CHRS Glossary

Term

AM

Absence Management 

AVP

Academic Vice President 

BA/BB 

Benefits Administration / Base Benefits 

BI / DW

Business Intelligence - Data Warehouse 

BPF

Business Process Flow is a visual depiction of the future standard CHRS business process. Its purpose is to accurately depict the standard CHRS process for accurate communication of that standard process to all parties; and to enable everyone to speak the same language. This is a living document that gets updated throughout the Design and Build phases of CHRS 

BPF Step  

is a shape on the business process flow depicting a step in the overall process. BPF Steps are assigned a unique number on a single BPF, typically 1.1, 1.2 etc. An optional BPF Step is a step that may not be applicable at every campus AND there are no negative impacts if that step is not run at a campus 

BPG

Business Process Guide is a step by step guide on how to execute the business process in CHRS. This is a living document that gets updated throughout the Design and Build phases of CHRS 

CABO   

Chief Administrators and Business Officers 

CFO

Chief Financial Officer 

CHRS 

Common Human Resources System

CIO

Chief Information Officer 

CMCT 

Change Management and Communications Team 

CMS 

Common Management System Team 

GRP

Gap Resolution Form is the form that identifies the proposed solution to resolve an identified Gap. The form also vets the proposed solution against CHRS guiding principles. To be completed for every gap or group of gaps identified during Solution Design Activities. 

HECH 

Higher Education Constituent Hub

HRO

Human Resources Officer

IPP

Integrated Program Plan 

ITAC

Information Technology Advisory Committee 

LCD

Labor Cost Distribution 

PDM

Profile Data Mart is the tool that will help human resources to identify data standards 

PUM

PeopleSoft Upgrade Manager 

RS

Recruiting Solutions 

SCI

Sierra-Cedar consultants provide project management in cooperative unity with the CHRS Program Team 

SDW

Solution Design Workshop 

SLA

Service Level Agreement 

SME

Subject Matter Expert 

TF

Temporary Faculty 

TUG

Technology Users Group 

UPK

PeopleSoft User Productivity Kit 

WA

Workforce Administration 

WBS 

Work Breakdown Structure 

9.2 Vanilla 

refers to the PeopleSoft 9.2 that does not include software modifications 

9.2 Configuration 

refers to the ability to make changes to PeopleSoft 9.2 using configurable capabilities within the software to address gaps without having to perform software modifications 

Application Security 

is the use of software, hardware, and procedural methods to protect applications from external threats. Once an afterthought in software design, security is becoming an increasingly important concern during development 

Baseline Modifications 

This represents previous modifications the CMS Team has made to PeopleSoft 9.0 

Business Process 

is a systemwide view, as opposed to a campus-by-campus view, of looking at the business processes using PeopleSoft 9.2 

Business Process Standardization 

is the process of identifying key HR business processes and by reviewing the business process flow (BPF) ensuring the system and other tools are used in a consistent way across all campuses. Adherence to CHRS Guiding Principles is key. 

California State University (CSU) 

Refers to the system comprised of 23 campuses and the Office of the Chancellor. 

Campus Acceptance Testing 

is the last phase of the software testing process, that involves campus end-users. During Campus Acceptance Testing, actual campus software users test the software to make sure it can handle required tasks in real-world scenarios, according to specifications 

Change Advisory Committee 

advises the CHRS program on campus preparation and readiness, communications, training as well as the overall change management strategy. The focus of the change advisory meeting is to advise the CHRS Program team on change management related activities related to campus preparation and readiness, communications, training as well as the overall change management strategy. The Change Advisory group meets monthly via Zoom 

Campus Change Teams 

are teams that help support the CHRS changes locally at each campus. The focus of the campus change teams is to build a network to support the CHRS Program and is focused on information sharing, collaboration and tools to help support change management at each campus. The Campus Change teams meet monthly via Zoom. It is recommended that the campus change team include one or more persons (varies by campus) who are able to share communications across divisions (divisions include Faculty Affairs, HR, Student and Finance –as the key groups/divisions to receive communications) 

Campus Configuration 

has to do with all the standard values in the software - job codes, benefits plans, reporting of time - that are configured centrally 

Campus Mapping 

is a method that is employed as part of a campus data clean up.  If a campus decides to not clean up their data prior to standardization, a campus mapping tool must then be put in place to help in this process. 

