WORK IN PROGRESS
UW-Madison Communication Plan for APBS Implementation
Communication Goals:
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Actively seek University-wide input
Keep the University community well-informed
Promote project accountability
Identify how this project fits in with the strategic plan (e.g. other administrative systems)
of the University
Establish appropriate expectations of change and process improvement among end users
Smooth the integration of the system into the workings of the University
Ensure the allocation of sufficient resources to the project
Build support for the project within the larger university community
Provide feedback from UW-Madison to the APBS core team
Information should
o Be timely, complete, accurate and relevant to the audience
o Promote opportunities for broad and constructive conversation
o Be made available at the frequency and level of detail suitable to audience
Audiences
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*Division Personnel Representatives
*Division Payroll/Benefit Representatives
Technical Support Staff – both in the divisions and at DoIT
Deans/Directors
*Division Business Representatives
*Division Budget Officers
Budget, Planning, and Analysis staff
Academic Personnel Office (APO) and Classified Personnel Office (CPO) staff
Employee Compensation and Benefits Services (ECBS) staff
Office of the Secretary of the Faculty/University Committee
Office of the Secretary of Academic Staff/ASEC
University Administration: Provost and Vice Chancellor for Administration
Community of University employees: academic staff, classified employees, employeesin-training, faculty, graduate assistants and student employees.
*Note: Divisions will carry forward the communications plan to the departments
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WORK IN PROGRESS
Communication Vehicles
1. APBS System Newsletter
To receive News from the APBS-Lawson Project Core Team by e-mail:
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Send an e-mail to majordomo@maillist.uwsa.edu
Leave the subject line blank
In the body of the message, type subscribe apbs_news
You will receive a message confirming your subscription.
Past issues of the newsletter can be found at http://www.uwsa.edu/hr/apbs/articles.htm
2. APBS System Website
The APBS System website contains information about the project’s background,
organizational structure, timelines, news articles and project information. This site also
provides an opportunity for user feedback via e-mail links to project staff.
http://www.uwsa.edu/hr/apbs/index.htm
The website for the Office of Human Resources contains a link to the APBS System website.
3. E-mail Distribution List
Each division has identified up to two representatives to act as that division's contact for the
APBS/Lawson Software project. The divisional contact(s) role is to be the primary contact
for APBS/Lawson communications and to be responsible for disseminating APBS
information within their division to all interested parties, i.e., individuals who work in the
payroll, benefits, personnel, and technical areas.
4. Articles in Wisconsin Week
Wisconsin Week is the official newspaper for the UW-Madison. It is published biweekly
during the school year and is distributed to all faculty and staff. Articles submitted to the
newspaper can introduce and explain the project to faculty and staff, help shape expectations
and communicate the status of the project’s development. Articles about the APBS project
or notices about APBS presentations can be submitted to Wisconsin Week on an “as needed”
basis.
5. Meetings
Regularly scheduled meetings will be an important method of communication for the APBS
project. Meetings reach a broad audience and allow for the sharing of ideas between
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WORK IN PROGRESS
participants. The following established meetings would be useful vehicles for sharing
information about the APBS project:
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Personnel Representatives Meeting
Payroll/Benefit Representatives Meeting
Unclassified Working Group Meeting
Classified Kitchen Cabinet Meeting
Regular meetings with Provost and Vice Chancellor for Administration
CTIG (Campus Technical Issues Group)
CAG (representative group of schools/colleges)
6. Presentations
APBS presentations will be available to any division or department that would like more
information about the APBS project. Presentations may be delivered in person or using
the Wisline web meeting technology.
Other speakers/presentations that will assist with the communication plan will be
provided as needed.
7. Work Groups/Work Review
Division/department staff has been asked and will continue to be asked to participate in
the review of work products produced by the APBS core team and UWPC resource team.
Currently, the division/department staff are reviewing the event and “new hire” scenarios
that detail existing business practices. In the future, division/department staff will review
the core-team-developed Lawson procedures.
8. Informal training
Training is an important form of communication. A formal training plan for UWMadison will be developed separately. Informal training on the APBS product will be
available via two training stations that have been set up in the Office of Human
Resources, Room 166 Bascom. People will be encouraged to come in and try out the
Lawson software by “hiring” employees and entering employee information for benefits
and payroll using the developed Lawson procedures.
9. UW-Madison Project Team for APBS
A project team will need to be formed to coordinate the roll-out and training of the APBS
product across the campus. The exact membership of this project team and its specific
responsibilities has yet to be determined.
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WORK IN PROGRESS
Communication Matrix
Audience
Objectives
Communication
Vehicle
Time and/or
Frequency
Who will
communicate
University
Administration
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Meetings
Weekly to Monthly
Carla
Web site
Wisconsin Week
Always available
As needed
Core team
OHR/ECBS
Meetings/Discussions
System newsletter
Web site
Email Distribution List
Work groups
Informal training
Monthly
Monthly
Always available
As needed
As needed
Available as of March
OHR/ECBS
Core team
Core team
OHR/ECBS
OHR/ECBS
OHR/ECBS
Presentations
System newsletter
Web site
Informal training
As requested
Monthly
Always available
Available as of March
OHR/ECBS/DoIT
Core team
Core team
OHR/ECBS/DoIT
Meetings
Presentations
As needed
As needed
University
Administrators
Presentations
System newsletter
Web site
As requested
Monthly
Always available
Carla
Core team
Core team
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University
employees
Payroll/Benefit,
Personnel,
Budget, and
Business
Representatives
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Technical
Support Staff
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Deans/Directors
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Governance
Bodies
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Inform
Build support for
project
Ensure allocation of
sufficient resources
Promote project
accountability
Align project with
priorities of UW
Build support for
project
Inform
Actively seek input
Establish appropriate
expectations of change
Smooth integration of
APBS into workings of
UW
Determine whether
product meets needs of
UW-Madison
Inform
Identify project roles
and responsibilities
Actively seek input
Establish appropriate
expectations of change
Smooth integration of
APBS into workings of
UW
Inform
Inform
Build support for
project
Ensure allocation of
sufficient resources
Promote project
accountability
Align project with
priorities of UW
Establish appropriate
expectations of change
Inform
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WORK IN PROGRESS
Budget, Planning
and Analysis
staff
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APO, CPO and
ECBS staff
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Actively seek input
Establish appropriate
expectations of change
Smooth integration of
APBS into workings of
UW
Determine whether
product meets needs of
UW-Madison
Inform
Actively seek input
Establish appropriate
expectations of change
Smooth integration of
APBS into workings of
UW
Determine whether
product meets needs of
UW-Madison
Meetings/Discussions
System newsletter
Web site
As requested
Monthly
Always available
OHR/ECBS
Core team
Core team
Meetings
System newsletter
Web site
Email Distribution List
Work groups
Informal training
Monthly
Monthly
Always available
As needed
As needed
Available as of March
OHR/ECBS
Core team
Core team
OHR/ECBS
OHR/ECBS
OHR/ECBS
Sources
The sources used when developing this communication plan are listed below. Most of the
communication goals included in this communication plan are quoted verbatim from the source
materials.
New Jersey City University Communication Plan:
(http://web.njcu.edu/is2000/PeopleSoft/Communication_Plan.pdf)
Project Fresh Communication Plan: (http://www.fresh.unh.edu/projmgmt/documents/FRESH
communication plan1.pdf)
User Project Communication Plan: (http://www.washington.edu/user/commplan.html)
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