Colleagues in the Field get ready for Umoja
The Umoja countdown clock is winding down towards the day when National Staff and Individual Uniformed Personnel start using Umoja.
As with other deployments, getting ready for "Go-Live" on 1 November has required much coordination. However, rolling out Umoja functionality to over 20,000 staff in the field has been anything but ordinary, given the hazardous conditions colleagues have had to endure, from evacuations and curfews to security concerns.
Right after last year’s deployment to UNHQ and the Regional Commissions, DFS began intensive preparatory activities for the next phase. Even though missions have been using Umoja, in some cases since 2013, integrating the new users has presented its own challenges.
In an effort to coordinate the complex deployment process, DFS, DM and the Umoja team have held weekly video tele-conferences (VTCs) over the past year. The VTCs, held with 37 entities comprising all DFS supported Missions, addressed deployment preparation, activities such as data cleansing, data migration, training, communications, change management and more.
As we near 1 November, this week both USG/DFS Mr. Atul Khare and USG/DM Mr. Yukio Takasu joined all Missions via VTC to acknowledge the enormous volume of work accomplished by the Missions in preparation to transition from current systems to Umoja.
Mr. Takasu recognised it was a rare privilege to be able to personally thank so many colleagues in the field for their remarkable work, adding that “although there have been many issues, improvements from past deployments have helped pave the way”. He also asserted that “during the stabilization phase, we need to be as vigilant as during the deployment phase to ensure no single staff member is left behind.”
Mr. Khare passionately thanked all the Missions for their outstanding dedication. He also generously acknowledged the work and guidance of the DFS and Umoja teams in New York. Mr. Khare emphasized that “deployment and stabilisation plans are well underway to ensure that the necessary support is available”. He further called for all “Site Coordinators and Focal Points to be well prepared to manage the transition and be available to staff, who need help understanding the new system and how they may be affected.”
Both Mr. Takasu and Mr. Khare emphasized that their priority is to ensure that critical functionality, such as payroll, works for all staff.
Missions also acknowledged the work and support from colleagues, both in the field and at UNHQ and expressed confidence in Go-Live readiness. As preparations intensify, measures to support colleagues who are not English-speakers or have limited access to computers are also in place. Mr. Chandramouli Ramanathan, Umoja Project Director a.i., emphasized that “the team is focusing on the functionality of core Umoja components, so that future multilingualism considerations are based on a fully deployed solution”. Mr. Alan Doyle, Field Umoja Coordinator, reiterated that “key training materials have been translated into French, and local focal points will be essential for staff to learn the system in their local language, particularly the Francophone users.” Mr. Guy Siri, DMS of MONUSCO, also conveyed that “kiosks and business centers are available for deployment and ramp-up activities,” while emphasizing the importance of informing staff about what to expect during the transition.
The spirit of unity, hard work and collaboration is soaring across the globe as our colleagues in the field prepare for the upcoming deployment. To partake in the Go-Live activities, all staff are invited to attend the C5 Kick-off event on Tuesday 1 November from 8:00 am to 8:40 am (New York time) in Conference Room 2. The event will also be webcast via UN Web TV.