Campus Solutions 

Campus Solutions is the name of the Oracle student application. The application previously was called Student Administration (SA). 

Campus-Specific 

is an interface that is not standardized and is developed and maintained by the campus, using CMS-defined standards, and undergoing CMS review prior to activation in CHRS. 

Change Management 

is a structured process, based on social science research, for managing the people side of a program and includes processes, tools and techniques to facilitate the adoption and use of a new way of doing work. For the CHRS Program and any large program, effective change management is critical in this process, and requires engagement across a broad audience within the CSU 

Change Network 

will play an important role in the design, development, and implementation of the CHRS program. The primary objectives of the Systemwide Change Network are to: 1) Gather input and feedback regarding the CHRS program and related work activity; 2) Analyze and assess business readiness for the changes resulting from the new system;3) Help each campus adjust to and effectively implement the changes in the new system; and, 4) Facilitate communications to all impacted stakeholders across divisions including Faculty Affairs, HR, Student and Finance 

CHRS Deliverables 

is the functional prototype of the new HR solution by module. 

CHRS Integration 

interfaces between CHRS and other systems (i.e., PIMS, benefit providers) 

CHRS Solution Design 

is the design of the common CSU Human Resources application built on a single database platform with standardized business processes and standardized data elements 

CMS Central 

The support team comprised of members from CMS application and technical teams, based at the CO. 

CMS Central supports the functional and technical operations of the CHRS baseline. 

Common Door 

is developed by CMS. These deliver an exact structure and format for every field that comprises the interface; for example, a date field cannot deviate from 00/00/0000 to 0000/00/00 at another campus. Each campus must extract and convert their data into the exact format required for upload into CHRS. 

Common Financial System (CFS) 

The delivered   Finance   baseline that combines data from all 23 campuses and the Office of the Chancellor in a single production database instance. 

The project name for the work required to combine data from the 23 campuses and the CO into a single Finance database. 

Common Human Resources System (CHRS) 

The delivered   HR   Baseline that combines data from all 23 campuses and the Office of the Chancellor in a single production database instance. 

The project name for the work required to combine data from the 23 campuses and the CO into a single HR database instance. 

Common Management System (CMS) 

The CSU systemwide common information systems environment that enhances the collective operation of administrative functions in a sustainable and cost-effective environment. 

Common Solution 

Is developed by CMS and used by all campuses as delivered. All exceptions must be submitted and reviewed by the program team on a case-by-base basis. 

Conversion

is the process of migrating data from campus Human to the Common Human Resources System (CHRS) 

Conversion Testing 

verifies that one data format can be converted into another data format so that the converted data format can be used seamlessly by the application under test appropriately 

CS 9.2 Split 

is the pre-requisite project to CHRS. The CS 9.2 Split splits campus Human Resources and Campus Solutions 

Data Cleanup 

is part of the HR Data Standardization project, with the objective to ensure that standardized data values are being consistently and uniformly applied in the CHRS system. Data fields are identified in the Design phase, the usage is standardized (i.e., limit the number of characters, specify only certain fields via drop-down menu), and finally, reach into the system itself, extract the targeted data and update it to match the new guidelines. Cleanup may be a combined effort between CMS and the campuses 

Data Governance 

is a cross-functional governance body that will represent all of the appropriate constituencies that can validate that there will not be unintended consequences when changes occur.   This team will provide support to the day-to-day support needs of diverse business applications (human resources, student services, finance and budget) and business requirements 

Data Masking Initiative 

is a service provided by CMS in partnership with Unisys. The technology provides data security by replacing sensitive information with a fictitious equivalent that can be used for development, testing, and analytics without risk of exposing the original data 

Data Retention

are guidelines for how long to retain non-paper data in the system, what to retain, how it should be secured, and which group of employees are impacted 

Data Standardization 

is the process by which all campuses, including the Chancellor's Office, will use the same common fields of employee-level data (example: Gender). This process is directly linked to Governance.  CALPERS helps to define the common definitions by which common fields are arrived at 

Decision Reached 

when workshop attendees have reached an agreement/made up their mind about a topic or item 

Decisions Pending 

when workshop attendees have identified an item that needs to be discussed and decided by either CHRS Governance or a different group 

Design Spec 

or Design Specification is a detailed document explaining how a design is made, what it is intended to do, and how far it complies with the requirements. It provides information about the characteristics of a project or product to set criteria that the developers will need to meet 

Enterprise Reporting and Data Warehouse Services 

Team responsible for the development and delivery of the CHRS HR data warehouse and analytic reports. 

