Who is totally up to date on applying PUM (PeopleSoft Update Manager) images and who finds it easy to apply updates every quarter? I bet it’s a short list. The problem with keeping PeopleSoft updated is it’s a full-time job during part of the year, plus it can require some specialized skills.
The purpose of PUM is to provide customers the fastest updates to their PeopleSoft systems with new features, fixes, and regulations. This is a seriously good tool that has provided great benefits to many organizations. How can it be optimally deployed? Let’s start with the question, “What would you like to accomplish with your PeopleSoft system?” Is your objective to simply pay employees, keep the books, and pay taxes; or do you want to keep your system up to date and deploy new features that will help you better manage your business?
For an organization whose strategy is to invest the minimum into its PeopleSoft system, a once-a-year update for just the tax and regulation changes may be sufficient. This strategy is often used by organizations with hard and temporary limitations. They may be undergoing a merger or spinoff or may be investing in other areas the organization needs to focus on before adopting any new functionality. An organization in this position may not see value in keeping its PeopleSoft system up to date quarterly.
Organizations that want to adopt new features, workflows, de-customize, and generate secure real-time analytics are frequently those that realize the value of keeping current. This value varies depending on such variables as which PeopleSoft applications you’re running, deployed functionality, customizations, adoption of leading practices, etc. However, in general, adopting new functionality sooner provides a better return than adopting it later. Why? It will cost a similar amount to deploy something now or two years from now. If this feature, process, simpler UI, or better analytics provides positive value, then get the value now! Don’t wait two years and lose two years of benefit.
Whatever strategy happens to fit your organization, both have a similar challenge. Each needs available staff with specialized skills to periodically work on PUM updates while not working on other unique tasks only that staff can accomplish.
Are you postponing PUM images due to a lack of time or a lack of (perceived) value?
If time and resources are the issues, Sierra-Cedar has a fixed cost offering called PUM-as-a-Service. It’s a flexible offering, designed for everyone, from those wanting to deploy PUM images every quarter, to those wanting annual tax and regulations updates, and everyone in between. We have consultants with 20 years of PeopleSoft experience in nearly every application, with years of experience working with 9.2 and PUM.
I’m currently working with several customers who are way behind on applying images. These organizations are undecided about the value of an up to date PeopleSoft. We’ve held short workshops that identify the hard value and strategic value. These customers use their workshop data to prepare an internal business case which shows how the update produces a return to the organization. Everyone gets a little education on the new functions, simpler processes, and powerful analytics. Oracle continues to improve the overall value of PeopleSoft—it has introduced over 1,000 new features in the last few years.
Your next step? View for the Quest-hosted online seminar on PUM-as-a-Service. You hear from Lori Reents (our customer who uses PUM-as-a-Service), Sierra-Cedar’s Sr. Manager Robert Neshem (his team provides the Service), and Richard George, Sierra-Cedar VP, Strategic Services & Alliances. We describe PUM-as-a-Service and discuss the value it can bring to your organization.
After that, it’s pretty simple. Get more details by talking over your specific needs with your Sierra-Cedar Account Manager. There is an offering to fit your business, on-shore or off-shore, a fixed fee service to keep your PeopleSoft system updated on your schedule, so it will continue to provide optimal value to your organization.
