ctcLink Frequently Asked Questions
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Questions
General
Implementation Process
Specifics of the New System
Data Standards
Third-Party Software Issues
Input and Involvement
Funding
Questions With Answers
General
What is the ctcLink project?
ctcLink is the implementation of a new, integrated technology foundation that will provide modern online services—anytime, anywhere—to all CTC students, faculty and staff and the SBCTC. Called Enterprise Resource Planning or ERP, ctcLink will replace our aging legacy systems—such as our Financial Management System (FMS) our Student Management System (SMS) and our Personnel/Payroll Management System (PPMS)—with a set of interconnected software modules to help us streamline and standardize many of the things we do at our colleges today.
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Why do we need ctcLink?
The CTC community has shared back-office administrative systems for 30 years, but the software and functionality is both limited and outdated. A new and more flexible information system is required to meet the CTCs’ business needs. It will give CTCs the ability to streamline policies and practices across all colleges, provide more seamless services to students, and make us more efficient by improving the way we do business.
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How will it affect me?
The ctcLink implementation means many of the processes we have used for years will be altered to meet the growing needs of our students, faculty and staff. ctcLink will affect some people more than others, and at different times in the implementation process. Those who use our current systems (SMS, FMS, PPMS, etc.) daily will be learning an entirely new system and process for inputting and accessing information online. There will be subject matter experts at each college to assist with the transition and extensive training will be provided. Once implemented, everyone will have a ctcLink account and will be able to access and manage their personal records online. Students will use the new system to do all of their college business online—from admissions to graduation.
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Who is involved?
A project of this size, scope and complexity requires the involvement of many individuals across
the entire CTC system, from beginning to end.
- A Readiness Assessment team made up of designated CTC Commission/Council members
or their designee and SBCTC staff participated in several meetings last year to assess the strengths
and weaknesses of the system in preparation for implementing an ERP solution.
- A steering committee of key system leaders, led by SBCTC’s IT director,
will address policy, budget and procurement issues related to the project. The steering committee
will be responsible for providing guidance to the project team, monitoring the project and ensuring
successful implementation of the ctcLink system and new processes. Steering committee members
will serve as advocates for change and ensure sufficient resources are made available to effectively
support project completion.
- A core ctcLink Project Team is in place at SBCTC and is responsible for overall
project management and communications for ctcLink. The ctcLink Project Team will serve as the daily
point of contact between the ctcLink implementation vendor and CTC community members involved in
project implementation.
- Beginning with the Readiness Assessment, Gartner, Inc., a technology research
and consulting firm,was hired by SBCTC to assist the Project Team with initial
project planning, development of the Request for Proposal (RFP) for ERP vendor selection, and overall
strategies for project governance, communication, organization change, training, risk management
and budget development.
- Each college has formed its own ctcLink College Team to provide leadership and
involvement in the project on each campus; each college has also identified Subject Matter Experts
(SMEs) in areas such as student services, finance, research, HR and payroll.
- In 2012-2013 the ctcLink Project Team will recruit Functional Experts from colleges
to assist with project activities. Colleges will backfill those roles with funding assistance
from the ctcLink project funds. Subject Matter Experts will also be recruited
on an as-needed basis to work with the SBCTC ctcLink Project Team on activities such as business
process reviews, policy discussions around centralization and ERP configuration decisions.
- A Communications Core Team comprised of representatives from various colleges
is in place and has helped develop a detailed communications strategy and plan for ctcLink. This
nine-member team will support evolution and execution of the communications plan to help keep all
project stakeholders informed of key activities and obtain their feedback on an ongoing basis.
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What is the overall timeline for the project?
A project of this magnitude will take time to implement at all 34 colleges. In general, it is
expected to take about five years once implementation has begun, which is currently slated for
the second half of 2012. After initial configuration, two FirstLink (pilot) colleges will be implemented during the 2013-14 academic year,
followed by implementation waves of approximately eight colleges per wave. A final schedule will not be developed until a vendor has been selected.
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Implementation Process
How many colleges will be deployed per implementation wave?
