information which often involves many disconnected databases and unwieldy spreadsheets.

Participants gave their feedback about how the new approach may play out in their respective duty stations. The Umoja Solution takes into account the diverse needs of the UN system. In Nairobi, for example, all UN facilities are in one main campus whereas some peacekeeping missions may have over 100 different lease agreements across a given country.

The Umoja team and its Subject Matter Experts will be incorporating feedback from workshop participants into the ongoing design and construction of the real estate components of Umoja.

To learn more about Umoja visit www.unumoja.org

Originally published on iSeek on Tuesday, 22 February 2011, New York

Over the holidays and through the first weeks of 2011, the Umoja team has continued to work through the design and review phase of the Umoja solution.

As many of you know, Umoja is the administrative reform initiative which will harmonize systems that handle financial, human and physical resources.

Umoja will enable all of us to do our jobs more quickly and efficiently – whether we work in administration, political affairs, public information or any other discipline.

Working with Subject Matter Experts throughout the Secretariat, Umoja has already identified and re-engineered over 300 business processes in the areas of finance, human resources, supply chain and central support services. The Subject Matter Expert community has expanded to nearly 600 UN staff members who have attended 242 design and review sessions.

Subject Matter Experts and Umoja are analyzing how the UN works today and re-engineering processes into improved “to be” versions for the future. To date, over 200 “to be” processes have been released for review. All staff can see and comment on these processes; presentations about each process are available on Umoja NET, Umoja’s online portal. Log in and get a glimpse of our future way of working.

If you’re not already an Umoja NET member, visit Umoja’s public website to request an account. Once your registration is confirmed, you can access the Umoja Solution to view presentations on all released processes and give us your feedback.

If you have questions, contact Umoja at (212) 963-2120 or email umoja@un.org.

Learn about Umoja today. Preview the future Umoja Solution get involved and help create a more effective United Nations.

The future is online!

Umoja's public website: www.unumoja.org

Umoja NET: www.unumoja.net (members only)

Originally published on iSeek on Tuesday, 15 February 2011, New York

In this issue of Umoja Times:

1. End of year message on Umoja's progress by Paul van Essche, Umoja Director
2. Join Umoja online @ Umoja NET

As noted in the July 2010 issue of the "Umoja Times", the Umoja team has been on the move since 2007. Some members of the Team have relocated six times over the past 18 months! Thus, after several moves - the most recent of which split the team into different buildings - the Umoja team is settling into its new office space on the 24th floor of the Mobil Building at 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue.

Now the team has a work space that truly reflects the Umoja work ethic

• transparency and openess
• cross-functional collaboration
• making the best use of the Organization's resources
• transformation of the best of what "is" into a better "to be"

Umoja' new address:

150 E 42nd Street
24th floor
(between Lexington and 3rd Avenue)

Learn more about Umoja's new "green home" from iSeek:

_______________

New York's newest office facility an example of efficiency and "Greening the UN"

When entering the United Nations' newest office facility in the Mobil Building on East 42nd Street in New York, the first thing you see are long rows of desks lining the corridors. Images from the early days of the UN come to mind.

Since the 1950's, the UN has undergone successive organizational reforms and adapted its office environments to changing working practices. As if to prove the saying "there is nothing new under the sun", the specific needs of the Umoja team have called for the reconstruction of what looks like an office environment of a half-century ago. The design and space layout support highly collaborative and non-linear working methods with constant interaction among staff and allow Umoja to leverage the broad cultural diversity of their team. While meeting the user needs, the design also maximizes space utilization.

It all began when the Facilities Management Services (FMS) in the Department of Management (DM) was approached to find new space for the expanding Umoja team. From several available options, the Mobil building's 24th floor was chosen because of its open plan configuration. Following the efforts of the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) and the Procurement Division (PD) in DM to secure the lease, on 15 August FMS started to turn the plans into reality. After receiving the keys, the office was constructed and the project fully completed in a record six weeks.

Not only is the new office tailor-made for its users – it also fulfils the goals of "Greening the UN" and follows the General Assembly mandate to maximize the reuse of furniture and fittings in a cost-efficient manner. Carpets, lights, tables and chairs are reused, offering considerable savings to the Organization. Unused work desks dating from 1950s were transported from the Secretariat building to the Mobil building. The new office has also been fitted with items such as telephone booths from the 3rd floor of the Secretariat building, salvaged from disposal initially foreseen during the renovation.

Umoja started moving in on 27 September and within a few days the whole team was on site and operational, thrilled with its new office and fittings. For more pictures of the construction and refurbishing process, please click here.

FMS would like to express a special thanks to all our colleagues from the Department of Safety and Security (DSS), the Office of Information and Communications Technology (OICT), OLA, PD and Umoja who helped make this challenging project a reality.

