1. Project Planning

Academe Solutions will work with your implementation team to develop an overall project plan unique to your institution's budget, time frames, goals and objectives. We will help you define overall project milestones, dates and deliverables to ensure that all business processes have been considered. Academe Solutions will also provide detailed project plans for each module that outlines specific tasks that must be completed in order to accomplish the defined project milestones.

2. Research

Frequently the importance of empirical research methods is overlooked and underemphasized. Our goal is to have a sound working knowledge of your institution before fit and gap analysis begins. We believe this increases our ability to effectively communicate and interact with your project team and address questions with specific information that is on target.

We start by conducting research on your current organizational structure and business practices. We quickly become acquainted with the unique characteristics of your institution and begin to interpret how they can be incorporated into your selected PeopleSoft® applications. The deliverable outcome of the brief research phase is a comprehensive list of your business practices and a skeletal database populated with your organization structure. This information will be the critical component for ensuring an effective, efficient and interactive fit and gap analysis process.

3. Fit and Gap Analysis

Our intuitive approach to fit and gap analysis teaches you the underlying principles of PeopleSoft® applications by making you an active participant in designing your system from the start. Rather than simply taking a module-by-module approach, we incorporate an integrated learning strategy that allows you to see how decisions made in one area will impact the system as a whole. Having predefined data from the initial research phase helps create a learning environment that improves communication and enhances the transfer and receipt of knowledge for all participants.

PeopleSoft® allows tremendous flexibility in the way you design your system. We believe it is our responsibility and obligation to show you the alternatives available and provide recommendations that assist you in making informed decisions. Our goal is to come away with a preliminary database that accurately represents the characteristics of your institution and serves as a blueprint for successful prototyping. Approaching fit and gap analysis in this manner allows you to develop the initial framework for a rapid implementation solution.

4. Prototype

Building on the information obtained during the research and fit and gap analysis phases, our next step is to begin prototyping in a development environment. Our implementation methodology is designed to get you up and running on your system as soon as possible. We understand that having a well-defined prototype in the initial stages of your implementation is imperative to the overall success of your project.

Academe Solutions supports these efforts by outlining specific tasks that must be completed. Rather than using a generic table load sequence, we provide you with a detailed, logical step-by-step approach that explains how we can help you accomplish the defined objectives of your project. Success instills confidence, and our methodology provides definable, achievable, short-term goals that allow you to measure your success as you work toward accomplishing your long-term objectives.

We will gladly design a fully operational PeopleSoft® Campus Solutions system that is specific to your institution and business processes. We will then present this prototype to your implementation team and user community, demonstrating the capabilities of the software as they relate specifically to your institution. The prototype is an effective tool for fit and gap analysis, educational services and prototyping.

5. Quality Assurance and Testing

Academe Solutions will be there with you every step of the way as your prepare to move your new system into production. As table setup and business process decisions are finalized in a development environment, we provide delivered scripts for moving the data into a quality assurance database. Our consulting team will then utilize detailed and proven models for user acceptance, integration and stress testing to ensure the entire system meets your required specifications for performance and delivery of customer service. After the system has been fully tested in an integrated and interactive environment, and you are satisfied with the results, it will be ready for production.

5. Production Support

As you transition into your new production system, Academe Solutions will provide support and guidance for as long as you require. Our consulting team can remain on site to assist you with day-to-day business operations, troubleshooting and education services preparation for the next phase of your project. We also offer off-site application support to assist you when major production issues occur.