PeopleSoft Project Glossary of Terms

Confidential

Introduction

The PeopleSoft Project is a complicated one. It has many components. Some of these components serve departments which have their own arcane practices with special terminology. The PeopleSoft product itself introduces additional words and phrases which are not part of the vocabulary of the average person. In addition, some of the project planning documents are written in business argot.

This can be a problem because the PeopleSoft conversion project requires the cooperation of a wide range of people with varying backgrounds. To help us understand one another, I have compiled the following glossary of terms.

No doubt I have defined some terms incorrectly and omitted others. If you would like to suggest corrections or additions, please write to me at the email address indicated above.

Glossary

as-is analysis: research undertaken to determine the tasks performed by and the procedures employed by an existing data processing system
best practices: standardized business processes selected for adoption thoughout an organization. Business processes include purchasing procedures and other matters requiring communication and record keeping. When an organization-wide data processing system is installed to automate these processes it is necessary to unify the divergent methods formerly employed in the various departments. The standard procedure agreed upon may optimistically be called the best practice though it is very likely a compromise. In the case of the PeopleSoft project, certain business procedures are mandated by the design of the software.
best practices vision: a plan outlining standardized business processes to be adopted
callout support: ???
change control procedure: ???
cut-over: a procedure in which an existing system (such as an electrical supply, telephone system, or data processing system) is replaced with an already installed replacement system, the replacement being done in a manner calculated to minimize the period of loss of service
deliverable: any tangible result of work undertaken for a customer which is to be delivered to that customer
employee students: persons who are primarily Trinity College students but are also employed part-time by the college
encumbrance: a feature of PeopleSoft finanical managment software which can be used to limit a department's spending to the amount allocated in its budget
execution: the process of carrying out a plan
fit and gap sessions: meetings in which the features and behavior of an existing data processing system are compared to the features and behavior of an evolving replacement system
FRS: see SCT-FRS
HRMS: Human Resources Management System, a PeopleSoft software system for automating the tasks of a Human Resources department
HRMS for Public Sector: one of two variants of PeopleSofts Human Resources Managment System. See also Public Sector
HRS: see SCT-HRS
IBM Global Services: a consulting company which is assisting Trinity College in its PeopleSoft conversion project
IBM WSDDM methodology: an unidentified risk assessment procedure
impacted: affected by a change or problem
infrastructure: a vague term sometimes used to indicate those physical devices (such as computers and network wiring) and possibly software without which the PeopleSoft system cannot operate
issues: problems or defects
issues log: a document or database used to record problems with an evolving data processing system and to keep track of which ones have have yet to be solved
knowledge transfer: the process of teaching. See also skills transfer.
company level tables session: ???
matrix: a rectangular array of rows and columns resembling a mathematical matrix. A matrix is more commonly called a table.
millennium fiscal year: the fiscal year 2000 (presumably because it is the last year of the millennium)
parallel testing: a procedure in which both an old and a new data processing system are fed the same input data and the results are compared
PeopleSoft: a company which supplies a set of computer programs for automating business procedures
PeopleSoft workstation: a computer equiped with Windows 95 or NT 4.0, Microsoft Office 97 and PeopleSoft client software
Project Control Book: ??? an unidentified item used in the management of the PeopleSoft conversion project. It may be a computer program for tracking progress.
project drivers: those factors which serve as motives for a project
project scope: the sum of all the tasks to be undertaken as part of the PeopleSoft conversion project
promotions: ??? an unidentified item managed by Mike Cook
Public Sector: a variant of a PeopleSoft software component designed for organizations of a certain type. The components with public sector versions also have private sector versions. The distinction remains a mystery.
reproduction services: facilities and services for the photographic reproduction of documents
resource: an employee or consultant
script: ??? a computer data file or program which directs the repetitive performance of pre-defined tasks
SCT: Science & Computing Technology, a company which supplies some of the software being replaced with PeopleSoft products
SCT-FRS: a Financial Records System supplied by SCT
SCT-HRS: the Human Resources (Personnel) department data processing system currently employed at Trinity College. It is supplied by SCT.
skills transfer: the process of training an employee. See also knowledge transfer
SOW: Statement of Work, a written description of work to be undertaken together with a description of the conditions under which it will be undertaken and the time required
Sponsor/Champion: John Langeland -- he oversees the PeopleSoft conversion project. His responsibilities include approving the descisions of the Steering Committee and presenting proposed policy changes to the College administration.
staging: ??? an unidentified item managed by Mike Cook
Steering Committee: a committee charged with overseeing the PeopleSoft conversion. This committee receives project progress reports and recommends project changes for approval by the Sponsor/Champion
Subject Matter Expert: a person with in-depth knowledge of the data processing needs of a particular department who has been designated to represent the interests of that department during the PeopleSoft conversion

Principal Author: David Chappell
Principal Author's e-mail address: David.Chappell@mail.trincoll.edu
Document revision date: 21 February 2002
Document URL: http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/cc/techserv/peoplesoft/lex.html