A special mention goes to FMS project manager Francisco Solino and to: Steve D'Alessio, Abdual Ben-Farhat, Mario Castro, Claudio Conti, Thomas Cortijo, Aklilu Dawit, Eduardo Diaz Sosa, Preyapan Ekpitakdamrong, Karim Elsaadi, John Finnegan, Robert Fischer, Orville Forbes, Glenn Giron, Linda Gomes, Carl Gonsalves, Juan Guerrero, Steve Jacobs, Milton Kerr, Michael Korsanos, Gerard Lawlor, Carlos Montequin, T.Myint, Sverrir Petursson, Richard Ryan, Claudio Santangelo, Roman Silwowski, Yuvasida Thol and Al Vanegas.

To learn more about Umoja, please click here.

For a map of the UN locations in New York, please click here.

Published on iSeek on Wednesday, 20 October 2010, New York

Paul van Essche, Umoja Director, has published an update on Umoja's progress.

Umoja, the UN Secretariat’s administrative reform initiative, is changing the way we work. Supported by a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, Umoja will help to integrate and improve management of the Secretariat's human, financial, and physical resources. Achieving such an important reform means involving all of Umoja’s stakeholders – from Subject Matter Experts to senior executives.

What Umoja NET is…

The Umoja team is making use of a modern, web-based collaborative tool called “Umoja NET”, to help involve its diverse group of stakeholders across the global Secretariat. Umoja NET gives stakeholders direct online access to:

• interact with the Umoja Team,
• view design documents,
• participate in events,
• join discussion forums, and
• provide feedback about the Umoja "to be" processes.

Umoja NET brings the world of Umoja to your desktop.

Working in unity…on Umoja NET

Umoja NET helps coordinate Umoja's outreach efforts. For example, from September to December 2009, over 450 staff members representing 25 different duty stations, participated in 147 detailed design sessions. During those sessions, participants helped the Umoja team develop streamlined processes that are responsive to the current and future needs of our Organization. All contributions were documented and compiled into process maps and solution presentations for each "to be" process.

Umoja NET helped the Umoja team coordinate participation and make the event schedules available online. Participants were able to log into "My Umoja" and view their personal schedule with event information, dates, descriptions, and locations.

The first release of solution materials was published this summer on Umoja NET. Stakeholders viewed these materials in their own virtual workspace in My Umoja. Subject Matter Experts from around the globe logged in to view the processes they helped design and to provide feedback through an online process survey. Their feedback is helping the Umoja team finalize the processes for review and acceptance by the responsible parties.

Umoja NET stakeholders personalized, up-to-date information. We will continue to leverage web-based technologies to engage Umoja’s stakeholders in a cost-effective manner. We hope all Umoja stakeholders will continue to contribute the same level of hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm.

UN staff can visit the Umoja website to request an Umoja NET account: http://www.unumoja.org.

Umoja is the way forward for a renewed and more effective UN Secretariat. Together we can build a better UN.

Re-published on iSeek on Friday, 22 October 2010, New York (EN FRANÇAIS)

In this issue of the Umoja Times:

1. Umoja reaches key milestone, signing agreement with SAP
2. Solving the process puzzle
3. Umoja hosts workshop for DFS in Brindisi
4. On the road with HR leaders

On 25 June 2010, the United Nations and SAP Public Services, the German-based and world-leading provider of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, signed a contract for the provision of the core software for Umoja. This achievement was the result of the joint efforts of the Procurement Division (PD), Office of Legal Affairs (OLA), the Umoja team, and the Office of Information and Communications Technology (OICT).

With the new process design effort nearly complete, the Umoja team will now be able to configure a software solution in line with the requirements and objectives of the Organization.

Umoja is an initiative that aims to transform the United Nations Secretariat to enable high-quality, cost-effective service delivery to support the execution of evolving mandates everywhere the Secretariat operates. Umoja, which means "unity" in Swahili, will integrate the many support and administrative entities throughout the Secretariat, including in peacekeeping and field missions, through re-designed and common processes for the management of all financial, human and physical resources.

SAP provides the software platform for Umoja and will take the form of a single, integrated information system, which will replace hundreds of disconnected legacy software applications on which the Organization currently relies.

Redesigned processes and revised policies, combined with this software, will enable faster processing of transactions and timely reporting on expenditure. This will allow staff to focus on more value-added tasks and provide services more efficiently. Ultimately, Umoja will transcend organizational, geographical and functional barriers, fostering a culture of transparency, accountability, empowerment, sharing and unity across the Secretariat.

