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Knight Vision

Questions about set

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Why Service Enhancement Transformation

There are no additional monies allocated for SET positions. Each college will make the decision on how funding would be handled on a case-by-case basis.

The Knight Vision SET project directly aligns with two of the President Cartwright’s goals:

  1. Build a strong leadership team with a focus on improving administrative infrastructure and systems that drive operational excellence, efficiency and effectiveness.

Through organizational alignment, process improvements and a focus on efficiency and effectiveness, we can ensure we are maximizing our investment in our institutional missions of education, research, student development and public service, and moving toward becoming a leading public metropolitan research university.

  1. Build a culture of trust, engagement and accountability that also makes UCF one of the best places to work for our faculty and staff.

The SET Project will enable: “clear and consistent administrative structure; streamlined use of administrative systems; operational effectiveness, efficiency, and excellence; opportunities for engagement in operational transformation; transparency that can help establish trust; structures and metrics for accountability; enhanced employee experience for functional and support staff and improved services for administrators and faculty.”

Both the SET project and the Workday ERP Implementation project are part of the broader Knight Vision program.

The SET project defines the roles, responsibilities and organizational structure that will inform the final configuration of the new Workday ERP system for HR and finance. Similarly, features available in the new Workday system require changes in the way we currently conduct certain university processes, which require a streamlined organizational structure. By coordinating each project with one another, our university will be able to cohesively address HR and finance service opportunities across people, processes and technology.

The SET project worked with each college and division to outline the estimated size of each business center, starting with a standard set of metrics. These numbers and final organization charts may continue to evolve. Each college is responsible for the staffing and size of their Finance and HR Business Centers.

The SET project will enhance the quality and consistency of HR and finance service delivery, eliminating inefficiencies and clarifying and streamlining complex processes. These changes will improve the customer experience and reduce the amount of time that students, faculty and staff must dedicate to administrative activities, thus enabling them to focus their time on supporting or engaging in mission-centered activities such as learning, teaching, research and service.

The new SET operating model is not intended to reduce staff or resources:

  • Some staff will be hired into a new HR position in a college or division (within a HR Business Center).
  • Some staff will be hired into a new finance position in a college or division (within a business center).
  • Some staff who currently have HR or finance responsibilities will stay with their department and will have new capacity to perform other roles and responsibilities through realignment of local responsibilities.

Benefits to our People:

  • Creating defined, uniform roles, responsibilities and competencies for staff and supervisors.
  • Providing staff with more effective training opportunities.
  • Providing service coverage so staff have specialist backup in their absence.
  • Reducing duplicative work by simplifying and standardizing processes.

Benefits to our University:

  • Increasing service speed, quality and consistency.
  • Reducing risk from non-compliant processes and practices.
  • Using modern, state-of-the-art technology to improve upon outdated processes, providing a uniform, high-quality customer experience.
  • Aligning with Workday to simplify processes, reducing approvals and oversight.

Why Shift to SET?

We have come a long way from our origins and many of you have witnessed our impressive growth! In fact, we grew so fast, that our organization’s structure did not keep pace. Currently, there is inconsistency in processes based on college/division level, leading to a lack of specialization, and often duplication in efforts across many different units. With the implementation of Workday, all processes will be changed and simplified, which will lead to consistency in processes through the university, as well as consistency in roles and responsibilities across campus.

The Service Enhancement Transformation (SET) project is a method which will redefine, streamline and optimize the ways in which human resources, payroll, finance, unit-based post-award and procurement operations are provided at an institutional level. Efficiency and effectiveness are achieved by realigning roles and responsibilities and improving processes.

The SET project has established a Project Champions team and Advisory Committee responsible for evaluating options and making decisions. The SET project has three executive sponsors, Interim Provost and VP for Academic Affairs Michael Johnson, VP for Information Technology and CIO, and Senior VP for Administration and Finance Gerald Hector, who are accountable for making decisions and confirming alignment with the  Knight Vision Governance Structure. 

Business centers will be embedded in the colleges. Logistically, it will be up to each individual college or HR/budget directors to determine where to physically position staff.

About kNEXT

There will be only one Knight Experience Team. For more information, refer to our SET Operating Model page.

Customer Care Coordinators:
Provide customer service to campus-wide employees seeking assistance with Workday ESS for areas not supported by an employee’s business center.

HR & Travel/Procurement Specialists:
Provide transactional support for HR manager self-service and travel/procurement for the Office of the President, Facilities & Safety and Administration and finance divisions. These roles will include the same Workday transactional responsibilities as HR and travel/procurement coordinators in the business center. In addition to the standard Workday responsibilities, the specialists will also provide back up support to business centers as well as responsibilities detailed provided below regarding the all kNEXT support roles.

kNEXT Support Roles:
Provide knowledge management, training and communications to support kNEXT and business center HR and travel/procurement coordinators. Additional duties also include monitoring performance levels of SET, soliciting feedback from colleges and divisions, engaging the campus to identify and design solutions that enhance the employee experience and project management.

