The IFMS Programme is a joint initiative between DPSA, National Treasury and SITA to replace the current legacy enterprise resource type systems such as BAS, LOGIS and PERSAL in the Public Service by implementing a single Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) system.
A COTS solution is commercially available software that has specific built in functionality for business needs. A COTS solution is designed to be easily installed and configured for use.
An ERP solution is business process management software that allows an organisation to use a system of integrated applications to manage the business and automate many back office functions related to financial management, human resource management; payroll and supply chain management.
'Legacy systems' refers to systems that are currently being used in the Public Service such as BAS, LOGISand PERSAL, which will be replaced by the IFMS.
'Self-service' within ERP solutions generally refers to a web-based system that provides employees, for example, access to;
The specific self-service functionality to be offered by IFMS will only be confirmed once the design of the solution has been finalised.
The implementation will follow an approved implementation methodology that will include activities such as change management, training of users, data migration and user acceptance testing. The duration of individual implementations will depend on a number of factors such as the size of the department, the number of employees and the geographic spread of the department.
The new IFMS is designed to cater for the general corporate management needs of the Public Service and does not specifically cater for unique requirements within a department. Where feasible, unique requirements that fall outside the scope of IFMS will be met by interfacing existing departmental solution to the IFMS. During the roll-out of the solution to all departments in the Public Service, opportunities will be explored to ensure that the entire solution (IFMS in combination with departmental solutions) meets the unique business requirements of specific departments.
In the majority of cases, employees who are currently working on legacy systems and the IFMS modules currently in operation will be trained on the new IFMS and will continue to perform their existing functions after implementation. Some employees’ jobs may change as a result of the implementation of the IFMS. This will specifically apply in cases where employees are currently responsible for processes that will be automated through the implementation of IFMS. For example, leave forms will no longer be captured manually on the system as the leave application and approval process will be automated. In such cases, employees’ job descriptions may have to be amended and they will be retrained, if required, to perform other related duties
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Different types of training such as classroom based and on-the-job training will be conducted to enable users to operate the new IFMS effectively.
A formal change management programme will be embarked upon to ensure that all users are adequately informed regarding the new IFMS, that potential resistance to the adoption of the new system is managed and that users receive sufficient training to enable them to operate the system.
Most users will access the new IFMS through a web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer or Firefox) on computers (desktop or laptop). Users will require a valid username and password to access the system functionality. Access via mobile devices will be considered during later phases of the Programme.
The minimum technical specifications for devices will be made available during site readiness assessments and before commencing with implementation.
A formal support structure in the form of a functional application support team and help desk will be put in place to support users who experience incidents or problems in the new system.
Some data will be brought across to the new system. Data that is not brought across will be made available either on the legacy system itself until it is decommissioned, or it will be archived and made available to users electronically.
Remote locations and associated connectivity and infrastructure challenges will be quantified during the Infrastructure Design Phase of the Programme, so that solutions can be designed and planned for.
Departments implementing the IFMS will be expected to engage and sign a Memorandum of Understanding for that specific department
Data cleansing is the process of amending, removing or improving data in a database that is incorrect, incomplete, improperly formatted, or duplicated. This needs to be done in the legacy systems prior to the data being migrated into the IFMS. During implementation assessments, departments will be provided with the specific data fields that need to be clean for migration purposes.
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