The signing ceremony was attended by Under-Secretary-General for Management Angela Kane, Chief Information Technology Officer and Assistant Secretary-General Choi Soon-hong, Assistant Secretary-General Office of Central Support Services Warren Sach, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management, Catherine Pollard, Assistant Secretary-General and Controller, Jun Yamazaki, representatives of SAP and other key members of the cross-departmental negotiation team.

Originally published on iSeek on Wednesday, 30 June 2010, New York

The Umoja Team hosted a workshop for colleagues in the Department of Field Support in Brindisi from 24 to 26 May 2010. The goal of the workshop was to prepare participants for their role in support of the implementation of Umoja. Twenty-five participants representing field missions from across the globe became the first group of Umoja Leaders. Umoja Leaders are the primary focal points and overall coordinators for Umoja activities in their respective duty stations. At the workshop, the participants received an Umoja orientation, which introduced them to Umoja concepts, vision, guiding principles, and timeline.

The workshop was conducted in a highly interactive manner enabling participants to learn about Umoja through presentations, exercises, and discussions with the Umoja Team. A highlight of the workshop was the "Around Umoja in a Day" sessions. During these sessions, participants received detailed explanations of the administrative reforms embodied in the new Umoja processes covering financial, human and physical resources of the Organization.

The event included two remote participants. Paul van Essche, Umoja Director, joined the event via Skype on opening day, answering questions about the timeline, budgeting, and training. On the last day, Under-Secretary-General Susana Malcorra addressed the participants through a video-conference, responding to questions and conveying her strong commitment to the Umoja initiative.

According to the evaluation survey submitted by participants, the Umoja Leaders workshop was a great success. Ninety-six percent (96%) of participants rated the overall programme as "good" or "excellent". The survey responses also revealed that participants considered the interactive sessions to be very useful. Given the volume of information conveyed at the workshop, a number of participants suggested that the length of future workshops be increased from three to five days.

As part of a growing network of motivated individuals, more Umoja Leaders will be identified during the coming months to support the successful implementation of Umoja.

Visit us at http://www.unumoja.org to learn more about Umoja.

Catch up with Umoja in the May 2010 issue of the Umoja Times:

Umoja forges ahead
Working closely with expert colleagues to design solutions that meet the UN’s current and future administrative...

Umoja on the road to Entebbe
2010 Mercury Conference (22 - 27 March, Entebbe, Uganda)...

Umoja by numbers
A few interesting facts and figures on Umoja from that last 11 months...

Do you know the 'colorful' term that is used to refer to the seemingly endless parade of paperwork that accompanies many bureaucratic matters in governments and organizations? According to some, it started in ancient England where thick legal documents were bound or tied with a cloth ribbon of a specific color.

The term appears in historical records of the 16th century when Henry VIII besieged Pope Clement VII with about eighty petitions for the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, and was later used by Charles Dickens and Thomas Carlyle.

Finally, the term became much more figurative in meaning and referred to any official routine or procedure marked by excessive complexities that result in delay or inaction.

So what is this 'colorful' term, which we find in so many bureaucracies? It is RED TAPE.

The Umoja team is working hard to ensure that the way the UN manages its resources in the future directly contributes to the goal of "Greening the UN" (as referenced on iSeek). Umoja will significantly reduce red tape through its streamlined processes and improved workflows. By leveraging modern technology, providing access to information online, and supporting electronic transactions, Umoja will further reduce paper, cartridge and power consumption.

The second issue of the Umoja Times provides an update on the Umoja team's participation in two events: the Galileo Conference and the Property Management Workshop, hosted by the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC). In this issue, we also introduce a new series on how Umoja will contribute to a "greener" UN.

The devastation wrought by the earthquake in Haiti on Tuesday, 12 January 2010, ignited a deep sense of compassion in us all, and sparked an immediate, global outpouring of humanitarian assistance for those caught by this unexpected natural disaster. For all of us at the United Nations, our grief encompasses not only the scale of human casualties, but also the loss of dear colleagues whose untimely passing have now become a symbol of sacrifice made on behalf of world peace.

The Umoja team joins the UN family in expressing our heartfelt sympathies to the families and friends of our fallen colleagues and to all those who have lost loved ones. Our thoughts go out to the people of Haiti, and we stand behind our Organization as it continues to work with members of the international community in bringing much needed relief to those suffering the aftermath of this disaster. We remain hopeful that our missing MINUSTAH colleagues are safe, including those colleagues who shared their expertise as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) during the Umoja design sessions held in the second half of 2009.

To mark the end of a year of significant progress, the Umoja Change Management team has launched the Umoja Times, Umoja's community newsletter.

This first issue summarizes the progress and achievements of 2009, enabled, of course, by the expertise, input and enthusiasm of Umoja's stakeholders. It also provides a glimpse into the future - a new way of working together. Let's continue "working in unity"!

