Background
The last 18 months has witnessed a burgeoning interest in Human Resources Management Systems (HRMS) within UC. There has been an increasing awareness on the part of both campuses and UCOP of the need for UC to make strategic investments in this area. This growth in interest is evidenced in part by the following specific initiatives and actions.

•   Berkeley's and UC Davis Health System's leadership in procuring and implementing the PeopleSoft HRMS
•   The interest expressed by several campuses (e.g., Davis, Riverside) in purchasing an HRMS
•   Release of the New Business Architecture Report, which recommends leveraging IT investments to meet increased workload associated with Tidal Wave II
•   Associate Vice President Judy Boyette's articulation of the need for better corporate HR data for reporting and workforce planning
•   Publication of the KPMG HRMS Needs Assessment Final Report, which recommended the implementation of a Systemwide HRMS as the best way to meet HRMS needs

The establishment of an HRMS consortium flows directly from these initiatives and interests. It is an attempt to organize UC's efforts in this important but complex area so that the various HRMS-related initiatives can gain traction and move forward in a coordinated fashion.

Introduction and Rationale
The primary justification for the consortium is that investments in HRMS technology will be more productive if they are coordinated across the system. By working together and exploiting synergies, the members will achieve more than they could by working independently. This broad rationale can be applied using the following guiding principles.

Leverage Purchasing Power - Wherever possible, UCOP and the campuses should exploit opportunities to increase purchasing power by aggregating purchases. A possible application of this principle would be the aggregation of HRMS-related software purchases in order to gain more favorable pricing and terms.

Share Knowledge and Best Practices - Whenever applicable, UCOP and the campuses should share lessons learned and best practices. This is especially valuable in the case of HRMS technology because the implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning system is inherently complex and risky. As an example, prospective consortium members could learn valuable lessons from Berkeley's and UC Davis Health System's experience with PeopleSoft HRMS since these locations have been on the vanguard of HRMS activity within UC.

Seek Economies of Scale - Whenever appropriate, UCOP and the campuses should seek lower costs and streamlined operations through consolidation. For example, several campuses contract with UCOP to run their payroll systems applications at the UCOP data center. A similar application service provider arrangement could be pursued for HRMS so that campuses can acquire an HRMS without having to invest in and manage the related technical infrastructure and human resources.

Goal and Objectives
The overall goal of the Consortium is to develop, implement, and maintain a standard PeopleSoft HRMS, including the required interfaces to PPS and the UCOP data warehouse. This broad goal would be supported through a variety of subsidiary activities designed to meet the specific objectives of the consortium members.