April 20, 2011

Smooth transitions

By Heidi Staseson

The iS² Project team has been working around the clock to ensure a smooth launch when the changes to university processes (and the systems that support them) go-live at the end of July. And while most staff and faculty will experience some degree of change, for most people the change will be minor.

That was one of the key messages relayed to change leaders, their teams and the human resources, finance and information technologies partners at the Change Leaders Network meeting in early April.

“It’s important to recognize that staff and faculty will be affected by the iS² changes to varying degrees,” says Jody Fraser, change management lead, iS² Project, and labour relations consultant at the university.

“For example, there will be groups that will feel little change in what they do,” notes Fraser, adding there’ll be other groups that are impacted to a higher degree—where their work won’t change, per se, but the way they do their work will.

Groups that will see the most change are those working in human resources, finance and Supply Chain Management as well as those people who perform these functions within their faculties. “These folks will learn the new and revised processes while helping to support others,” Fraser explains.

Finally, changes that will affect most staff include online timesheet entry and the updating and entry of personal information including banking information. Fraser notes these types of processes fall under the new Employee Self Service offering and will definitely serve as a “big win” for employees throughout the organization. “With Self Service, employees will have a lot more autonomy,” she says.

While the upcoming changes at the university will be felt by some more than others, it’s important to know support is available. One example of that support is the role “change leaders and their teams play within their faculties and units,” says Nancy Taipale, iS² Project program director.

“Change isn’t easy,” she remarks. “During times of change, stress levels increase, patience decreases. The good news is we’re all in this together, working toward the same end goal.”

To hear more about how change will help the university to become a well-run institution, click on the following video with Nancy Taipale and Jody Fraser.

One university. One community. One vision.

The iS² Project is a multi-year strategic initiative designed to improve financial controls and administrative services and create opportunities for cost-savings and greater efficiencies across campus. The project’s vision is to build a customer-oriented organization that delivers high quality, efficient and effective administrative services that enable the University of Calgary to be a recognized leader among academic institutions.

To learn more about the iS² Project, visit www.ucalgary.ca/is2project.