• Umoja Times (Issue 1 - December 2009)

The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) hosted a delegation of designers from 12 October to 6 November 2009. No, not fashion designers as you may be thinking, but rather process designers who were very busy taking a closer look at "to be" or future processes for eventual inclusion in Umoja.

As you may already know, Umoja is the cornerstone of UN administrative reform - supported by a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that will help integrate the management of human, financial, and physical resources of the Organization.

The Monrovia design sessions brought experts in process re-engineering together with experienced and knowledgeable staff members serving as "Subject Matter Experts" (SMEs). The UN Secretariat design sessions hosted by UNMIL were organized to look at specific aspects of supply chain (receipt and distribution and management of assets) and central support services, along with some technical functions.

All told, UNMIL hosted thirty-two Umoja design sessions with more than sixty participants contributing to the sessions. Each session was prepared and facilitated by an Umoja team comprising UN staff members and system integration consultants serving with the project. Participants worked diligently to bring their experiences and skills to the challenging task of defining streamlined processes and leading practices for the future.

The UNMIL Director of Mission Support and the Chief of Administrative Services were among the Mission's senior staff who opened the sessions. In addition to UNMIL staff, SMEs came from the UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) and the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC).

On-line participation also enabled SMEs and others from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), MONUC and UN Headquarters in New York to participate remotely.

The Monrovia sessions allowed for a field perspective for input into Umoja's continuing effort to cover the entire scope of administrative reform. With this objective in mind, experts attending the sessions in Monrovia went through the current "as is" processes in order to create "to be" processes that are simplified, streamlined and standardized. In doing so, participants held lively discussions on business requirements, risks and other related issues while working simultaneously with process diagrams to map the future.

Feedback from the sessions indicates that the exercise was extremely productive and that participants found the sessions useful to the future work of the Organization. In the words of one participant, "the design session has been very well planned and executed and many 'as is' (processes) addressed to help improve the 'to be' development." Another participant thought that "it was very essential to ask staff from different missions and crosscheck ideas and processes to make the design session a success…" and yet another participant expressed the view that "this project 'Umoja' will change a lot of aspects of how we work in United Nations and it will help to improve resources that UN uses to execute their mandate especially in field mission(s) of DPKO."

Contributions made by participants were documented and compiled into "to be" process maps that will be validated by designated business owners in the months ahead.

With respect to design sessions, the Umoja team takes seriously the old tailor's maxim of "measure twice, cut once" so as to minimize waste and rework.

The Umoja team, therefore, appreciates the work completed at the Monrovia sessions and extends its thanks to all participants for a job well done.

You can learn more about Umoja or become a part of the Umoja network by visiting us at http://www.unumoja.org.

Originally published on iSeek on Friday, 19 November 2009, Monrovia

Umoja, a continuous administrative reform initiative within the UN Secretariat, including Peacekeeping, has entered its Detailed Design Phase. UN offices in Geneva, Monrovia and New York are hosting expert staff members who are working with the Umoja team to design future business processes that will improve the way we work.

In the absence of an integrated solution for managing human, financial, and material resources, the UN currently delivers on its mandate thanks to the enormous efforts of dedicated, experienced, and hard-working staff. Even so, opportunities are missed due to outdated practices and lack of information.

In June 2009, experts from Headquarters, Field Offices and Peacekeeping Missions worked with the Umoja team to identify "pain points" or issues with our current processes.

During the Detailed Design Phase now underway, Umoja is addressing these issues with the help of UN staff members who are highly experienced in the areas of Central Support Services, Human Resources, Finance, and Supply Chain.

Over 450 staff members are participating in 140 Design Sessions, representing 25 different duty stations throughout the Secretariat. These experts are working with the Umoja team to streamline administrative processes, resolve issues, and design solutions that are responsive to current and future UN needs and suitable for global implementation. The outputs from these sessions will be presented to managers for validation and form the basis of Umoja's final design.

The goal of this effort is to ensure that Umoja provides the best solution possible for the UN Secretariat – designed by experts, supported by management, and welcomed by all.

For more information on Umoja, and to become a part of the Umoja network, please visit our web site at http://www.unumoja.org.

Originally published on iSeek on Friday, 30 October 2009, New York

On 6 October 2009, during a closed meeting of the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly, an informal briefing on Umoja was provided by Ms. Angela Kane, Under-Secretary-General for Management and Mr. Paul van Essche, Umoja Project Director, in which they introduced the draft report: First Progress Report on the Enterprise Resource Planning Project and Revised Estimates under Section 28A, and under the Peacekeeping Support Account (A/64/380).

