University of Windsor refines collaboration with Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP and HCM

Located on the waterfront near North America's busiest international border, the University of Windsor in Canada is known for its global perspective and multidisciplinary approach to research, teaching, and learning. To run its financial and human resources operations, the university used a collection of on-premises applications that required paper-based processes, manual workarounds, and complex integrations to get work done across HR and finance. The university implemented Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) for finance and procurement and Oracle Fusion Cloud Human Capital Management (HCM) for HR management and payroll. With an integrated suite of Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications, finance and HR managers gained greater transparency across administrative operations, such as workforce planning, and a better sense of process ownership.

To address its operational challenges, the university conducted an evaluation that included a fit-gap analysis of multiple application providers. Ultimately, it selected Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP because the application met more than 95% of its requirements without customization. Oracle’s capabilities for general ledger, procurement, and projects were key factors in the decision. Guided by Accenture, the University of Windsor repeated the evaluation process with the goal of improving HR practices for its more than 10,000 full- and part-time employees. “With our finance challenges addressed, HR became the cog in the wheel that didn’t turn,” says Jody Fraser, assistant vice president of human resources. “We were about 25 years behind from a process perspective.” Again, Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM was deemed to be the best fit for the school’s requirements. “It was like a landslide toward the Oracle solution in terms of what would suit our needs,” Fraser says.

The university first implemented Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP for finance, planning, project accounting, and procurement. In a second phase, Accenture helped the university deploy Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM for core HR, payroll, talent, and workforce management as well as Oracle Fusion Cloud Procurement for supplier management. Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications helped change the way finance and HR teams worked, moving people away from data entry to more analytical activities. The suite’s integrated business processes and controls helped staff build connections and strengthen cross-team collaboration, resulting in greater operational efficiency. For example, the time required to process payroll—once a source of friction between payroll and HR teams—decreased from two weeks to only two days.

Accenture helped the University of Windsor complete a fit-gap analysis to select an HCM software provider. The university also turned to Accenture to help implement Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM and Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP for procurement.

The University of Windsor has about 18,000 students enrolled in a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programs in 9 faculties and 6 professional programs. There are over 150,000 Lancer alumni in more than 120 countries, forming a global network of innovators, leaders, and changemakers.

• Learn more about University of Windsor