MIPRO Unfiltered » financials

PeopleSoft Financials and Supply Chain Management 9.1 Now Available

David Brunet — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:45:40 +0000

Quick update: Oracle has released PeopleSoft Financials and Supply Chain Management 9.1. This is the final GA component of the 9.1 family of PeopleSoft applications.

If you wish to download it, it is available via Oracle’s E-Delivery portal. To get it, simply search on “My Oracle Support” for “documentation home pages” related to the PeopleSoft FSCM 9.1 product line. Pretty simple.

Myself, I am going to install a single user version and get familiar with the new features and functions of the Financials and Supply Chain 9.1 release. If you’re thinking along the same lines, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions and I’ll happy to discuss further. As it stands now, we’re fielding a lot of questions about this piece of 9.1 functionality.

So what is next for Oracle?

Well, the big thing is that now most folks are waiting for the upgrade scripts for each product to be released before they are able to upgrade from their current PeopleSoft release to 9.1.

As of this moment PeopleTools 8.50 is the only product with upgrade scripts available, and we have already developed a PeopleTools 8.5 upgrade packaged service to meet our customer’s needs and get running on the latest PeopleTools release quickly.

We anticipate the upgrade scripts for the remaining product lines will be released over the next couple of months, and as we see them pop up, we will post our thoughts about them as well as our experiences upgrading our clients.

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Related whitepapers (PDF):

PeopleSoft Maintenance Management: An Introduction and Overview of Benefits

Related web content:

MiPro Consulting: PeopleSoft Services
MiPro Consulting: Resources

Quantifying the Value of Integration With PeopleSoft Maintenance Management: A Real Life Example

David Brunet — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:49:33 +0000

In some of my previous blog posts, I have emphasized the importance and real-world value of integration for PeopleSoft customers. Integration is an overused word, but nonetheless lots of concepts and power live within it.

There is no question that an integrated maintenance management system lowers an organization’s risk and costs. What I haven’t really done previously is quantify the value of integration — in other words, put a number on how much money a PeopleSoft customer will really save by using the PeopleSoft Maintenance Management solution instead of a third-party product that must be interfaced and supported.

Here’s my shot at that.

A large city in the Western US that uses PeopleSoft recently posted a bid award for a consulting and support agreement on their website. This particular city uses a third-party maintenance management system.

When I read the bid details, I was surprised to read that this city was spending $300,000 to integrate their third-party maintenance management system to their PeopleSoft procurement system. Three hundred grand, just for integration work. The bid details also mention an additional (but unspecified) amount would be used to pay for ongoing software maintenance and services to support the integration.

If I estimate those costs at 10% of the original integration cost annually, the five-year costs to develop and support the integration between PeopleSoft and third-party maintenance solution is right around $450,000.

I don’t know about you, but when you consider that the cost of integration is for PeopleSoft Maintenance Management customers is zero and there is no additional support and maintenance costs beyond the standard Premium support, I can think of 450,000 reasons why a PeopleSoft customer requiring a maintenance management solution should be looking closely at the PeopleSoft Maintenance Management solution.

That’s one example. I’m sure there are many more.

If companies understood that the PeopleSoft Maintenance Management solution offered functional parity or superiority and massive downstream cost savings when it comes to native integrations into other PeopleSoft FMS modules, people would see this decision (and investigation) differently. In my discussions with clients, when this topic comes up they are shocked at what they learn. Not just about what PeopleSoft Maintenance Management can do, but also how much extraneous dev + maintenance spend they can jettison by sticking with native intra-PeopleSoft integrations.

If any of this sounds like something you’re wrestling with, please email me or give us a call at 800-774-5187. I’d love to help you sort your plans out.

In addition, you can check out Oracle’s website and download some of the collateral related to the product. If you’d like more of an in-depth primer on PeopleSoft MM’s and a deeper explanation of its benefits (especially compared to point solutions), download our free whitepaper entitled PeopleSoft Maintenance Management: An Introduction and Overview of Benefits.