Ms. Kane provided a concise summary of the changes that have been introduced in the new report, bringing attention to the critical state of the organization's way of doing business and the pressing need to bring about lasting change and improve our processes:

"Challenges are acute across the Organization and especially in the field. This reality jeopardizes our operability, our accountability and thereby our credibility and reputation.

The time is overdue for a renewal that will bring processes, procedures, skills and systems up to levels that are considered minimal in other professional environments."

Mr. Van Essche wrapped up the session, summarizing the primary goals of Umoja, providing tangible examples for the delegates of the Fifth Committee, and finally driving home the key message:

"In short, the recipe for success is equal parts improvements in processes, the skills of people and the use of technology. People, process, technology. Umoja redefines all three. If you take one thing away from this briefing, please let this be it. This is the essence of Umoja."

The Umoja Project will provide a number of opportunities for improving the way resources are managed in the United Nations. This article will look at some of the benefits Umoja will bring to peace operations. In 2007, Peacekeeping oversaw 114,577 personnel in 16 missions, operated more than 18,000 vehicles and 210 aircraft and ran 20 military hospitals and 230 medical clinics.

Field missions bring people, money and equipment together to deliver mandated outcomes in the host country. Unfortunately this is currently being done in the absence of critical technological support and necessary global integrated information. The entrenched silo approach creates inefficiencies and duplication of effort, which in turn increases the time and money required to deploy the right resources, to the right places, at the right time and at the right cost. This situation combined with the tough physical conditions of field missions further exasperate the day-to-day challenges faced by staff members and adversely affects morale.

Umoja will also provide integrated information for personnel and financial reporting. As a result, the ability to get people and materials on the ground, as well as sustain and manage a mission, will improve. Tools will now be available to track and manage transportation, movement of goods and procurement. With better information and more responsive procurement, the time it takes to deploy a mission will be considerably reduced.

Umoja will help by supporting business processes, re-engineered by subject matter experts working with the Umoja team, to eliminate unnecessary process steps and multiple manual data entries. The planning process will vastly improve. Increased accuracy and visibility of resources will lead to a reduction in waste and obsolescence as the identification of surplus resources will facilitate tracking and redeployment on a global basis.

Missions can experience difficulty assessing effectiveness, given that they are often operating in a vacuum. Being able to obtain good information in a timely manner will improve the accuracy and forecasting of budgets. Discrepancies between approved budgets and actual spending should diminish.

Umoja will provide a powerful means to manage resources more effectively and responsively in often fast-paced and challenging environments.

While the external environment has changed dramatically since the United Nations was founded in 1945, many of our internal ways of working are based on practices from the 1940s and '50s, supported, in some cases, by technology from the 1980s and '90s. As a result, we sometimes find it difficult to do our jobs as efficiently and effectively as we could.

As you are aware, the Secretary-General is committed to the continuous modernization and administrative reform of our organization. Umoja is at the heart of this Secretariat-wide effort. Umoja means "unity" in Swahili, and the name reflects its goals: to improve our business processes; to align them with commonly accepted best practice; and to support this with a global information management platform. All of which, will enable us to work together more effectively on behalf of our constituents and beneficiaries.

We have launched this website to provide you with general information about Umoja – the project mandate, background, purpose, progress and so on. More importantly, this website will be a two-way conversation, a virtual space for us to communicate with each other. In the coming weeks, we will add more content and launch exciting interactive features that will enable us to engage with you, the staff of the global Secretariat, in making the goals of the Umoja Project a reality.

The success of Umoja will depend to a large extent on the level and quality of engagement of the user community within the UN. The deployment of Umoja involves consulting with (and later training) staff, implementing streamlined and integrated business processes, and using modern technology to achieve greater efficiency and better service.

Welcome to Umoja. We hope you will visit us on a regular basis and participate in this exciting effort to improve the management of resources so that we can support the UN mandate more responsively and effectively. In the meantime, we invite you to learn more about Umoja and read some of the past articles published on iSeek.

Ms. Pauline Omondi-Ingabo didn't hesitate for a moment when she read the October 2008 iSeek article announcing the competition to name the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Her entry – the word "umoja" (meaning unity in Swahili) – leapt to mind instantly; she felt it perfectly captured what the ERP was setting out to accomplish.
"When people work together towards a common goal, you get results," said Ms. Omondi-Ingabo, Administrative Assistant in the Office of the Director of the Division of Administrative Services (DAS) at the UN Office at Nairobi (UNON).

Born in Nairobi, Ms. Omondi-Ingabo joined the United Nations in August 2008. She revealed that working in the Secretariat had been a life-long dream and that she aspires to contribute to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) while serving the organization. Before joining UNON, Ms. Omondi-Ingabo had been working with the Secretariat of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI).

