November 2023 | Issue #3

Congratulations to Arcadia Unified School District, Beverly Hills Unified School District, and Charter Oak Unified School District for going live on the BEST Advantage System – Human Capital Management (HCM) on Monday, October 9, 2023! Thank you to everyone involved for the amazing work and effort. 

January 2024 (Group 4) Parallel Payroll and Payroll Accounting Management (PAM)

The BEST Project is working with Group 4 Districts/Agencies to schedule and walk through the results of their Parallel Payroll and Payroll Accounting Management (PAM) testing. The meetings cover the differences between the Human Resource System (HRS) and PeopleSoft postings, gross and net pay differences between HRS and the BEST Advantage System – HCM, and the way pay, deduction, and benefit amounts are applied to the District’s/Agency’s Standardized Account Code Structure (SACS).

January 2024 (Group 4) HRS Flex Fields Conversion Workbooks

The BEST Project Financial (FIN) Team is assisting with the analysis of flex field data in the Human Resource System (HRS) for conversion purposes. Flex fields are optional fields in HRS that can be used to enter miscellaneous information for an employee. The workbooks are crucial tools completed by Districts/Agencies to help the BEST Project Team assess how flex field data is collected and managed.

January 2024 (Group 4) End-User Training (EUT)

EUT sessions for Group 4 Districts/Agencies began on October 31, 2023, and will continue until December 15, 2023. The purpose of EUT is to help users gain access to the BEST Advantage System – HCM and acquire the skills necessary to perform their identified roles in the system.

April 2024 (Group 5) Intergrated Super-User Training (ISUT)

Group 5 will continue with ISUT through November, where they are carefully reviewing different HCM modules and having District/Agency specific breakout rooms to better ensure a successful go live.

For more information on all things IMPLEMENTATION, including the Grouping List, visit the Implementing HCM page or contact your BEST Project Ambassador.

One Good Thing Initiative

A District in HCM Implementation Group 4 requested information on how their end-users were performing in the Sandbox practice environment. As a response, the BEST Team developed a Power BI report that illustrates the documents submitted in the Sandbox environment by user. The report also recommends a minimum number of documents by Document Code (Doc Code). Why is this important? This report helps Districts/Agencies assess how their team is performing in the Sandbox environment to ensure they are prepared for a successful Go-Live.

Click here for all Good Things, or visit the forum on the Customer Resource Center (CRC)!

The quarterly CAT meeting occurred on Thursday, October 26, 2023. To view a recording of the meeting or download the presentation, please visit the Customer Advisory Team (CAT) page on the Customer Resource Center (CRC). If you would like to attend future calls and help shape LACOE systems, reach out to Simon Hau at Hau_Simon@lacoe.edu. 

Get familiar with the Top 10 Business Process Change Impacts! Each month, one process that is changing as a result of the BEST Advantage System – HCM will be highlighted with additional background available in your District’s/Agency’s System Implementation Handbook.

#3 Supplemental Payroll Cycles Availability and Direct Deposits

What Happens Today in HRS? Supplemental payroll cycles are available and the only option for these supplemental payroll cycles are paper checks.

What is Changing in HCM? Supplemental payroll cycles will change from being available almost every day to only twice per week. A significant change from the paper check only exists for HRS. With this change, District/Agency Payroll Schedules for HCM are available for the entire year. Districts/Agencies can plan months in advance for short payroll periods and revised pay dates due to bank holidays.

Who is Impacted? All Districts/Agencies implementing HCM.

What is the Impact? The availability of supplemental payroll cycles is reduced and will process on Tuesdays and Thursdays unless noted as a holiday. Transactions entered on Tuesday will issue on Friday. Transactions entered on Thursday will be issued the following Tuesday unless impacted by a bank holiday.

Considerations: Understanding the District Payroll Schedule, reviewing the supplemental payroll cycles and regular retro cycles, and reviewing these deadlines with departments and school sites that submit documentation to payroll for processing. Discussing these changes is critical for District/Agency success.

BEST Advantage System - Human Capital Management (HCM) Implementation News | November 2023

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