Previously by David Brunet:

Quick Look: PeopleSoft Asset Lifecycle Management (ALM) 9.1 Enhancements
PeopleSoft ‘Edge of the Enterprise’ Applications: eSupplier Connection & eSettlements
PeopleSoft Financials: Source-to-Settle 9.1 Enhancements
PeopleSoft IT Asset Management: A Deeper Look
PeopleSoft Maintenance Management: A Deeper Look
PeopleSoft Real Estate Management: A Deeper Look
An Introduction to PeopleSoft Asset Lifecycle Management
Sneak Peek: PeopleSoft Enterprise Portal 9.1
PeopleTools 8.5: A Look Inside

Related whitepapers (PDF):

PeopleSoft Maintenance Management: An Introduction and Overview of Benefits

Related web content:

MiPro Consulting: PeopleSoft Services
MiPro Consulting: Resources

PeopleSoft Financials: Source-to-Settle 9.1 Enhancements

David Brunet — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:03:13 +0000

Let’s just put it this way: PeopleSoft 9.1 a hot topic right now.

If our webserver logs are to be believed, a huge portion of our readership is very interested in what enhancements will be in the upcoming release of PeopleSoft Financials 9.1. Well, I am happy to say that Oracle has published the release value proposition and outlined some of the key high level items that will be included as part of this release. Let’s look into them as best we can, because there are tons of questions out there.

To begin with, let’s define what products are included in the source-to-settle process. Many times we hear from customers that they want this functionality, but then realize they do not have the appropriate product footprint to meet their needs.

The suite is composed of the following products, each of which I have attempted to summarize at a high level:

Purchasing – The core procurement application that provides the baseline functionality
eProcurement – Enables advanced workflow and Supplier Integration via PeopleSoft Direct Connect
eSupplier Connection – Enables vendors to login to your supplier portal and look up PO’s, Receipts, Invoices and Payments as well as providing the ability to do acknowledge PO’s and submit Advance Shipment Notices.
Strategic Sourcing – Allows for collaboration across the enterprise and with suppliers on the source process. This includes RFI’s, RFQ’s, RFP’s and Auction functionality.
Supplier Contracts Management – This application allows you to track T&C’s of contacts and integrates directly with Purchasing
Services Procurement – For services focused organization this product provides for the tracking and analysis of resource based services.
Payables – The core accounts payable application that provides invoice and payment processing functionality.
eSettlements – enables supplier to enter their own invoices and view key payment information related to them.

Diving a little bit deeper, here is a list of some key enhancement for each product. I have not listed all of them (due to space and attention constraints), but you can always go to Metalink3 to get the PeopleSoft Release Value Proposition for PeopleSoft Financials 9.1 (Metalink3 login required).

Enhancements to Strategic Sourcing 9.1

Line grouping – This allows the suppliers to selectively choose items on a bid and propose a price base on the group rather than the individual items
Third party event notification – ability to send notifications of events and their statuses to third-party bid management organizations
Embedded dashboard analytics providing access to live events
Introduction of a Bidding Homepage to help supplier better navigate the application

Enhancements to Supplier Contract Management 9.1

Supplier collaboration for authoring contracts using MS word as well as online
Ability to import supplier contracts
Support for Digital Signatures using a free Adobe© PDF reader
Ability to create PO based contracts
Contract Cycle Time Tracking
Ability to create an Executive Summary for a contract.

Enhancements to eSupplier Connection

Enhancements to the Supplier Self Registration Process
Supplier navigation enhancements

Enhancements to eProcurement

PO dispatch via XML publisher
Enhancements to requisition change requests with change reasons and advanced tracking
Requisition reports via XML Publisher
Ability to save direct connect items to favorites
Support for Trade-ins
Increased integration into the Oracle Supplier Network (exchange.oracle.com)

Enhancements to Purchasing

Various Improvements to the Contracting function
Management of Workflow Approvals, using the Approval framework (THIS IS BIG, as this is the same workflow that is used by eProcurement)
PO Dispatch via XML Publisher
Buyer PO Dispatch Signature ability
Support for Trade-Ins
New Close Shortage workbench – allows buyers to close POs that have been short-shipped

Enhancements to Services Procurement

Multi Resource Services
Enhancements to workflow approvals for Time, Expenses and Progress Logs
Improved integration with HCM and Talent Acquisition Management
Ability to retract submittals

Enhancements to Accounts Payable

Automated Accrual Processing
Vendor Name History Tracking
Payment Advices to Vendors for ACH payments via email
Management of Workflow Approvals using the Approval Framework for Invoices and Vendors.

Enhancements to eSettlements

Dynamic Discounting
Support for CXML electronic invoices
Online 1099 Report

I would love to spend time discussing each of the features in detail, but then this would have been 122 pages long, and if you want 122 pages of this, we’re well beyond blog territory. Again, you can head to Metalink3 to get the PeopleSoft Release Value Proposition if you want (much) more detail.