"Umoja" has been a guiding principle throughout her life. She is the eldest daughter of eight siblings, and she has held her family together through good times and bad. Now married and a mother of three, she stresses the need for people to support and help one another. "Umoja is dear to my heart because there is strength in unity," she affirms.

Ms. Omondi-Ingabo was ecstatic to learn that her submission had been selected. "It's like winning a gold medal! I was on cloud nine," she said, searching for words to describe how she felt upon learning Umoja had won. She wishes to express her deep gratitude to all the colleagues who cast their votes for her entry.

To celebrate the naming of the ERP project and to congratulate their colleague for her prize-winning contribution, her Office had a small get-together in Ms. Omondi-Ingabo's honor. She said of the team, "Umoja runs through them."

Her elated team members also used the occasion to discuss the name and how the project will impact them, the duty station and the larger organization. She and her colleagues were looking forward to learning more about it during the visit by members of the Umoja team to Nairobi, one of the stops on their world tour of Secretariat locations away from Headquarters.

Ms. Omondi-Ingabo said that there is excitement and anticipation amongst many of her colleagues at UNON for the improvements Umoja will bring to their work. She foresees that there will be individuals within the Secretariat who may at first resist changes to how they work, but she feels that once people understand the benefits they will embrace it.

With her background in planning and project management, Ms. Omondi-Ingabo is most looking forward to better access to accurate and up-to-date information, the ability to undertake higher quality analysis, increases in efficiency both in terms of time and money, and improved measurement of programme performance.

Ultimately, Ms. Omondi-Ingabo feels the implementation of Umoja will enable the Organization to meet more of its goals and help more people. "When people come together, they can move mountains. So let’s make it happen."

Originally published on iSeek on Thursday, 12 March 2009, Nairobi

Members of the Umoja project team have embarked on a "world tour" to meet with colleagues at offices away from Headquarters (OAHs) and field missions to wrap up the first major step in Umoja's implementation.

Once in place, the Umoja system will enable more effective management of human, financial and physical resources to support fully the needs of the United Nations. This will have been achieved by reengineering our processes and practices to be more efficient and implementing them on a single, global information system that will replace IMIS and many of the 250 administrative systems scattered across the Secretariat.

As recently announced, Umoja is the name that was selected for the United Nations enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. (Umoja to bring unity to the way we work)

Broadly, the main steps in developing Umoja are:

• analyzing current administrative processes and needs,
• designing new and more effective working methods reflecting best practices,
• developing a single global information management system to support those working methods,
• testing the solution extensively in real-life scenarios,
• training staff to use it effectively, and
• implementing it in all offices and missions.

The analysis phase is now reaching a close. While visiting approximately 20 UN entities in OAHs and field missions during February and March, Umoja staff are completing and validating the documentation of existing processes.

In the course of their travels, the Umoja team members are working with administration managers to ensure that the list of business processes across the four functional areas – finance, human resources, supply chain/logistics/procurement and central support services – is complete; to document systems, processes and databases that have not already been captured; and to seek feedback as to whether processes already recorded elsewhere in the Secretariat match their own. Colleagues in missions and OAHs are also being asked to identify challenges, risks and opportunities for improvement.

Equally important, the visits will add to a Secretariat-wide network of colleagues contributing to and supporting the implementation of Umoja.

It is not possible for Umoja staff to visit every office or mission on this trip, but colleagues in all locations will be invited to review and validate the complete set of processes captured. The team looks forward to meeting with staff in additional offices and missions in upcoming project stages.

The Umoja project is a strategic part of the UN reform initiative and enjoys the support of UN management at the highest levels. The replacement of IMIS and other legacy systems with Umoja presents a rare opportunity for the UN to improve its working methods so that it can carry out its work more efficiently in all major areas of resource management. There is great potential value to be realized by learning from good ideas that have been implemented around the global Secretariat and by harmonizing processes.

The input and participation of experienced staff members in all duty stations and missions is critical to the success of Umoja's implementation. The Umoja team is aiming to build strong relationships for the duration of the project with colleagues throughout the Secretariat. These visits are just one part of a much larger effort to ensure that the design of the system has considered the full spectrum of the Organization's needs as well as best practices in the UN system.

Originally published on iSeek on Friday, 6 March 2009, New York

The suspense is over! The Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system now has a name: "Umoja" (pronounced oo-MO-jah), which means "unity" or "together" in several African languages, including Swahili and Zulu.

Ms. Pauline Omondi-Ingabo of the Division of Administrative Services at the UN Office at Nairobi (UNON) entered the winning name. Ms. Omondi-Ingabo explained her choice of Umoja for the ERP Project in her submission, stating "the UN is working towards a common goal globally and that is to bring the world together as one."

