RAMP – Research Administration Modernization Project
Grants & Agreements (at UW–Madison)
We are just about three months from the planned RAMP go-live at UW–Madison on June 26. As the project team continues to engage stakeholders across the campus, we often hear similar questions. With this edition of the monthly update, we wanted to provide answers to some of the most frequently asked questions related to RAMP and its coming deployment.
- Where can I, or will I be able to, access training materials for RAMP?
Materials are available on the RAMP training webpage and will be added as they’re developed. There is much to come, so we recommend bookmarking this page as the central landing page for all things related to RAMP training. - Will there be live training with instructors?
Absolutely! We’ve developed a training curriculum that’s centered on the core business processes in RAMP. These training classes will be offered starting in May. For more details, please see the RAMP training calendar to find tentative topics, dates, and times. - When will the instructor-led training classes be available?
Training classes will be offered starting in May. For more details, please see the RAMP training page to find tentative topics, dates, and times. - Who will be leading these training sessions? Will the training be rolled out by qualified instructors?
The training sessions will be carried out by your fellow UW friends and colleagues, with support from the RAMP project team and Huron. Many of the same facilitators who teach courses in the RED program have volunteered to teach the RAMP courses too.Right now, we are holding “train-the-trainer” sessions to ensure instructors are equipped with the knowledge they need. As we move through April, we’ll be holding pilot sessions, all in an effort to ensure we’re ready to roll out instruction to all of the UW campuses starting in May.
- Are PIs and researchers involved?
We have scheduled two specific PI focus groups and have more than 30 PIs who have volunteered. These will take place on April 25 and April 27. The objective of these sessions will be to gather feedback from PIs on system functionality and the training plan, specific for researchers. - When is the planned system to go-live?
June 26, 2023. End users will log in to RAMP that day. End users will still be able to access WISPER, but in view-only mode. All transactions will need to be processed in RAMP. - Who makes the decision to go live?
UW Executive Leadership — specifically, Vice Chancellors Rob Cramer and Steve Ackerman. - How will an assessment be done to determine if RAMP is ready to go live?
We have developed a readiness framework that centers on three core topics:
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- Is the UW ready (access to training) for RAMP?
- Does RAMP support the core business processes (i.e., does it work?)?
- Is RAMP technically (integrations, development, etc.) ready for deployment?
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Answers to those questions will be crafted by the RAMP project team, with input from stakeholders across the UW–Madison campus to provide accurate responses for UW leadership to consider.
- What if the system is not ready on June 26? Are there contingency plans?
Contingency plans are in development and will be shared with the broader community later. However, if RAMP cannot be deployed on June 26, it would be business as usual. We will keep the entire campus community apprised of any developments well in advance. - After go-live, who can we contact if we have questions?
The RSP eRA team is being augmented to help provide front-line system support. The RSP eRA team, along with the other RSP teams, will be ready to help with troubleshooting. Additionally, the RAMP project team, along with Huron, will also be available for support.Prior to deployment, we will share specifics about whom to call or email. In addition, we will provide office hours during the transition period to help end users when needed.
- How do we envision the cutover from WISPER to RAMP happening?
The cutover will happen the week of June 19. During this period, its likely WISPER will be down for a period of time to facilitate data conversion to RAMP. As the date approaches, we will provide specific guidance on how to prepare for this transition.It’s important to remember: Cayuse 424 will still be operational for proposals that are already in process.
- What is happening with Cayuse 424?
Cayuse 424 will be operational until September 30, 2023. You can continue to use Cayuse through this date. - Is there a test/train environment I can log in to to experience RAMP?
A test/train environment is coming soon! We are planning a rollout of the test/train environment the UW–Madison campus in early May. This will allow for almost two full months for the community to use the system and build comfort prior to go-live.
We continue to work through a number of other project activities, such as conversion, integrations, data warehousing, business process tweaks, training development, and end-user testing. Even with all these activities, we remain on track for deployment on June 26.
Reminder: ATP will also implement the Grants and Agreements modules for UW-Milwaukee and the comprehensive institutions. That project is slated to kick off on July 1, 2023, immediately following the implementation at UW–Madison.
Export Control
The rollout of this dedicated export control functionality will occur in conjunction with the UW–Madison Grants and Agreements modules in June 2023. Similar to the Grants and Agreements modules, the design work has largely been completed and testing will begin in February.
Employee Compensation Compliance – LIVE!
The ECC portion of the RAMP project has been completed and ownership transferred to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. For more information, please see the RSP ECC page.
Financial Forecasting – LIVE!
This module went live in July and is now in production. A common question we get is “Who will use this tool?” The current plan is to implement Financial Forecasting for primary use by the UW–Madison Budget Office and Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration (VCFA) units. Now that this tool has gone live, however, its use outside of central administration is being assessed, and further rollout across the UW–Madison campus is being analyzed.
Workday
Customer Confirmation Sessions (CCSs)
Each CCS offers a look at how ATP Design Teams have designed and configured Workday. During these sessions, subject matter experts from across the UW System will be invited to validate and refine the finance, HR, and research administration business processes that were designed during the Architect Stage.
In March, we completed the last of the research admin sessions. If you were unable to attend, you can find complete recordings of all of the sessions on the Research Admin CCS Resources page.
Also, we recognize that the nature of research administration is very cross-functional: Decisions made in ATP’s finance and HR workstreams will sometimes impact research administration. You are encouraged to check out the finance and HR CCS pages as well.
Workday Walkthroughs
Those who are newer to Workday or want an introduction to the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system are encouraged to tune in to ATP’s Workday Walkthroughs, which provide high-level overviews of Workday functionality. Our next walkthrough takes place April 13 at 3 p.m. and provides a look at Workday’s Benefits and Pay Hub, plus the system’s pay modeler. A recording of the walkthrough will also be posted to the ATP website at a later date. Get Workday Walkthrough details.
Workday Terminology and Crosswalk
Another resource that may be useful is the Workday Terminology and Crosswalk page. This includes a searchable list of Workday terms, including a crosswalk between current Shared Financial System (SFS) and Human Resource System (HRS) terms and future Workday terminology.
Other Workday Activities
The team continues to work through many of the important implementation activities, such as conversion mapping, reporting requirements, and configuration details.