Final note: we get asked everyday about PeopleSoft 9.1, and interest is only growing. I invite you to email me or leave a comment below if you’d like to talk to us about upgrading or implementing 9.1 for your organization. Requests will be taken first come, first serve, so if you’re interested or just want to have brief conversation about it, contact us ASAP. We’d love to talk to you, and we’re confident we can help you formulate a strategy around your PeopleSoft 9.1 plans.

Previously by David Brunet:

PeopleSoft IT Asset Management: A Deeper Look
PeopleSoft Maintenance Management: A Deeper Look
PeopleSoft Real Estate Management: A Deeper Look
An Introduction to PeopleSoft Asset Lifecycle Management
Sneak Peek: PeopleSoft Enterprise Portal 9.1
PeopleTools 8.5: A Look Inside

Related whitepapers (PDF):

PeopleSoft Maintenance Management: An Introduction and Overview of Benefits

Related web content:

MiPro Consulting: PeopleSoft Services
MiPro Consulting: Resources

PeopleSoft Maintenance Management: a deeper look

David Brunet — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:28:03 +0000

Last week we dove into the Real Estate Management module included within PeopleSoft’s ALM product suite. This week I’m going to dig into another module within the ALM product suite — Maintenance Management (MM). For anyone interested in asset maintenance and reliability, this one’s for you.

Given the rough sledding in the economy right now, managing a company’s assets is hugely topical. Here’s a quote from a June 2009 AMR Research Report entitled Asset Management Algebra: EAM = ROI:

“Companies don’t have the luxury of large capital budgets in today’s economy. They have to do more—or at least as much—with less. This means that, in respect to their assets, they have to wring out efficiency and extend the life and usefulness of their existing plants, property, and equipment. This is at the core of many organizations’ enterprise asset management programs.”

The PeopleSoft MM system is a full function, end-to-end solution providing complete visibility and control of a company’s capital and non-capital assets. Assets are managed throughout their entire lifecycle, from acquisition through in-service and ultimately to retirement. PeopleSoft customers using the MM system enjoy the benefits of reduced capital equipment downtime, lower costs to maintain these assets, and ease of compliance with safety regulations. In addition, the fully integrated solution minimizes the TCO of the software solution.

Besides providing robust functionality, I believe the biggest benefit PeopleSoft customers receive is the integration into their existing PeopleSoft Financial, HCM, and Supply Chain systems. Interfacing a third-party MM system is expensive, complex, and time consuming. The PeopleSoft MM application ships with native integrations with the following PeopleSoft modules:

PeopleSoft Asset Management
PeopleSoft Project Costing
PeopleSoft Resource Management
PeopleSoft HCM
PeopleSoft Purchasing
PeopleSoft eProcurement
PeopleSoft Inventory
PeopleSoft Accounts Payable

To illustrate my point, consider the lifecycle of a work order and all the systems it touches, from generation of the work order to performing the work required, closing out the work order, as well as all the associated accounting. It’s a lot and complex, so let’s walk through an example.

When a work order is generated, it may access the inventory system for spare parts availability, the purchasing system if parts or other MRO items are not on hand and need to be purchased, the accounts payable system to handle the payment of the purchased MRO items or spare parts, the HCM system to determine what person(s) has the skills to perform the work, and the general ledger and asset management systems after the work is performed. Lots and lots of touchpoints, and this is a relatively limited example.

It is not uncommon for a PeopleSoft customer using a third-party MM system to develop and maintain over 20 bi-directional interfaces to the GL, AP, Inventory, Procurement, HCM and Asset Management systems. PeopleSoft MM eliminates these integration headaches with its native ties to other PeopleSoft systems. If you think this is just spec sheet fodder, it’s not: these out-of-box integrations save massive amounts of time and effort.

So, what about the ROI? Let’s again go back to what AMR Research says:

“EAM systems can provide demonstrable results in a relatively short time frame. In today’s environment, where budgets are tight and freeing up or conserving working capital is paramount, developing and implementing a robust EAM solution can help deliver incremental profit to the bottom line.”

PeopleSoft customers operating in asset-intensive verticals such as Mining, Utilities, Hospitality, Education, State/Local Government, Manufacturing and Oil/Gas would be well advised to review the benefits offered in the PeopleSoft MM system. Likewise, if your organization has a fleet of vehicles, multiple capital assets used for production, or multiple facilities requiring ongoing maintenance, take the time to learn more about PeopleSoft Maintenance Management.

