Ohio University is assessing its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platforms and closely related applications that support three core university capabilities: human resources, finance, and student administration. This assessment will focus on the effectiveness of business processes (hiring, onboarding, paying invoices, enrolling for classes, etc.) and their implementation in a system (Oracle E-Business Suite, Workforce, Concur, BobcatBuy, PeopleSoft, Faculty and Advising Center, OCEAN, etc.).

This assessment is the first phase of a multi-phase approach to evaluating, selecting, and eventually implementing a new digital ecosystem to support core university functions and modernize how Ohio University works to support the student, employee, and community experience.

Goals

The purpose of this assessment is to develop a comprehensive, long-term strategy for our ERP ecosystem. During the assessment, we will:

• Evaluate how modern technology and business processes can improve our operations and experiences  
• Create a roadmap for replacing our ERP systems
• Analyze the resources and costs required to replace our ERP systems

Timeline and Activities

The ERP assessment work began in summer 2024 and will be completed in late fall 2024. After recommendations are received, the steering committee will review and determine the next steps. Decisions about specific technology platforms will be made in a later phase, after the assessment is complete.

Activities planned for the assessment include:

• Interviews with leadership to understand OHIO’s strategies and needs
• Interviews with technical staff to assess current technological capabilities
• Business process analysis to identify areas for increased efficiency and improvement
• Functional diagnostic questionnaire to understand how the systems are currently used
• Organizational readiness assessment to evaluate potential risks and OHIO’s readiness for change

Our Partners

OHIO has partnered with the Huron Consulting Group , a firm with higher education ERP system expertise, to complete the ERP Assessment. Huron’s OHIO team is led by the following individuals:

• Matt Jones – Managing Director, mjones@hcg.com
• Jonathan Krasnov – Functional Advisory, jkrasnov@hcg.com
• Ty Duval – Technical Advisory, tduval@hcg.com
• Melanie Smith – Project Director, mesmith@hcg.com
• Rory Pavach – Manager, rpavach@hcg.com
• Ashley Pierce – Project Consultant, apierce@hcg.com