PeopleSoft RECONNECT 19 Recap: Fluid Remains the HOTTEST Topic
As the premier deep-dive PeopleSoft-focused event of the year, PeopleSoft Reconnect (presented by Quest Oracle User Group) has always touted itself as “created for PeopleSoft users… by PeopleSoft users.” This year’s conference (held in Rosemont, Illinois) did not disappoint.
Appsian was proud to be a conference sponsor, along with provide content, as our PeopleSoft User Experience experts presented sessions on improving PeopleSoft Security and Creating a Modern User Experience Across all PeopleSoft versions. The sessions were hugely successful, with an estimated 75% of conference attendance. During the session, many of the questions pertained to security concerns and the meeting of user experience expectations, as organizations continue to upgrade to PeopleSoft 9.2 and adopt Fluid UI – all in service to staying on Oracle support and maximizing their current ERP investment.
According to Scott Hirni, Director of User Experience Strategy and Solutions at Appsian (who has previously worked with PeopleSoft for 18+ years), “Fluid adoption and on-going enablement was among the top concerns for attendees.” While Fluid adoption is a top project in the PeopleSoft community, it was clear that not all PeopleSoft customers are able to leverage Fluid to its full potential.
Here are a few observations:
- 75% of organizations we spoke to at RECONNECT haven’t attempted to roll out Fluid – despite being on version 9.2
- 25% have started, but have required ongoing guidance
- Most attendees expressed that they were in the process of identifying the key business drivers for implementing Fluid
- Many questions arose about what to do with existing customizations while implementing Fluid
Inspired by Scott’s presentation at RECONNECT 19, here’s a quick look at the roadmap for customers looking to roll out Fluid.
- Identify business drivers i.e. key functional areas that need optimization and would benefit from a Fluid implementation project
- Review the list of already delivered Fluid screens and Classic retirement dates to prioritize rollout accordingly
- Assess the version perquisites of to handle your existing PeopleSoft customizations
- Prepare for UX changes and user adoption challenges that come with the new UI
The bottom line is, Appsian absolutely recommends upgrading to 9.2 and adopting Fluid as the best way to fully leverage your PeopleSoft investment. Staying current with Oracle maintenance and embracing the many advantages that come with a 9.2/Fluid adoption are critical, but we certainly understand that large-scale projects come with uncertainty and questions. With that in mind, Appsian has developed a strategic UX transformation plan that helps PeopleSoft customers analyze their business needs and assess how Fluid UI can help achieve their efficiency goals.
Not sure where to start? Leverage Appsian’s FREE PeopleSoft Fluid Assessment that includes:
· Complementary Onsite Workshop
· Strategic Analysis/Transaction/Use Case Mapping
· Fluid Rollout Plan
· Business/Institutional Alignment
To claim your FREE Fluid assessment you can also write to us at info@appsian.com
Ensure a successful Fluid Enablement project with PeopleUX
With the support for PeopleSoft 9.1 ending earlier this year (Jan 2018), most PeopleSoft customers are busy upgrading to PeopleSoft 9.2. As you upgrade to v9.2, Fluid becomes the inevitable frontline UI of your PeopleSoft applications. Consequently, upgrading to Fluid is a significant investment in terms of time, effort, and skilled resources. We at GreyHeller feel that the operational disruption and added investment that come with these upgrades are an extremely worthwhile endeavor for your journey toward a modern UI for PeopleSoft HCM, CRM, Financials, SCM and more. That being said, if productivity and engagement are the benchmarks for success with a UX/UI project, shouldn’t you do everything in your power to ensure your upgrade is fully enabled? It should be acknowledged that a lack of certain best practices can prevent you from achieving your end goal of delivering the user experience you intended – and your users have come to expect from modern applications. Here are some tips to identify indicators that can potentially have a negative impact on your efforts of achieving a flawless adoption of PeopleSoft Fluid UI: Fluid is the future – get with it! Before we get into the details of ensuring a successful Fluid enablement project, let’s address the most crucial question first – Why is making the transition from Classic to Fluid important – and why now? The answer lies in Oracle’s announcement of the traditional Classic UI being on a retirement schedule. Oracle’s support doc ID 2238983.2 illustrates the timeline for pages that will be “desupported” at the end of each year. Since, Fluid is going to be the frontier of all PeopleSoft