Regular iSeek readers will recall that, in October 2008, the ERP Project held a competition among staff to find a name for the ERP system that will be implemented across the Secretariat. This system will enable more effective management of the human, financial and physical resources that allow us to more efficiently fulfill our mandates.

Over 1000 staff members submitted 1287 names, demonstrating the diversity and creativity of our colleagues.

The names were considered by 58 ERP Focal Points from different departments, offices away from headquarters and field operations around the world. Based on their feedback, eight submissions were then presented to the ERP Steering Committee, the Project’s governing body.

The Steering Committee further narrowed the list to four finalists – Aurora, Nexus, Orion and Umoja. Staff selected their favourite of the four in a final round of voting in January.

In a close contest, Umoja came out on top with 34 per cent of the vote, followed by Nexus with 30 per cent.

At its 29 January meeting, the Steering Committee endorsed the selection of the name Umoja for the project, noting with pleasure that it reflects the United Nation’s multi-cultural, multi-lingual environment and a shared mission.

The Umoja Team congratulates Ms. Omondi-Ingabo, who will be featured in a future iSeek article, on her winning proposal. The team would also like to thank the hundreds of other staff members who submitted names and voted in the competition for their interest and support.

Originally published on iSeek on Wednesday, 18 February 2009, New York

On 23 October 2008, the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Project launched a five-day contest challenging staff to come up with a name that embodies the promise and expectations behind the proposed ERP system.

The response was overwhelming! Over 1,000 staff members participated, from D-2s to interns, as well as military and police officers, and staff from peacekeeping duty stations and Offices Away from Headquarters (OAHs). The ERP Project Team was delighted by the enthusiasm and creativity displayed by staff members.

The ERP Project Team has now completed a detailed review of the 1,287 names that were suggested. The review process included inputs from ERP Focal Points from different departments, OAHs and field operations around the world. Following this, eight names were presented to the ERP Steering Committee. The Committee narrowed the names down to four finalists.

All UN Secretariat personnel are now invited to vote on the following four ERP Project name finalists:

1. Nexus: Derived from the Latin nectere, meaning to bind, Nexus implies a network, or connection, or interaction. The new ERP system will be at the core of the UN’s management systems and it will connect the Organization both geographically and functionally.
2. Orion: A prominent constellation on the celestial equator. In Greek mythology, Orion is a hunter who challenged the gods, as well as a mythical figure in several ancient cultures including Australian, Chinese, Mexican, and Scandinavian. Orion implies strength and equality.
3. Umoja: A word meaning together or unity in several African languages, including Swahili and Zulu. The ERP will provide unified information technology (IT) systems, processes and ultimately organizational culture. It will also unify a diverse group of people (UN personnel) around a single cause: protecting and uplifting humanity.
4. Aurora: The Roman goddess of the dawn, as well as an atmospheric phenomenon (Aurora Borealis or Australis), Aurora represents a new era or a new dawn in the management of the UN’s resources, characterized by spectacular and uplifting effect of the rising sun, or the polar lights.

To vote, please email your preferred name to erpproject@un.org by 16 January 2009. You are requested to vote only once.

The ERP Project Team reiterates that the staff member who originally proposed the winning name will win an iPod Touch for his or her creative efforts!

Originally published in iSeek on Wednesday, 31 December 2008, New York

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

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

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

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

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

The Aim of the recent workshop in Geneva was to ensure that the perspectives of Offices Away from Headquarters and Peace Operations were taken into account in the documentation that would be used in selecting the software for the Enterprise Resource Planning system, or ERP, to be introduced in the UN.

The workshop brought together a group of eighty staff members from all over the globe dealing with human resources, finance, supply chain or central services, from duty stations as diverse as Cambodia, The Hague, Haiti and Côte d’Ivoire. Many had come with just a few days notice, and had to quickly get into an ERP frame of mind and become familiar with jargon such as “RTMs” or “Requirement Traceability Matrix”! As participants introduced themselves it soon became clear that the group had in-depth knowledge and a wide range of experience in the main functional areas, both from outside and inside the UN.

Expectations varied, but there was a great deal of enthusiasm and energy. As to the bigger picture, the concept of ERP as a tool for achieving organizational change was ever present. The challenges from today’s environment demanded faster and better results from the United Nations. So what kind of change did we want? Step by step, or radical? Participants hoped that the “fear of change” in some quarters would be overcome, so that the UN could reap the full benefits of an ERP. As to the detailed work, staff from the different functional groups set out to critique the end-to-end business processes and the related scenarios. This would later be presented to the ERP suppliers to test their abilities to meet the UN Secretariat’s specialized and diverse requirements.