We anticipate two or threeFirstLink (pilot) colleges will be installed and go live first. Lessons
learned will be gathered from this initial pilot to improve future installations. Following
that, Gartner has recommended up to 8 colleges per wave as a possible approach; however, the System
Integration partner that will work with us to configure and deploy the software will bring their
experience and ideas to the approach, which will influence the ultimate planning around deployment.
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What are "FirstLink" colleges and have they been identified?
FirstLink Colleges are the pilot colleges that will implement the new ERP solution first. Following a self-evaluation process in April, nine college districts submitted letters of interest to the ctcLink Project Team explaining their colleges' readiness and commitment in piloting the new system. Tacoma Community College and the Community Colleges of Spokane were chosen as ctcLink's FirstLink Colleges.
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Can you explain more about the 8 colleges per wave and a wave every 6 months?
Gartner recommended an approach of 8 colleges per wave, with a new wave starting approximately
every 6 months; however this is dependent upon the collaborative decision made by the System Implementation
(SI) vendor selected and the project team. The SI vendor will bring their experience with
implementations like ours and make recommendations on deployment cycles that have been successful
for them in the past. We will make a determination after that vendor partner has had time
to develop our configuration design and provide a best case recommendation.
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That means some colleges will be on the new system, while others are still on the old system. How will that work?
The detailed implementation plan will address this challenge. In general, there will be
temporary system interfaces developed to support system-wide functions (such as some regulatory
reporting and payroll processing) or the current application will be slightly modified – whichever
approach is determined to be most efficient and stable in the short term. These temporary
interfaces will be removed once the last colleges are migrated to the new ERP solution. In addition,
there will be periods when individual colleges are using the new ERP application for some functions
/ processes and the old application for others. This will require some users to temporarily
use both applications. A similar approach will be used to address this challenge: careful
implementation planning, temporary interfaces and modifications of the old application as required.
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There was earlier discussion about implementing by module (student, finance, HR/payroll), but now it sounds like we're doing a whole college for each deployment. Can you explain?
There was initial discussion to implement one module at a time, for example Student or HR/Payroll,
first across all colleges. This recommended approach was revised after understanding how
our current system is integrated compared to what is common in the marketplace today. Our current
system has key Student Account/Financials functionality built into our Financial Management Systems
module, meaning one module (SMS) currently relies on another (FMS) to do current college business.
Modern ERP solutions have all student-based functionality (financials included) housed in one
Student Module. For this reason, a full college deployment is the safest route that would not
force a significant redesign of our remaining modules to cover the early deployment of another
module. In addition, this approach would require users to work on both systems for a longer
time. This decision is open to adjustment upon the collaborative discussions between the
selected System Implementation vendor and the project team.
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Specifics of the New System
Assuming 5% customization to an off-the-shelf solution, how is it determined what is included in that 5%? Will it be driven by suggestions/requests or will it be driven by things defined in the requirements phase but not provided by the vendor.
The goal of the ctcLink project is to standardize business processes across the colleges with
the least amount of customization and college-unique configuration as possible. The 5% customization
assumption is to cover things not currently in an off-the-shelf ERP that will, for example,
enable us to adhere to specific state reporting requirements allow us to function as a federation
of colleges.
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Will the new system support individual college branding or can we expect greater flexibility than just look and feel? How "vanilla" will we have to be?
To achieve the desired benefits associated with implementing an industry-standard ERP system,
the SBCTC has made the decision—and college presidents have agreed—to minimize customization
of the system to meet CTC and/or individual college needs. We will also adopt common configuration
approaches to reduce costs associated with system maintenance. As a result, we will identify
opportunities to adopt improved standard processes and approaches that support our operations.
While there will be standardization necessary for centralized functionality, ERP systems are
designed for accommodating the needs of federations such as ours and have local configuration
options built in. For example, individual college look and feel can be accommodated through
configuration. That said, there will still be decisions made as we work through our business process
reviews and address our policy decisions. We will need to define how much flexibility is
beneficial to the college while not jeopardizing the benefits of adopting a single instance implementation. We
will work with our System Implementation partner to establish configuration options.