applications upgraded to 9.2, adopting Fluid has become a necessity for organizations to stay current with PeopleSoft. Inconsistency can prove to be the death of a positive UX A Fluid adoption should be a project centered around your end-users. Whether you are in the middle of a Fluid adoption or haven’t embarked upon it yet, it is important to consider the specific business needs of your users carefully (i.e., how are you intending them to work and on what mobile devices.) With the end goal of a Fluid upgrade being PeopleSoft applications that are readily available on mobile devices and with a streamlined user experience – it is ultimately user engagement that will prove to be the defining benchmark for success. However, the selective roll-out schedule of Fluid pages can potentially create an inconsistent UX in the interim, as users are likely to encounter existing Classic pages throughout a workflow. The result being (despite your best intentions) a UX that fails to deliver a 100% consistent experience. After all, inconsistency can prove to be the death of a positive UX. Fluid requires new development skills Fluid UI uses the same architectural foundation as the Classic layout. However, building design components in Fluid requires extra development work, meaning the required acquisition of skills such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc. To ensure optimum preparedness for your Fluid enablement project, you need to have developers who are well versed in PeopleTools along with these additional skills. To fulfill project requirements, you can choose to invest your time and money in training existing team members or (like most organizations) you can hire new resources. However, the time spent in acquiring skilled resources can slow down the progress of your Fluid enablement project. Consider the diversity and abundance of mobile devices. A myriad of mobile devices are released every year, all with different screen sizes and resolutions. To compliment all the available device variables, your UI needs to be responsive. A truly responsive UI is the most critical parameter in mobilizing an application, thus allowing it to fit perfectly on any form factor. Fluid is an adaptive UI which means that it was designed to fit a predetermined set of form factors, i.e., small, medium, large and extra-large. Since there’s an abundance of mobile devices available on the market, and each one of them comes with different display standards, the pre-set form factors might not display content cleanly on every available screen. How you can make Fluid UI exceptional with PeopleUX PeopleUX by GreyHeller delivers a fully responsive and consistent user experience regardless of your current version of PeopleSoft. No matter what your upgrade status or your underlying UI (Classic/Classic Plus or Fluid), PeopleUX re-renders the existing HTML without impacting the original PeopleCode – creating a user experience that is visually engaging and uniform throughout the application. PeopleUX optimizes workflows with usability and intuition in mind, allowing users to execute transactions quickly and efficiently without requiring any additional training or technical support. A seamless and consistent user-experience allows users to be more productive no matter where they work or what device they use. The best part – PeopleUX can be implemented in a short span of time (60-90 days*) without any operational disruption or intermittent consistency. Lastly, PeopleUX saves you time and boosts Fluid adoption project ROI by eliminating the need to hire or train developers! Interested to know more about making the Fluid experience truly exceptional? Request a free demo to speak to a PeopleSoft user experience specialist today, or write to us at info@devappsian.wpengine.com As a BONUS opportunity – join us on Wednesday July 18th for our latest webinar where you can see for yourself how you can ensure a successful Fluid adoption – Register Today!Adopting Cloud: Fact or Myth – “Hybrid as a Best Practice”
Stop me if you’ve heard this one…
“Do you want to get the most from your ERP? Then you must move to the cloud. Your bottom line will appreciate it, your users will appreciate it, and your IT security team will appreciate it.” Sounds like a pretty good deal, right?
In our upcoming blog series, we examine some of the most popular cloud adoption myths. By myths, we mean that there is a flipside to every story – and the cloud is no exception.
It’s important to note that we are not “anti-cloud.” Cloud HR functions serve an important purpose, and while there are undoubtedly benefits to moving some functions to the cloud – it’s important to not get too caught up in the hype. So, before you undergo a traumatic “rip and replace” of your core ERP and trade it in for that shiny cloud product – we invite you to stop and take a quick breath.
