Rebekah Jackson, Vice President of Product Strategy for the PeopleSoft Applications Division, is passionate about helping new PeopleSoft users. In a presentation at RECONNECT Live! at BLUEPRINT 4D, Jackson provided helpful context for new users including the history of PeopleSoft, defined helpful terminology, and showed what the most current version of PeopleSoft should look like. She also made recommendations for how to engage in the community and provided resources to help users feel well connected.

History of PeopleSoft

PeopleSoft was founded as a company in 1987 and was acquired by Oracle in 2005. It is a best-in-class enterprise application suite. The main campus is in Pleasanton, CA, but the team is spread throughout the globe. The global dedicated team has localized products in more than 20 countries, and PeopleSoft is supported in 18 languages. PeopleSoft has 3,000 customers worldwide and is used by many of the world’s largest companies and governments. It supports all industries; the largest include public sector, higher education, healthcare, financial services, and professional services.

PeopleSoft currently maintains an ongoing delivery of new features, analytics, digital assistance, and PeopleTools updates, but for new PeopleSoft users, it may be helpful to look at a timeline of Oracle’s ownership of the product.

• 2005 – PeopleSoft was acquired by Oracle.
• 2006 – Oracle launched Applications Unlimited, which is Oracle’s term for their commitment to continue to support and invest in acquired applications. This is unique in the industry.
• 2013 – The latest version of the platform, 9.2 was released. It was a very difficult project of changing and retooling the infrastructure so they could move to a continuous delivery model. This allows for updates as they are released or provides a selective adoption strategy. Both continuous delivery and selective adoption is remarkable and unique in the industry.
• 2014 – PeopleSoft Fluid User Interface (or Fluid UI) is launched.
• 2017- PeopleSoft Cloud Manager became available. This was built to run PeopleSoft applications in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.
• 2034 – Oracle has a rolling ten-year commitment to support PeopleSoft through this date.

Context 

PeopleSoft’s enterprise suite includes Human Capital Management (HCM), Financials and Supply Chain Management (FSCM) modules, and Campus Solutions.

Examples of HCM modules are:

• Human Resources
• Payroll
• Benefits
• Time and Labor
• Absence Management
• Recruiting Solutions
• Learning Management
• HR HelpDesk

Examples of FSCM modules are:

• General Ledger
• Receivables
• Payables
• Cash Management
• Procurement
• Projects
• Asset Management
• Grants Management

PeopleTools & Technology platform is the technology layer that enables integration, data administration, configuration, analytics, etc.

Core Terminology for New PeopleSoft Users

As a new PeopleSoft user here is what you need to know about running the product today:

• All PeopleSoft applications are built on PeopleTools tech platform to extend the solution.
• PeopleSoft continues to support OS platforms.
• Many customers are moving into Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI).
• New features are delivered in update images.
• New PeopleTools releases are delivered every 15-18 months.
• Fluid UI is the de facto standard and is highly recommended.
• Customers are rapidly deploying new features. as they ship.
• PeopleSoft Update Manager allows customers to pick and choose what updates and fixes they take and when. This is known as Selective Adoption.

Current Version

The most up-to-date version of PeopleSoft looks like this:

If you are working with something different, there is opportunity for you to continue to leverage the platform and fully deliver value and support for you and your end users as well.

Recommendations for New PeopleSoft Users

If you’re a new PeopleSoft User, tapping into and becoming a part of the PeopleSoft and Quest Oracle Community will help you accelerate your impact as a part of this warm and welcoming community.

To stay connected all year long, Jackson recommends attending RECONNECT LIVE at BLUEPRINT 4D conference, mining the PeopleSoft website, and utilizing social media platforms and other available resources.

• RECONNECT LIVE at BLUEPRINT 4D – There is big value in attending conferences. It provides the space to connect with experts, opportunities to schedule meetings with product strategy teams, helpful sessions to attend with presenters are willing and happy to answer questions, and industry networking sessions provide an opportunity to join a discussion and bring any questions you may have. You can also take part in the Innovators Program, attend the welcome lunches, and take advantage of Coffee and Connects to meet in person with knowledgeable partners and get the support you need.
• Peoplesoftinfo.com – This page a great one-stop-shop for all things PeopleSoft, and if you are a new Peoplesoft user, bookmark this page.  This page includes:
  • Rotating banners that highlight pertinent information such as conference events and super useful customer success stories
  • Product pages, which help you gather information you need around certain product areas. This section helps you understand what is being delivered, when it comes out and how you can adopt it
  • Cumulative Feature Overview, which is a tool to run a report from wherever you are that will show every PeopleSoft feature you have had delivered
  • Product roadmaps that allow you to see what is coming for planning, other documentation, and tools – The roadmap is rolling and continuous so never have to wait for a conference to find out what the HCM product roadmap is.
  • Collaborate and Connect tab, which is a space to collaborate and engage – It shows stories of what other customers are doing and is also a space for you to share your ideas and opinions to influence the roadmap.
  • Topic pages, which is of the most underutilized features – These pages curate everything you might need to know about a project. There are a lot of resources to mine in this feature.
• Social Media and Other Resources – Keep plugged in by utilizing the PeopleSoft blog channel and listening to the podcast series is helpful. New PeopleSoft users should also make sure to follow PeopleSoft on social media channels, which will feature highlight videos, feature overviews, demonstrations and training orientations.

In addition, take advantage of the Quest PeopleSoft Community. They deliver a newsletter with trending videos and blogs, provide webinars, content library, and activities that run year-round.

Key Takeaways

If you’re a new PeopleSoft user looking to accelerate your impact, here’s what you need:

1. Understand the history of PeopleSoft and its context.
2. Learn the vocabulary you’ll need to talk about it.
3. Engage in the Quest PeopleSoft community year-round.
4. Take advantage of rich resources at peoplesoftinfo.com.
5. Glean and utilize social media channels and other assets available.

For more information about being a new PeopleSoft user and how best to hit the ground running using the product, you can watch the full recording of Rebekah’s session here: PeopleSoft 101 for New Attendees: Accelerate Your Impact.

About Quest Oracle Community

Quest Oracle Community is where you learn. Ask questions, find answers, swap stories and connect to other PeopleSoft customers and product experts. Find out more.