Implementing Oracle HCM Cloud in higher education: Boise State University starts a new chapter

In June 2016, Boise State went live with Oracle ERP Cloud and then five years later, the HCM module made its internal debut. With an estimated 24,000 enrolled students, Boise State was one of the first universities to adopt Oracle ERP Cloud, blazing a digital transformation trail for the Higher Education industry.

Baker Tilly’s Jeff Haynes, director, and Kaitlin Hurst-Farrell, manager, sat down with Jason Fairman, project manager at Boise State University, at the recent Alliance conference, presented by Higher Education User Group (HEUG), to discuss their journey to HCM.

Q: Why did you make the move to Oracle HCM Cloud?

Fairman: We made the transition to HCM because the customizations and on-premises infrastructure of PeopleSoft created too large of a maintenance burden for the University. Ultimately, we decided to go with HCM because we were a long-time customer of Oracle’s, and that relationship made the move to HCM logical. After having a positive experience with Oracle ERP Cloud we were ready to implement Oracle HCM Cloud and we selected Baker Tilly to help us implement it.

Q: How did you assemble a project team?

Fairman: To set expectations, we held a project kickoff with over 120 people, representing groups from across the campus who would be directly impacted by this transition. This allowed them to hear from project leaders and executive sponsors about this new chapter. We also kept campus leadership informed and that made them feel a part of the success of the process.

Hurst-Farrell: From the beginning, having those resources as part of the kickoff allowed us to identify changes to business processes and in the system that would impact campus and end users. Boise State also utilized a business process improvement analyst who worked alongside our solution architect. This key team addition was unique and allowed us to successfully drive and manage change.

Q: What do HCM design sessions look like?