In the fall of 2011, the iNtegrate project’s first phase was successfully implemented; all seven NSHE teaching institutions were using the new student system. Building on this success, NSHE is now moving forward to replace the existing legacy finance and human resources systems with technology that will promote highly efficient and effective business practices.

The next phase, iNtegrate 2, will integrate our administrative applications, finance and HR, with the new student system into an overall suite of administrative applications that will help us “transform” how NSHE performs those functions.

The iNtegrate 2 project has identified as a major goal the implementation of best practices in business and administrative transactions as well as the reduction of unnecessary duplication of back-office functions across all NSHE institutions while ensuring that consistent and effective operating policies are in place. This will, we believe, require significant adjustments to current practices at each institution. Through this implementation approach, we believe we will significantly address the business operation efficiencies listed in the Efficiency and Effectiveness Report that has previously been presented to the Board of Regents.

Current HR business processes (such as recruiting, benefits administration, payroll processing, personnel administration, and position budget and control) and Financial business processes (such as general ledger, accounts receivable, accounts payable, procurement, budgeting, grants and contracts, and inventory management) will be evaluated for ways to reduce transactional costs, improve the flow of business operations, and streamline operations while increasing service levels across NSHE.

Rather than replicate existing business policies and processes in a new system, the iNtegrate project will recommend changes in how NSHE institutions currently conduct business operations. Some of these changes will be cultural, changing processes for more efficiency, and others may involve implementing alternative methods to provide service enhancements and efficiencies. Technology—specifically new information systems—will assist in this effort, but first there must be an overall proposal for how to best approach and structure business and administrative transactions across NSHE. Through this process, we believe we will help ensure that Nevada’s investment in our colleges and universities is spent wisely and efficiently.

The iNtegrate 2 Steering Committee and its two subcommittees, the iNtegrate 2 Finance Subcommittee and the iNtegrate 2 Human Resources Subcommittee, have already completed work with a consultant to define a recommended structure for an NSHE Chart of Accounts moving forward. Additionally, the team is in the process of engaging a consultant to assist NSHE institutions in reviewing all major financial and human resource business processes to identify the most efficient and effective options to deliver those services in the future. These two initiatives will provide deliverables to define the NSHE business requirements and additional criteria that can be used in the evaluation and selection of new enterprise administrative software.

Goals of such a new system based on common processes:

• Streamline business processes by adopting best practices.
• Reduce transactional costs.
• Increase reliability, accuracy, and timeliness of transactions.
• Improve flow of information and access to business operations across NSHE.
• Improve decision making.
• Deliver consistent administrative solutions that best meet the needs of NSHE in the most cost-effective manner possible.
• Adopt common business practices to ensure standardized and consistent high levels of service across NSHE.
• Maximize productivity through shared resources across campuses (where possible).
• Improve consistency in data and reporting capabilities at the institutional level and in reporting and data collection at the system level.

The iNtegrate 2 Steering Committee is charged with:

• Representing stakeholders and constituents across NSHE.
• Acting as a communication conduit to and from constituencies to the steering committee.
• Proactively supporting and participating in business process redesign to improve operations, reduce redundancy, and ensure consistent policy across NSHE.
• Ensuring that a system-centric approach is employed in evaluating more efficient, effective, and accountable business processes and systems, including alternative delivery mechanisms.
• Ensuring that efficient and effective business processes drive the systems design.
• Developing and facilitating strategic communication plans to help ensure iNtegrate 2’s success.
• Building executive commitment and sponsorship across the NSHE.
• Developing a realistic project budget, including system and campus resources, both financial and staffing, to ensure a successful implementation.
• Ensuring that the selected enterprise administrative solution provides a data management/retrieval system for reporting and decision making.