The findings and conclusions were presented on the last day of the workshop to the Chief Information Technology Officer, Choi Soon-hong, by video-conference. There was a strong recommendation that senior officials of the UN Secretariat and its programmes consider their reporting requirements so that this aspect could be taken into account in the ERP. The data cleansing needed to begin right away. And participants noted that they had repeatedly come across instances where the Secretariat’s procedures should be revisited. Participants left with high hopes, and with the expectation to see revised RTMs and scenarios reflecting their input. They also wished to continue to be involved in the ERP process.

Last but not least: some quotes

"We have the attention of the market place! The UN’s ERP implementation will be the biggest to take place in the next five years." Ed Blinder, ITSD/DM

"We must avoid the pitfall of implementing the existing systems on the new ERP." Francis Babatunde, UNOCI

"The spirited debates and insights gained will enable the ERP Team to return to New York with a more representative and balanced set of requirements." John Meulman, SRA Consulting

"This workshop is great value for money: the participation and feedback is great. We could not have achieved this progress any other way!"  Clemens Adams, DFS, ERP Project Team

This article is based on reporting from David Hastie, of UNON, and Francis Babatunde, of ONUCI

Note: A similar workshop for Headquarters staff is currently taking place in New York.

Originally published on iSeek on Friday, 16 November 2007, Geneva

Submitted to iSeek by Alicia Bárcena in her capacity as Chair of the ERP Steering Committee

What is an ERP? A new acronym is creeping into the UN vernacular – ERP. It stands for enterprise resource planning and is a software that provides an integrated suite of information systems for the management of finance and budget, human resources, supply chain and central support services. A detailed proposal for implementing an ERP system in the Secretariat worldwide will be considered at the current session of the General Assembly.

Why a new system? Staff and managers alike will agree that IMIS, which has been operating since the early 1990s – is approaching the end of its useful life. We need a new global and integrated system that is better suited to the Secretariat of today. 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. An ERP will be able to seamlessly connect work processes, and provide up-to-date information on financial, human and physical resources, wherever they are located.

The development of the new ERP system also presents an opportunity to take a fresh look at how we do business, and streamline and simplify our administrative processes. As mentioned in the Secretary-General’s report, the goal of the ERP project is to build an integrated, global information system for the UN Secretariat that enables effective management of human, financial and physical resources, and that is based on streamlined processes and best practices.

What’s happening now? The first task is to establish what we want from a new system. This means looking at what should be preserved from current practices, what no longer works, and which processes could be re-engineered to enable better management. A small project team has been working with other UN staff in the main functional areas and a team of external consultants on this task. The information collected will then be used in the selection of ERP software that will best serve our needs.

ERP Requirements Validation Workshops: The ERP project is a global endeavour and it is essential to get input from staff at duty stations around the world to identify the requirements. For this purpose, two workshops on ERP Requirements Validation are being organized in November. The first is currently taking place in Geneva from 5 to 9 November for offices away from Headquarters and peacekeeping missions. A second one will be organized at New York Headquarters on 15, 16 and 19 November.

What’s next? The General Assembly will be considering the Secretary-General’s report during its current session. Deploying an ERP system in an organization of the size and complexity of the global Secretariat is a big project. It will require significant resources and is expected to take three to five years, with a phased implementation where the core infrastructure and high priority modules will be completed first. The Secretary-General’s report contains a proposal to establish a full-time project team. These positions are in the process of being classified and will be advertised in Galaxy, subject to the Member States’ approval of the proposal.

Examples of expected benefits: Implementing an ERP has the potential to fundamentally transform the way we do business, and can significantly improve the Secretariat’s overall effectiveness and efficiency. The Secretary-General’s report lists the following examples of specific improvements that the new ERP system could bring:

• For every project and programme it would be possible to report on the status of activities and outputs, the resources engaged and expended, and the latest situation of contributions and available balances against budgets.
• It would be possible to obtain real-time consolidated financial and other quantitative information.
• The ERP system will integrate, streamline and further automate a large number of manual and paper-base administrative processes.
• The Office of Human Resources Management will be able to provide managers with up-to-date integrated reporting and analysis on human resources information.
• It would be possible to build and maintain an accurate and current inventory of staff skills covering the entire Organization.
• For managers at Headquarters and in the field, it would be possible to track every step of the procurement, shipment, receipt and delivery of goods to their final destination.
• With a global system it would be possible to share common vendors’ databases and make effective decisions of where and when to best buy. This in turn could lead to significant cost savings.
• At the operational level, the use of a common system and of an electronic signature would improve significantly the day-to-day administration of staff and facilities. It would be possible to track every transaction from any office of the Organization, and considerable time would be saved.
• Staff would be able to obtain information about their own status (such as personnel records, benefits, claims, leave balance, etc) using self-service options.

Originally published on iSeek on Monday, 5 November 2007