Hi everyone,

Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI) would like to update you on the latest major production releases and updates for U of T’s Administrative Management Systems.

The following are major changes from November 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021:

U of T Enterprise Modernization Program

SAP S/4HANA Migration (November 3, 2020)
On November 3, U of T launched the next phase of the U of T Enterprise Modernization Program, called the S/4HANA Migration. This phase of the five-year program represented an upgrade of the Administrative Management Systems (AMS) that will create the foundation for improved overall system performance and future modernization of the SAP systems at U of T. U of T’s Financial Information System was a core part of this upgrade and will transition to a highly responsive system, since the new system will be a transactional and reporting system built into one. As well, the upgrade will improve speed and reporting for the Human Resources Information System and Research Information System in the future. The platform will also have the potential to provide an improved user interface as well as enhanced analytics and better insights into reporting. Learn more about the S/4HANA Migration.

U of T Phonebook Directory

The U of T phonebook directory project has officially wrapped up – providing users a more modern, accurate and mobile-friendly application. The revamped phonebook directory allows external and internal users to search for staff, faculty members and division or department information using an accessible interface. It also eases Departmental Administrators’ workloads, since staff and faculty can update secondary information. The application was initially launched in summer 2020. Since then, accessibility has been optimized and a new telecommunications administrator module has launched. As well, departmental and telecommunications administrators can now search by UTORid, and when staff and faculty are logged into the application they can compile a list of departmental contacts in PDF and CSV format.

If you are a Departmental Administrator, please ensure your department’s information is up to date. You can review training materials here: https://easi.its.utoronto.ca/initiatives/phonebookdirectory/

Enterprise Shared Services

New Shared Mailbox Creation Process (November 24, 2020)
Starting on November 24, the University of Toronto moved to a full-service shared mailbox creation process and Reader Registration no longer processes new shared mailbox requests. Faculty and staff can submit online requests for new shared mailboxes directly to U of T’s Enterprise Service Centre (ESC). Read the updated instructions, and access the new form, here: https://uthrprod.service-now.com/kb_view.do?sysparm_article=KB0010164.

ESC is going to Paris! (January 26, 2021)
On January 26, our production instance of the Enterprise Service Centre (ESC) was upgraded to the latest version of ServiceNow called Paris. The Paris release introduces improvements to the platform’s performance and stability. It also introduces some exciting new features that we will be deploying in the future, including Microsoft Teams interion and a virtual support agent. A big “Thank You!” to the ESC community for all their time and feedback preparing and testing this new release. ESC is available at: https://uoft.me/esc

New Electronic Signature Competency Centre (January 2021)
The Electronic Signature Competency Centre is a joint effort between Information Technology Services and divisional representatives to provide resources and guidance for divisions interested in e-signature solutions. Resources include guidelines for electronic signature assurance, sample use cases, comparisons of popular solution platforms, and details on specific products. The Electronic Signature Competency Centre is available here: https://utoronto.sharepoint.com/sites/its-easi-esignature

Dalla Lana School of Public Health COVID-19 Archive (February 2021)
EASI Information Management partnered with Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH) to create a SharePoint archive to preserve and share the school’s experience with the COVID-19 pandemic, acknowledging their potential historical value. DLSPH faculty, students, post-doctoral fellows and staff are invited to submit original records and first-person testimony to document perspectives and lived experiences around the COVID-19 pandemic. Submissions will be collected and preserved for future researchers to gain insight into DLSPH’s significant role in the pandemic.

Human Resources Information System (HRIS)

UCheck Administrative Dashboards (November 2020)
On September 8, 2020, U of T released UCheck to faculty members, librarians, staff and students. UCheck is a web portal that enables users to complete the required COVID-19 health screening and generate a risk status before coming to any of our three campuses or other properties owned or operated by U of T. The risk status will indicate whether an individual should come onsite or stay home. In November 2020, EASI enabled a UCheck administrative dashboard for the purposes of viewing health screening outcomes. It allows CAOs, delegated human resources professionals in divisional offices and residence administrators to view the statuses of all students or employees within their reporting areas/residence.

Kronos Upgrade (December 4, 2020)
Kronos is a cloud-based time and attendance system that eliminates the use of paper timesheets and allows for convenient, online approval processes. On December 4, 2020, EASI upgraded Kronos to eliminate Flash and provided a more consistent and improved user experience, including employee timecards and transfer selection for managers. Other enhancements were made to functionality for Timekeeper and Advanced Scheduler modules, and the mobile application.

SuccessFactors: Performance & Goals (January 2021)
On January 18, 2021, the 2020 / 2021 Goal Setting process opened for Professional & Managerial (PM), Confidential and Research Associate / Sr. Research Associate (RA/SRA) employees. While Human Resources & Equity launched the goal setting process in SuccessFactors, they are currently reviewing institutional processes with an eye to streamlining and reducing the administrative load on U of T’s people leaders and employees. As a result, participating in the conventional 2020 / 2021 goal setting process this year is not mandatory for the groups previously mentioned.

Research Study Leave (February 1, 2021)
The Office of the Vice-Provost, Faculty & Academic Life (VPFAL), in partnership with EASI launched the Research Study Leave tool (RSL) in the Human Resources Information System (HRIS) on February 1, 2021. The tool is an additional functionality in HRIS that consolidates faculty RSL and administrative leave entitlements. This new tool provides a single, reliable and accurate source of data that will streamline the entire RSL and administrative leave process. With leave entitlement data now within HRIS, and the accrual and deduction of credits managed within the system, users can leverage the tool to forecast leaves, estimate risk and exposure, and ensure solid academic planning.

2020 Personal Income Tax – T2200S (February 25, 2021)
Human Resources & Equity worked in partnership with EASI to develop an online process to request a T2200S for claiming work from home expenses on their 2020 taxes. Employees who have worked from home over 50 per cent of the time since March 2020, and who incurred expenses greater than $400, can request a T2200S via the HR Service Centre using this process. For those who requested the detailed version of the form, it will be available in Employee Self-Service on February 25. Refer to this official communication for more details.