Faculty Administration

Refers to the group of requirements and/or delivered functionality unique to faculty. Includes administrative functions such as tenure and tenure promotion, WTU accumulation, stipends, etc. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 

Communication tool used to collect campus questions and post answers to questions with common themes. 

Functional Specs 

or Functional Specifications are the documentation of functional requirements 

Gap

is functionality that is required for the Common HR Solution (CHRS) (CSU-wide). The functionality in question currently does not exist in the CSU Baseline. 

Governance 

is the framework of rules and practices by which the governing board ensures accountability, fairness, and transparency in the CHRS program's relationship with all its stakeholders 

Higher Education Constituency Hub (HECH) 

Tool selected to manage integration between the HR and CS databases. 

Human Resources: 

A.   Systemwide HR 

B.   HR Application 

C.   HR Baseline 

A. Systemwide HR is a department based at the Chancellors Office that establishes and governs systemwide HR policies. 

B. Oracle Human Resources application (as delivered). 

C. The HR Baseline contains the final product delivered to campuses, which includes both Oracle-delivered functionality and custom modifications. It commonly refers to the product delivered prior to the CHRS project, which is implemented in 24 production databases (one for each campus and the CO). When the CHRS project is complete, the HR Baseline will simply be called CHRS. 

Integration 

refers to any read / write data (any data that is read or written) from the standpoint between CHRS and any external system 

Interfaces 

are programs that either read or write data either from or to CHRS 

Issues

are items to be reviewed and assessed BEFORE the team proceeds 

Iterative Development 

is a way of breaking down the software development of a large application into smaller chunks. In iterative development, feature code is designed, developed and tested in repeated cycles 

Mod Specs 

or Modification Specifications are documentation of the technical details of a modification 

Module 

in PeopleSoft represents a bundle of forms, tables and processes associated to a specific HR function that can be accessed via PeopleSoft.  For example:  Absence Management Module 

Module Lead 

is the position that provides expertise on CSU systemwide Policy, Regulations, Practices, CBAs.  Responsibilities are to: adhere to and promote the CHRS Guiding Principles; help establish the "common set of HR practices for CSU systemwide”; inform on policy, regulatory requirements, and bargaining agreements; identify greater utilization of delivered functionality to reduce shadow systems; obtain needed information from other key CSU resources; actively participate in the initial prototype build activities 

MyCalPays 

Name given to the State of California’s payroll project. 

Not Supported 

Not approved to Read / Write either into or out of CHRS 

Office of the Chancellor (CO) 

The Office of the Chancellor is the official name for the central office governing the 23 campuses of the California State University. 

Informally called the Chancellor's Office, and abbreviated CO. 

Operational

refers to something procedural; or the execution of your strategy or approach 

Oracle/PeopleSoft (PS) 

PeopleSoft was the company who originally owned the PeopleSoft Human Resources, Student Administration and Finance products adopted by the CSU for the CMS project. Oracle bought out PeopleSoft, and the software is now commonly referred to as Oracle, although technically it still retains a “PeopleSoft” technical / development platform. 

Out of Scope 

Not approved to Read / Write either into or out of CHRS 

Parking Lot 

is a place to capture ideas that the team does not want to lose, but are not appropriate to the discussion at hand (either due to time restrictions or the nature of the topic itself) 

Performance Testing 

is testing to evaluate system performance 

Person record 

is the data record of one singular person 

Phase

or Project Phase, represents the collection of the project activities aimed at a certain end result. Each project phase is goal-oriented and contains a particular number of the work steps to achieve the intended end result. Each phase ends at a milestone, whose attainment means the project has progressed. Each phase can be divided into sub-phases and individual components in a project 

Policy

is a formal publication from Systemwide Human Resources or Security 

Position Paper 

is a paper that affirms or states one or more of the following:  background information, introduction, narrative of an issue, recommendations, considerations, cross functional impacts, for requesting an action/decision 

Process Based Approach for Delivered Functionality 

Using PeopleSoft 9.2 delivered functionality including configuration items and comparing it against the systemwide view 

Project & Change Management Office (PCMO) 

Refers to the project & change management office located at the Chancellor’s Office. 