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Will there be one, system-wide transcript for students?
No. Since each college is individually accredited, we cannot provide a single “official” transcript
for all colleges in the system. However, with ctcLink, we will be able to provide access
to a single ‘student record’ that will display coursework completed at all colleges
within our system as well as biographic data for the student. This functionality will be
made possible with the adoption of a single student ID for a student to use at any of the colleges
in our system.
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Will there also be a single, common employee ID for CTC employees?
Yes. This will facilitate the ability to share employee data across colleges as needed; for
example, to assist with benefits eligibility and benefits coordination.
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Will the Financial Aid System (FAST) "wish list" be incorporated into the requirements for the new student system?
The FAST wish list is being reviewed alongside the functional requirements list developed by
participants of the financial aid functional requirements workshop.
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Will we have a federated identity as part of this project? Will it be WA CTC system and colleges within it or individually branded by college?
Colleges will retain their individual identities. In addition we hope to have an additional
single point of entry for students to access services.
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Will we see automation of workflow email notifications as part of this project? Will it be college email or system email addresses?
The new solution will include the implementation of automated workflows. However, the
mechanisms for notifying users of tasks or events will be driven in large part by the solution
that is selected. This will likely include automated email notifications, but the specifics
have not yet been determined.
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Data Standards
Some colleges have started reviewing their current data standards (business definitions of data elements). Will there be guidance on global standards, such as formal business rules, business processes and workflows?
Yes. We will be developing data standards as part of data migration planning and implementation.
A system-wide Data Standards Taskforce was formed to address data standards. The work
will include providing a format or templates to meet the standards. There will also be system-based
business processes and workflows.
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Without knowing which system will be chosen, how can colleges know which data standards should be defined?
Right now, colleges should focus their data standards review on defining the business definition
for the data. This will improve the transition to a new system by ensuring that we understand
how to map our current data to the new software solution.
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Current/Future Third-Party Sotfware Issues
How will the ERP software integrate with college applications like NeoGov or Rainshadow?
The RFP’s functional requirements include the need to interface with these and other third-party
software products; however, the information on how each software package might interface with
those third party products will not be known until we have an opportunity to review the RFP responses.
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Are there any requirements related to document management systems?
In the RFP, software vendors will be asked to provide information on any document management
options available within their system and/or if they have existing (pre-built) interfaces to third
party document management systems. The ctcLink project is not intended to replace any existing
document management system currently in place at a college, (for example Hershey Systems) nor
is it intended to implement a system-wide document management software application centrally.
The document management capabilities specified in the functional requirements are focused on supporting
the core functionality of the system (i.e. student administration; financial management; and HR
/ payroll).
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Is it in scope to create a SBCTC-supported/managed document management solution?
It’s not in the scope of the ctcLink project; however, in the RFP requirements, we have
asked vendors to detail the document management systems with which they currently integrate so
those already using or considering a third-party document management system can better understand
if it could be supported with new software, or if the new solution can be leveraged to implement
system-wide document management capabilities in the future.
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How will we address functions that aren't provided, like Point-of-Sale? Will we know early in the configuration cycle so we can plan alternatives?
Major gaps will be identified in the system demonstration process and will affect selection
of a vendor. After a software package is selected, a fit gap analysis will be done in conjunction
with a business process evaluation prior to any pilot deployment, giving colleges sufficient time
to align their business processes and close any gaps.
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How will the new software affect third-party software contracts?
Our requirements process includes tracking our current needs as they relate to honoring the
contracts we have already negotiated and, while the process will be sensitive to the impacts on
existing contracts, the goal of not customizing the new ERP solution will take precedence in the
decision-making process. The Core Team and SME Advisory teams will be responsible for identifying
impacted third-party software contracts and for developing a plan to facilitate transition to
the new product without negatively impacting current contract relationships.
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Will the SBCTC IT Division provide a standard for applications the colleges would like to plug in?
As with the Lift and Shift project, the ERP project is looking to provide replicated transactional
data to support continued campus development. However, it is anticipated that the implementation
of a modern software solution will reduce the need for campus development. To ensure smooth
transition; however, a data crosswalk will be provided so colleges can maintain existing college
applications as needed.