Hybrid as a Best Practice
From Gartner in their 2016 report, “…the extreme of having nothing cloud-based will largely disappear with Hybrid being the most common usage of the cloud.” As organizations determine specific business cases that are best served by a cloud solution, the corporate “no cloud” policy will become increasingly obsolete. This approach is fully supported by GreyHeller and we contend that using specific business cases to guide your cloud migration initiatives is a best practice. With that being said, the business case for a “rip and replace” of your core HR function is rare and can come with many negative implications. This blog series serves to examine just some of those implications and discuss the negative consequences that can occur.
Stay tuned as we release additional blogs in our upcoming “Adopting Cloud: Fact or Myth” blog series, where we address the truths behind:
- Cloud as a platform for Innovation
- Improving security via the cloud
- Offloading operational costs
- Market trends towards cloud adoption
Getting the Most Out of PeopleSoft: PeopleSoft Fluid User Interface (OpenWorld 2016)
Our customer – Florida State University – and our partner – Oracle – presented at OpenWorld this week. The components of FSU’s solution are:
- Enterprise Portal: MyFSUPortal
- Mobile Platform: ModoLabs
- UI Optimization Layer: PeopleMobile (that’s us!)
- Security Layer: ERP Firewall (that’s us!)
If you’d like a copy of the OpenWorld deck, email me at info@appsian.com
Fall Webinar Series: UX; Security; Tips & Techniques
Please join us for our Fall Webinar Series.
UX Webinars
Make The Most of Campus Solutions 9.2 and Fluid
Wednesday, September 21st at 11 AM PST / 2 PM EST
Presenters: Larry Grey, Co-Founder; Jim Marion, Senior Technology Evangelist
July 26, 2016 marked the release of Campus Solutions 9.2 and the introduction of Fluid Self-service transactions. In this demo-intensive session, we will outline the Fluid functionality and deployment options included in this release.
University of Massachusetts Mobilizes and Modernizes PeopleSoft
Wednesday, September 28th at 11 AM PST / 2 PM EST
Presenters: Wendy Mulcahy, Applications Manager – UMass Office of the President
Larry Grey, Co-FounderThis session will include details of how UMass and GreyHeller worked together to transform the Student Center to have a fully responsive design for students.Enterprise UX Strategies
Wednesday, November 9th at 11 AM PST / 2 PM EST
Presenters: Larry Grey, Co-Founder
Jim Marion, Senior Technology Evangelist
In this demo-intensive session, we will explore options for making PeopleSoft modern, mobile, and easy to use — including key use cases spanning PeopleSoft Campus Solutions, Human Resources and Financial/Supply Chain systems.
Security Webinars
State of North Dakota Protects PeopleSoft from Cybercrime
Thursday, September 22nd at 11 AM PST / 2 PM PST
Presenters: John Wohl, State of North Dakota
Greg Wendt, Executive Director of Security Solutions
John Wohl from the State of North Dakota will discuss how and why they implemented ERP Firewall based security measures across their PeopleSoft Systems, including role based data masking, location-based access to sensitive transactions, and detailed logging of all transactions. Phase 2 is focused on the two-factor authentication (2FA) rollout. PeopleSoft Breaches: True Cost and How to Mitigate
Wednesday, November 2nd at 11 AM PST / 2 PM PST Presenter: Greg Wendt, Executive Director of Security Solutions
This webinar will describe how to leverage ERP Firewall and our Security Readiness Assessment to protect PeopleSoft user’s sensitive data from cybercrime and inadvertent breach.