Project Phase

represents the collection of the project activities aimed at a certain end result. Each project phase is goal-oriented and contains a particular number of the work steps to achieve the intended end result. Each phase ends at a milestone, whose attainment means the project has progressed. Each phase can be divided into sub-phases and individual components in a project 

Prototype Demonstration 

refers to PeopleSoft 9.2 delivered "Out Of the Box"; also referred to as Conference Room Pilot, an on-going demonstration and a series of workshop sessions to reflect the gathering of input from the Module Leads and workshop participants in order to demonstrate PeopleSoft 9.2 using configuration options, only, no modifications. Multiple conference room pilot demos are intended to take a layered approach to building the groups' understanding of how some of business processes can be addressed by configuring PeopleSoft 9.2 

Provisioning

is supplying employees with the tools (email address, network ID) and system access to perform their job.  CHRS and other systems (HECH, CS) can enhance the provisioning process by using workflow to automate notifications and alerts when something needs to be done and accurately define what kind of employee they are to know what they should receive 

Quality Assurance Testing 

is a way of preventing mistakes or defects in manufactured products and avoiding problems when delivering solutions or services to customers 

Regression Testing 

is an approach to test the whole application with all the changes applied to ensure that even the unchanged parts of the application still function appropriately 

Recommendations 

is when the team has changed the reference from "decisions" to "recommendations" since the output of this step presents a recommended direction. It is tested to assess how "appropriate/right" the recommendation proves to be until otherwise proven not to work 

Retrofit 

is the process of re-applying a modification after an upgrade or change 

Risk Management Plan 

is a component of the project, program or portfolio management plan that describes how risk management activities will be structured and performed 

Risk Mitigation 

is a response strategy whereby the project team acts to reduce the probability of occurrence or impact of a risk 

Scenario 

is a set of test cases that ensure that the business process flows are tested from end to end. They may be independent tests or a series of tests that follow each other, each dependent on the output of the previous one 

Scope 

the sum of the products, services and results to be provided 

Security Conversion 

is the process by which OPERIDs are converted 

SME Lead

is the Lead Subject Matter Expert. It is the position that provides campus business process, system impacts, and integration expertise.  Responsibilities are to:  Adhere to and promote the CHRS Guiding Principles; Help establish the "common set of HR practices for CSU systemwide”; Inform on day-to-day campus HR business needs; Provide expertise for system configuration and usability; Obtain needed information from other key CSU resources; Actively participate in the Initial Prototype build activity; Carry out responsibilities of the Campus SME role 

Sponsor 

is a person (campus president, HRO/AVP or leader) who will champion CHRS at the campus and remove barriers. The Sponsor would receive and share regular program updates; communicate CHRS key messages to campus leadership and share campus leadership feedback with CHRS Program Team. The role of sponsor is critical to the success of the CHRS Program. 

Sponsorship 

is the active and visible participation of the leaders who authorized and funded an initiative 

Subject Matter Expert (SME) 

Campus and/or CMS Central staff who are experts in their respective module / technical areas. 

System Guide 

is a guide for the system 

 Technical Security 

is the process of implementing measures and systems designed to securely protect and safeguard information (personal data) utilizing various forms of technology developed to create, store, use and exchange such information against any unauthorized access, misuse, malfunction, modification, destruction, or improper disclosure, thereby preserving the value, confidentiality, integrity, availability, intended use and its ability to perform their permitted critical functions 

Test Plan 

is a plan that describes systems test 

Test Scenario 

is a business cases to be tested 

Test Script 

is a list of test scenarios 

Third Party Tools 

are add-on tools that make the product that you buy from a vendor, more useful 

Tracking Log / Tracking Database 

is a SharePoint system used to track all items (Gaps, Parking Lot, Decisions, Action Items) during the Solution Design Activities 

Transaction Data 

is any data tied to a person or job (name, benefit information, title, class, payroll record, labor data, etc.  Transaction data is often categorized per module; for example: Administer Workforce would have Administer Workforce transaction data 

Unit System Acceptance 

is full cycle business testing; the testing or QA-ing of units as a result of the conversion process.  Unit system acceptance is an integration piece; it is also important to the Application Development team

Unit Test 

is testing to support development 

User Guide 

is a technical communication document intended to give assistance to people using a particular application, program or system 

Wave 

is a group of campuses 

Work stream activities 

are the progressive completion of tasks completed by different groups within the CHRS program which are required to finish a single project. For example, the work stream activity for Application Functionality may include prototype demonstrations