Important Information for Implementation Phase

It’s official — the implementation phase has begun. InfoEd Global began working with us to develop our first module — Animal Care and Use — in early August.

Keep in mind that this will be a phased implementation, meaning the modules will be phased-in gradually over the approximately three years anticipated for implementation to be completed.

A phased implementation will enable more-focused testing and provide project staff experience in developing instructional and guidance materials designed for NC State’s processes and procedures.

A high-level ERA Module Implementation Timeline is below.

Animal Care and Use was chosen as the first module to be implemented primarily because of the relatively low number of affected campus users and the fact that the paper-based processes currently in use eliminates the need for complex data conversion.

Conversely, the implementation of the Sponsored Programs module (which includes Proposal Development, Proposal Tracking, Award Tracking and Financial Tracking) stretches from Fall 2018 through Spring 2020 — overlapping with the implementation of most other modules — due to the large number and wide variety of users affected.

Each module’s development and implementation will follow the process outlined below.

As each module is developed, an increasing number of campus representatives will become involved — but to be clear, there will be end-user representation for all key stakeholder groups throughout the entire process.

The first three steps in the process mainly consist of InfoEd gathering information about our current systems and business processes, in order to begin custom-tailoring their existing modules to meet our unique needs.

Steps four through six are when the majority of stakeholders will begin interacting with the software.

After undergoing user acceptance testing — the critical, last step in the software development process, in which end-users ensure the system performs as intended in real-world scenarios and then provide final feedback — campus training will begin to take place in preparation for campus-wide implementation.

When it’s time for you to get involved and begin engaging with the new system, you will be given ample notification, but hopefully the above visuals give an idea of when you should expect to do so.

Lastly, below you can see the organizational structure of our ERA Project Teams during the implementation phase. For more information about these teams, and to see member lists for those that have already been staffed, visit the Project Teams page on the updated ERA website.

Stay tuned to this blog for more important ERA project updates!