Collin County implemented an HR Help Desk and Portal using PeopleSoft to centralize employee communication and inquiries. The project was completed on time and under budget in 17 weeks. Over 6,000 cases were logged in the first year, and metrics showed improved response times and resolution rates. The success was attributed to extensive preparation, a flexible team, and focusing the system on the most common needs. Future plans include upgrading systems and using the Portal more for content management.

1. From Post-it to PeopleSoft
Collin County Centralizes Employee Communication
Tracking with HR Help Desk and Portal
Julie Rutherford
Collin County Human Resources
Manager of Compensation and
Administration
Keegan Olson
Apex IT
Director, Solution Delivery
Brett Jesperson
Apex IT
Practice Director
Jennifer Frazier
Collin County Human Resources
HRIS Manager
Prepared By:

2. Program Agenda
• About Collin County
• Apex IT Overview
• HR Structure
• Project Overview
• Results
• Key Success Factors
• Plans for the Future

3. About Collin County
• Fastest growing county in Texas
– One of the fastest growing areas in the U.S., exceeding 782,000
residents as of 2010
– Home to 8 of the 10 fastest growing cities in Texas
• One of only 4 Texas counties to hold a AAA bond rating
• 3 out of the 21 Fortune 500 companies headquartered here
• Public schools rated “Most Bang for the Buck” by Forbes
• 49% of those 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or higher,
outpacing Texas and U.S. averages between 26 and 28 percent
• For the fifth straight year, the Texas Comptroller has cited
Collin County Government for its efforts in government
transparency with a Leadership Circle Platinum Award.

5. Collin County Government HR
• 19 staff members serving over 1600 employees
• Functional areas include;
– HRIS
– Payroll
– Benefits
– Employee Relations
– Compensation
– Risk Management
– Administration
• Special projects/involvement
– Sheriff’s Office Civil Service
– County temporary employee pool
– wellness programs
• Currently running 21 PeopleSoft modules
including HelpDesk and Portal

6. Apex IT at a Glance
• Apex IT’s HR Service Delivery practice is focused on solutions and
their intersection with key areas of the Shared Service Model
• Tier 0 Self-Service
• Tier 1 & 2 Shared Services
• Employee Relations
• Workforce Communications
• Platinum Certified Advantage Partner
• 30+ HR Help Desk implementations since 2010
• Full service consultancy – supporting the entire application
implementation continuum – from strategy development and
implementation, to training and support
• Oracle’s go-to partner for product positioning, demonstration,
quantifying value via business cases/ROI and Oracle’s Insight process
• Member of the PeopleSoft HRHD Advisory Board
• Quarterly Apex IT HR Help Desk User Group

7. Service Offerings
Program Management
Change Management
Business Process
Re-Engineering
Configuration/Custom
Integration
Conversion
Test Planning &
Execution
Training Planning,
Development, Delivery
Health Checks
Managed Services
Application
Administration
Upgrades
Success Workshop
Assessment & Capability
Maturity Model
Business Case
Package Selection
Implementation Roadmap
Cloud Migration
Strategy
Services
Implementation
Services
Post Go-Live
Services
What We Do

8. HR Help Desk Business Value
 Transforming business processes to leverage a shared service model
 Automating multiple channels
 Pushing interaction resolution via Self-Service
 Leveraging technology that supports best practices and improves
productivity
 Reducing TCO due to similar technology and pre-built integration
 Improving the associate experience, which leads to better engagement &
lower turnover
“The greatest value from HR Help Desk is enabling associates to focus
on their job rather than spending time finding answers to HR questions”
Average Savings = $35-125 /per employee/per year

9. • HR Help Desk Implementation
June – October 2012
• PeopleSoft Portal implementation
July – October 2012
• PeopleSoft HCM Security Re-implementation
Dec 2012- Feb 2013
Collin County/Apex IT Relationship

10. Why HR Help Desk?
• Centralized system
• Support litigation
• Eliminate answer shopping
• Reporting/analytics

11. PeopleSoft Portal
• Central point of entry for access to PeopleSoft
applications
• Ability to customize the branding and information
disseminated to employees through the portal

12. Project Team
Steering Committee
Engagement Manager
Solution Architects IT Project Manager
Technical Consultant
PeopleSoft Administrators
Database Administrators
HR Project Manager
Business Leads
Functional Consultant
SMEs
QA Lead
Trainer

13. METHODOLOGY TIMELINE
1. Pre-Project Training and Planning Week 0
2. Trained BA’s & SMEs on functionality and typical use
cases via demo and Best Practice Use Cases
Week 1
3. Modified Use Cases to match Collin County’s
process
Week 1
4. Determined System Layout (which screens to use,
fields needed or not needed, required fields, etc.)
Week 2
5. Filled out Configuration Workbook Weeks 2 - 3
6. Setup EIPs, Configured the system (Portal added to
scope week 5)
Weeks 5 - 10
7. Tested Weeks 11 -16
8. Live Week 17 (10/8)
9. Stabilized Weeks 18 - 20
Project Timeline

14. How Did it Go You Ask
 Implemented HR Help Desk AND Portal in the original 17
week timeframe
 Both projects were completed on time and 15% under the
overall budget!

15. Implementation Results
• Categories: 14
• Types: 60
• Details: 121
• Quick Codes: 17
• Active Solutions: 77
• Modifications: 13
Over 6,000 cases were logged in the first year of use!

16. First Year Metrics

17. Successful Outcomes
• Cases are now documented and employee inquiries
are tracked to ensure responses are consistent and
issues are resolved.
• We can analyze and report on case loads in each area
of HR, leading to a stronger organizational awareness
of work division, training needs, and knowledge gaps.
• Secure and centralized location for communications
and documentation regarding litigation and employee
relations issues.

18. Key Success Factors
• Extensive preparation by the HRIS team prior to the
project start date
• K.I.S.S – limited categories, types, details, solutions, etc.
to the most basic items that would be frequently used
• Had someone on the project team who was very
knowledgeable in Integration Broker
• Flexible project team, both Collin County and Apex IT

19. Future Plans
• Upgrade Help Desk and Portal to 9.2
• Use Portal as a content management
solution and migrate away from the
current SharePoint site
• Use PeopleSoft as the centralized
location for employee data and all
information and employee
• Improve efficiency by enhancing the
HR Help Desk knowledgebase
• Increase employee engagement
through Self Service

20. Contact Us
Jennifer Frazier
HRIS Manager
(972) 548-4710
jfrazier@collincountytx.gov
Brett Jesperson
Apex IT Practice Director
(720) 258-6560
Brett.Jesperson@apexit.com