Tips & Techniques Webinars
PeopleSoft Tips and Techniques: Advanced PeopleSoft People Tools Development Strategies
Wednesday, October 5th at 11 AM PST / 2 PM EST
Presenter: Jim Marion, Senior Technology Evangelist
Jim Marion will share interesting, thought provoking PeopleTools tips and techniques to help customers make the most of their PeopleSoft development investment. Mobility Options for PeopleSoft Applications
Thursday, October 6th at 11 AM PST / 2 PM EST
Presenter: Jim Marion, Senior Technology Evangelist
Learn how to build and deliver mobile solutions for PeopleSoft Applications. The Cloud to Ground Mashup
Tuesday, October 25th at 11 AM PST / 2 PM EST
Presenters: Jim Marion, Senior Technology Evangelist
Larry Grey, Co-Founder
Why choose between Cloud and Ground when you can get the best of both? In this demo-intensive session, we will illustrate the flexibility and safety of your PeopleSoft investment.
What is True Responsiveness?
Designed to intelligently move functionality based on available real estate, transforming the user experience.
What is True Responsiveness? Your employees and constituents expect to be able to do everything on their mobile device that they would on their desktop without compromising functionality: finding a contact, applying for a job, reviewing their pay stub, enrolling in a class, enrolling in benefits, or make a payment.
Read on to see examples of true responsiveness in action.
iPhone in portrait view vs. iPad
Let’s look at the weekly class schedule in Campus Solutions on two form factors: iPhone in portrait view vs. iPad.
In the header bar the “Week of” identification moves below on the mobile device because there isn’t enough real estate. On the iPad it extends across the page based on the same logic.
In the example above, the real estate allows for 2 columns of the class schedule on the iPhone while displaying 4 columns on tablet. Responsiveness design is not dependent on device type and instead flows intelligently based on available real estate.
Indicator dots appear when the entire week is not visible. The reason for this is because responsive design is not about making content smaller to fit on a page, but instead, to rearrange it and present it in a useful manner to the end user.
In both of these examples the action buttons are fixed to the bottom of the screen, and visible at all times, to minimize vertical scrolling.
As you’ll notice, new device size doesn’t matter because breakpoints move fluidly based on the content.
iPhone vs. Desktop
This is how the desktop view changes based upon available real estate on a desktop computer.
As the screen becomes larger, you are able to see more at one time so the action buttons are relocated to the bottom right hand side of the screen. Additionally, in the desktop view, the navigation is expanded
The “Week of” identification reflows based on real estate.
The hamburger menu is collapsed when there is lesser real estate, but ever present when there is more space.
The action buttons are fixed to the bottom of the screen to minimize vertical scrolling on smaller devices.
Indicator dots appear when the entire week is not visible. With larger views the entire week is visible and therefore the indicator dots and arrows are not present.
Bringing back the submenu navigation
True responsiveness is not stripping out functionality for smaller form factors.
For example, earlier versions of our Campus Solutions user experience eliminated the navigation tabs that are present throughout PeopleSoft Campus Solutions to save real estate.
Due to feedback from our customers, we reintroduced this functionality in a way that moved it out of the way but made it available when desired.
Google changed its logo today – what does it mean?
Today, Google changed its logo to better represent its presence on platforms other than desktop PC’s — where people initially interacted with Google’s software. This is just another step in its acknowledgement that people are increasingly using mobile devices as their primary computing device. Take the following support posting that encourages people to make sure their sites are mobile friendly (and that Google will be adjusting its ranking based on this).
Google’s perspective on its logo change is an interesting read. Check it out here.
CarolinaGo Mobile App Single Day Downloads Hit 2,000
According to Kate Hash, Manager of ITS Communications at UNC Chapel Hill, “Up until Friday, our largest download month had been 600 downloads of the app. On Friday alone, we had 2,000. It is clear that ConnectCarolina is adding a value to the app and that the students are now discovering the app because they want to use ConnectCarolina.”
Check out the full article on dailytarheel.com to learn more about how UNC mobilized and transformed PeopleSoft using PeopleMobile®. Read more
PeopleSoft and the Future of ERP
In this two-part series, GreyHeller founders and former, early PeopleSoft Technical Strategists, Larry Grey and Chris Heller will discuss ERP trends and how they affect PeopleSoft customers. Part I will discuss Gartner’s recently published 2015 Strategic Road Map for Postmodern ERP and how the opportunities and challenges affect PeopleSoft customers. Part II will be a demo-intensive session showing how GreyHeller customers are meeting these challenges today.