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Input and Involvement
Will we have end users involved in the implementation planning?
Yes, that is the basis for the formation of the College Teams. In addition, a large portion
of the Core ctcLink project team will be drawn from the colleges and that core team will involve
other college SMEs on an “as needed” basis.
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What are the roles of the ctcLink college teams? Who participates in what moving forward?
The college teams are designated as the leadership and communication stream for this project
on each campus. To date, college teams have been participating in the College Team kick-off
meetings, as well as leading their own campus through the planning and review process. This
involves holding on-campus requirements review sessions and periodic team meetings.
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How much of a time commitment is needed for the Functional Experts from colleges who are assigned to work directly with the ctcLink Project Team?
The Functional Experts hired for ctcLink will be full time employees of the project for a specified
time. Subject Matter Experts will be recruited to participate on advisory teams for specific functional
areas during key phases of the project for that specific area. SMEs should expect to devote
approximately 10 hours per week to ctcLink.
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Will colleges get together on best practices in the implementation phase?
The subject matter experts’ (SMEs) advisory groups will participate in the development
of best practices across the system and will provide leadership at each campus.
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Will we see a comparison of the winner (new software) to the legacy system so we can anticipate the training program that is necessary?
Yes. Demonstrations will happen during the product evaluation phase. The majority
of training needs will be identified during the business process review and system configuration
processes. Data crosswalks will be provided from the legacy data structure to the selected
software data structure and the implementation vendor will work with SBCTC and the colleges to
develop and implement the appropriate training. College Teams will work with SBCTC and the vendor
to deliver training to their campuses.
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What is the SBCTC IT Division's role in supporting the new system?
That will be more clearly defined throughout the course of the project after vendor selection
and the system hosting model has been determined. ITD will still perform/maintain level
1 triage support. Tier 1 support will be with the colleges/ITD. Tier 2 and 3 support
will be defined more clearly during the vendor selection process and the system implementation
process.
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How will we ensure we adhere to Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) laws as we move to shared data stores and a single student ID and employee ID?
Adhering to FERPA guidelines is not a new issue, as other universities implementing ERP systems
have addressed it. For Washington CTCs, a policy for common student and employee records
will need to be defined and the appropriate security protocols will need to be configured to meet
FERPA rules. We will determine a system-wide policy and enforce it with the security structure
to meet FERPA requirements. The project team will obtain legal advice and external system audits
as appropriate / necessary.
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Will this project establish a common student portal?
Colleges will maintain their individual campus portals if they have one. A true portal
solution (i.e. with functionality significantly more advanced than a standard web-interface) is
outside the scope of this project; however, all products on the market today offer configurable
self-services for students and employees (“portlets”). In the RFP process we
are asking what “portlets” software vendors provide. We will offer web-based
self service, but in the form of a static web page, not true portal functionality.
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Funding
How much will it cost?
The ctcLink project is estimated to cost a total of $100 million to implement over approximately
6 years. Ongoing maintenance of the ERP solution is estimated to cost approximately $6 million
per year.
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How will it be funded?
To fund ctcLink, the 2011 Legislature established an Innovation Account for CTCs and authorized
the deposit of up to 3% tuition collected by colleges into the account. The 2012 Legislature gave the SBCTC the authority to sell Certificates of Participation
(COP) for financing over the life of the project, to be repaid from the Innovation Account. For the
2011-12 academic year, the State Board authorized putting 2% of tuition collected from the colleges into the
Innovation Fund. This funding mechanism is very similar to the system’s current building
fee, the operating fee and the 3.5% set-aside for the financial assistance fund.
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Why can't we just use the money to make the existing legacy system better?
Improving the 30 year old legacy system is simply not feasible and will not be a cost-saving
measure. A system in this aged condition is difficult and costly to maintain. Old
code has been edited time and again, rendering it fragile. Current systems have been over-modified
and have not been reengineered with clean, straightforward code. Investing $100 million
in this old system would mean rewriting everything from scratch, which would actually take longer
than implementing a Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) solution.
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