ProjectONE Report to the 82nd Legislature

Appendix A: Glossary of Terms

As-Is workshops

Sessions held at the beginning of the project (November-December 2009) to determine the current system environment at each of the participating agencies. During these 41 workshops, ProjectONE team members met with staff from each of the participating agencies to document the use and function of existing systems at those agencies.

CAPPS

Centralized Accounting and Payroll/Personnel System. The new PeopleSoft-based ERP system currently being implemented at TxDOT, DIR and HHS. This system will be deployed to all state agencies over the next several years and will replace USAS, ISAS, USPS, SPRS, SPA and TINS.

Conversion

The process of changing computer data from one format to another.

Customization

A change to a PeopleSoft software object. Customization refers to any software development object such as a report, interface, conversion, enhancement or workflow. Customizations were identified during the Fit/Gap process and approved by the Change Control Board (CCB) and Steering Committee.

Enhancement

An improvement to an existing capability in a software application.

Fit/Gap

The process of determining whether a requirement is a “fit” met by existing PeopleSoft functionality, or is a “gap” that must be resolved with a business process or policy change, a manual workaround or a customization to the system.

Functional testing

The process where each function within a business process is tested (e.g., entering and saving a requisition).

Integration testing

The process where each business process in an application is tested from beginning to end using scenarios designed to mimic day-to-day operations (e.g., processing payments).

Interface

Point of communication between two or more processes or systems.

ISAS

Integrated Statewide Administrative System. A customized version of Oracle’s PeopleSoft Enterprise Financials supported by the Comptroller’s office. ISAS manages accounting, budget preparation, asset management, purchasing and accounts payables functions.

Prioritization

The process of grouping customizations approved by the ProjectONE Steering Committee into groups and categories of importance should there be a need to reduce the scope of work due to budget constraints. Project management worked with CCB representatives to label each customization as mandatory, must have, should have or could have. Ultimately, customizations in the mandatory and must have categories were approved by the Steering Committee for inclusion in the first two releases of CAPPS.

Requirement

The business need for specific system functionality.

Requirement Gathering workshops

Sessions held with representatives of all participating agencies to determine the business needs for system functionality. During these 272 workshops, more than 11,000 requirements were documented for the 20 modules being implemented for PeopleSoft financials and HR/payroll.

SPA

State Property Accounting System. The property accounting system of record for Texas state government, administered by the Comptroller’s office.

SPRS

Standardized Payroll/Personnel Reporting System. An automated personnel and payroll batch processing system that processes and maintains personnel and payroll data for Texas state government, administered by the Comptroller’s office. Entities may either report to SPRS or use USPS.

Testing

Includes: unit testing, functional testing, integration testing and user acceptance testing.

TINS

Texas Identification Number System. Formerly the Texas Payee Information System (TPIS), TINS maintains detailed payment information on state payees.

Unit testing

The process where developers isolate the smallest piece of testable software in the application from the rest of the code and determine whether it behaves as expected.

USAS

Uniform Statewide Accounting System. The statewide financial accounting system the Comptroller’s office uses to monitor, manage and control agency appropriations, to make payments from funds in the state treasury and to prepare both cash-basis and accrual-basis financial reports.

User acceptance testing

Evaluation of the software application by end users against the business requirements defined in the analysis and design stages.

USPS

Uniform Statewide Payroll/Personnel System. An automated system administered by the Comptroller’s office that processes and maintains personnel and payroll data for Texas state government. Entities may either use USPS or report to SPRS.

Workflows

Sequence of connected steps designed to complete a given process and ensure the consistent handling of that process.