Part I
July 15 • 11am PST
According to Gartner, Monolithic ERP solutions are being deconstructed into postmodern ERP that will result in a more federated, loosely coupled ERP environment with much of the functionality sourced as cloud services or via business process outsourcers. This direction is driven by a need to support strategic, organization-wide functionality that is more flexible, secure, integrated, and modern.
Where does this leave you as a PeopleSoft customer? Do you need to replace PeopleSoft to achieve the architecture and benefits to drive your organization in the future, or do you have an option to leverage it along with other cloud-based solutions?
This session will answer these questions as well as describe how PeopleSoft can be part of a hybrid approach to utilizing PeopleSoft and the cloud:
- Where PeopleSoft fits
- Integration considerations, including data and security
- User experience modernization
- Lifecycle Management and compliance
- Control over functionality and infrastructure
Part II
July 29 • 11am PST
This session will discuss how GreyHeller customers are utilizing our technology today to utilize PeopleSoft effectively in their postmodern ERP roadmap. This demo-intensive session will include customer case studies and product demonstrations that illustrate how to flexibly and safely retain your PeopleSoft investment by evolving its role from being a monolithic application to a key component of your hybrid ERP architecture.
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Security: how to protect your most sensitive data and processes in an ever-evolving cybercrime landscape
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Identity Management: how to leverage multiple identity providers for your different constituents — Candidates, Vendors, Employees using solutions such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Azure, and on-premise resources
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User Experience: how to provide a seamless solution that is modern, looks consistent across cloud and on-premise components, and is easy to use
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Flexibility: how to evolve the functionality you deploy rapidly
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Lifecycle Management: how to keep up with new updates (driven by regulatory or business value requirements) while keeping a low TCO
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Integration: how to control all of the integrations between each of the component
GreyHeller Annual ERP Upgrade Survey Results
At GreyHeller we speak with hundreds of ERP systems customers every year across all industries. Because we develop and license enterprise-class software products that modernize and secure PeopleSoft, we work closely with them on whether they should stay with their current, older system or migrate to a newer, more modern ERP system.
In order to help ERP customers understand what their peers are doing, we surveyed over 12,000 ERP customers – across all major platforms – about their degree of customization as well as their plans to upgrade.
- 75% of survey respondents have moderately or highly customized their ERP systems
- 57% of survey respondents have no plans to upgrade their ERP systems in the next 2 years or ever
ERP systems are designed to suit a broad range of industries. The 75% with moderately or highly customized ERP systems built those customizations to specifically address their unique requirements with the key benefits being efficiency/cost savings, competitive advantage, user adoption and security against cyber crime. Considering that an average ERP implementation costs over $7 million, takes nearly 17 months to complete and delivers less than 50% of expected benefits (Panorama Consulting), it makes total sense that 57% have no plans to upgrade their systems in the next 2 years, or ever.
Let’s consider this: according to Cedar Crestone’s 2013-14 HR Systems survey, the #1 reason organizations switch to a modern ERP system is to improve user experience.
Let’s also consider this: according to FBI Director James Comey, there are 2 types of organizations in the US – those that have been breached and those that don’t know they’ve been breached.
Eureka! If the 75% could modernize and secure while maintaining their customizations, and the 57% could offer their users a more modern, secure user experience, organizations could avoid costly migrations to new ERP platforms and eliminate the risk of a failed or underwhelming project…would that not be the most desirable outcome?
We think so.
Of course, our software does exactly that. We focus on modernizing and securing PeopleSoft. We help PeopleSoft ERP customers deliver a richer, more modern user experience while protecting their PeopleSoft assets from cyber crime. Our customers save millions of dollars by not replacing PeopleSoft. Their users are happy. Their customizations remain intact. Cyber criminals are thwarted from stealing sensitive data.
Fore more information, or to schedule a private PeopleMobile® demo contact us.
Click here to take part in our Annual ERP Security Survey. Your input is valuable and can help protect organizations from internal and external threats.