For more information on the PeopleSoft MM product, please email me or give us a call at 800-774-5187. In addition, you can check out Oracle’s website and download some of the collateral related to the product. If you’d like more of a in-depth primer on PeopleSoft MM’s and a deeper explanation of its benefits (especially compared to point solutions), download our free whitepaper entitled PeopleSoft Maintenance Management: An Introduction and Overview of Benefits.

Next week we’ll discuss the features and benefits of the PeopleSoft IT Asset Management (ITAM) application, the third asset management application contained in the PeopleSoft Asset Lifecycle Management (ALM) suite. Be sure to come back (or subscribe to our RSS) if you’re interested. Alternatively, if you’re into social media, hit us up on Twitter or become our fan on Facebook.

An Introduction to PeopleSoft Asset Lifecycle Management

Sneak Peek: PeopleSoft Enterprise Portal 9.1

PeopleTools 8.5: A Look Inside

Related whitepapers (PDF):

PeopleSoft Maintenance Management: An Introduction and Overview of Benefits

Business Intelligence: A picture (or Flash demo) is worth a thousand words

Jeff Ventura — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:29:06 +0000

Business Intelligence (BI) is one of those things that we can talk to clients about until our jaws cramp and they still have only a loose impression of what the business value actually looks like. Folks get the concept and the high-level potential, but they struggle to apply the concept to a real business scenario, although they know it applies to many. This is partially why, for so many years, BI was simply summarized as fancy reporting and a few automotive-themed dashboards.

The following Flash demo, courtesy of Oracle, does exactly what we try to do in our BI workshops: it paints a picture of how BI helps detail real business problems. In plain English and way that almost any exec can appreciate.

One of MiPro’s founding partners said this is one of the most powerful BI examples he’s ever seen. Give it a look and see if you agree.

Business Intelligence and Oracle Financial Analytics (Flash demo, 3 mins)

The Intricacies of PeopleSoft Invoice Matching

Jeff Ventura — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:41:15 +0000

In our recent newsletter, two of our senior principal consultants wrote a quick bit about the differences in PeopleSoft invoice matching functionality from 8.9 to 9.0. We get asked about this a lot, and for most users, the differences can be somewhat arcane. Because of this, I’d like to share the article.

Differences in PeopleSoft Invoice Matching from 8.9 to 9.0: A High-level View

by April Black and Jack Kochie, Sr. Principal Consultants

From PeopleSoft 8.9 to 9.0, some of the invoice matching and processing rules changed significantly, and we find many of our clients don’t know about the changes in any sort of detail. At a high-level, here are the biggest-hitting changes:

9.0 includes all features of prior releases
Expanded document association included (e.g. receipt selection)
Expanded rules engine (contexts: summary, tolerance, global), which provide:
- More flexibility
- Flow control (allows matching – i.e. check all or check first)
- Summary rules
- Rule tolerances
Auto-matching with debit memos
Configurable matching workbench
Expanded workflow

As for what we get asked about steadily, it’s the intricacies of the rules engine.

Specifically, the flow control and the summary rules allow you to set a dollar threshold per invoice where the processing of the match exception difference is not cost effective to handle manually based upon the invoice charge and the purchase order comparison. In other words, the small dollar exceptions are processed and matched, which means the remaining match exceptions are material and warrant the time required to contact vendors and manage the corrections. The invoice differences that match within the tolerance are scheduled for payment, which improves the opportunity for payment discounts and timely payments. In the end, overall process flow is improved and negative impact to the business is safeguarded.

Matching tolerances, flow, and action can be defined solely at the rule level or at a more granular level as in the past (e.g. by item category). For example, if a contract with the supplier states freight is not charged on an invoice, the rule specific to the freight charges can be used and the flow defined to stop after this rule is triggered because freight was charged on the invoice. Additional exceptions are not generated and the supplier is contacted to send a corrected invoice. This means the matching configuration can be defined to focus on the invoice processing differences for your organization and business processes.

While the 9.0 enhancements are powerful, the new matching will require some time to review and evaluate the rule combinations to meet your business processing needs. Doing so may reduce the number of exceptions generated for processing and generate exceptions for the material differences between invoices purchase orders and receipts. The groundwork to get 9.0 matching running and optimized for your business might be intricate, but it’s an investment that pays for itself very quickly.