The full suite of business rules for state transactions have been programmed into the ePTF application within the QA environment and are now under final review by HR. These rules are expected to be rolled into production by February 2008. Once complete, the team will turn its attention to the Research Foundation (RF) replacement which will use the state model as a guide for a faster project turn-around. At present, the rules for RF have been collected; next steps are to conduct a gap analysis. The University at Buffalo Foundation (UBF) system will follow.

The focus of the team to this point has been to eliminate the Renaissance system for State transactions. The business rules have been defined and will be programmed into the system.The team is turning its attention to the Research Foundation (RF) and the University at Buffalo Foundation (UBF) system replacements and is using the state model as a guide for a faster project turn-around. At present, a gap analysis for RF is being done, with an anticipated completion date of September 2007. UBF will follow.

The new ePTF system is completely replacing the previously used Renaissance System. The groups involved in the pilot are from the Business Services HR Division, a new entity created as a result of the HR Transformation. Currently human resource professionals from the Office of the CIO (including the University Libraries), and University Facilities are using the system; and the pilot will soon be expanded to include, the Office of the President, University Business Services, the Office of Sponsored Programs, Athletics, and External Affairs. To support and assist users, the project team has developed an active communication campaign that includes a weekly "Tip of the Week" email distribution, an online FAQ (future plans are for a searchable FAQ), and a proactive set of training visits to members of the pilot group.

An overview of the project was provided at a round-table discussion, which resulted in some specific questions about the requirement and support of client software on the workstations. In an attempt to minimize the support cost and improve accessibility to the system, the ePTF system does not require any client side software. Users of the system only need an Internet browser to complete their work.

ePTF has eliminated use of Renaissance as of January 8, 2007, for the pilot project group, freezing user accounts. The team is ready to make special accommodations to address unanticipated processing issues.

The ePTF project is gearing up for the initial pilot group - 10 individuals who represent University Libraries, University Facilities and Chief Information Office Academic Services who will "test drive the application".

The ePTF Team is on schedule to launch the product in September, with small prototypes being planned for August. HR is finalizing the business rules for new and changes based on recent screen changes, and the changes to the compensation/funding screens are being finalized.