To best meet the needs of the UCF community, SET is establishing the next generation of a service center that places the employee experience at the center of how the team operates. kNEXT will focus on the following:

  • Customer Service – Support campus-wide employees with HR, finance and Workday self-service questions and issues.
  • Innovation and Process Excellence – Execute transactions with data integrity and timeliness, as well as identify areas of opportunity for improvement.
  • Employee Experience – Put our people at the center of operations and innovation to provide the most value to our employees.
  • Digital First Options – Make information easier to find, request intake and transaction self-service to support employees in real time with real humans when you need them.
  • Relationship with Campus – Develop meaningful relationships across campus to provide the best support.

The following central office functions are moving into kNEXT:

  • Background Checks
  • Records Management
  • International Employment and Tax
  • Property
  • Merchant Services
  • Travel and Expense
  • Procurement

Please note that there are central HR functions moving to kNEXT. Some of the listed functions may also exist within Faculty Excellence or other areas outside of central HR and finance.

kNEXT will be comprised of HR and finance specialists as well as continuous improvement and customer service experts. This is not a center for administrative assistants; however, kNEXT and business centers will provide support to administrative assistants seeking assistance with Workday.

Transition Teams & Process

Leaders of the college or division you are interested in will make the final selection decisions. Transition teams are in place to assist their college or division by providing tools, resources and answers to questions employees may pose throughout the process. Transition teams are not the final decision-makers on SET positions.

We want staff to have a voice in what their future career path looks like going forward, which is why all staff who currently work in HR or finance (and who want an HR or finance role in the future) must express interest in a SET role. SET is intended to be positive for all campus – including staff – by providing staff the opportunity to specialize in a defined area, clear and consistent pathways for advancement and superior service delivery for the whole institution. The strategy for transitioning faculty/staff is being guided by the following principles, as laid out in the Workforce Transition Plan:

  1. Retain our staff throughout the implementation of SET.
  2. Fill roles with as many qualified internal staff as possible.
  3. Make every effort to place people in the roles and college/division of their choice.
  4. Make the process of expressing interest simple and easy.
  5. Align current roles that naturally fit with a future state SET role.
  6. Provide new opportunities for staff that are interested and meet the qualifications.
  7. Ensure everyone who may be affected has a local contact with them and help outline an individual transition plan.
  8. Provide comprehensive support and training for new responsibilities.
  9. Build career paths and opportunities for professional development.
  10. Ensure colleges and divisions are involved in the process, and coordinate changes across the institution.

Staff interested in remaining in their current college or division do not need to participate in the Expression of Interest Survey and may discuss their preference with their transition team.

The Expression of Interest Survey is not a formal application. There will be opportunities for conversations between supervisors and potential hires that will allow staff to ask questions and grow more comfortable as they consider taking the new SET role. Once positions are filled, offer letters will be provided for staff to accept and sign. At this time, staff will be committed to the new SET role.

Transition Teams will collaborate with colleges and divisions to identify the impacts of the new operating model and brainstorm potential solutions for reorganizing staff responsibilities. The focus will be on:

  • Accounting for departmental responsibilities that may be left behind by staff who are taking new SET positions; and
  • Accounting for the newly created capacity of staff remaining in departments, whose current HR and finance responsibilities will be fulfilled by the new SET HR and finance teams.

Compensation & Benefits

Jobs with the same title will be assigned to the same salary range regardless of which business center they exist in. Where individual employees are positioned in these ranges could differ based on factors like years of service, performance, experience or location – among others.

Pay equity involves analyzing the components that make up an individual’s salary. Employees sharing the same title could have salaries that are different because of a variety of factors such as years of service, performance, experience, time worked in the role or the employee’s location – among others. These compensation factors will be considered when making decisions related to staffing. UCF guarantees that employees will be paid at least the minimum for their position’s assigned grade. It is expected that salaries for most employees associated with jobs in the SET model will remain unchanged.

SET is focused toward aligning how we provide services across the HR and finance functions of the university. This is not related to the ongoing compensation project, nor is it designed to be a market exploration or a platform to redesign the compensation framework of the university. That said, one of SET’s guiding principles is to maintain a title/role structure that is market influenced, which will enable UCF to align these roles with market data in the future should UCF engage in any market pricing initiatives.

The new roles will not begin until July 7, 2022, which means that for half of their performance year, they will be reviewed on their original job. There is going to need to be communication between new and current supervisors to discuss performance reviews between the two roles.

Most employees will find their salaries unchanged by SET. Only in instances of promotion or voluntary demotion could salary adjustments potentially occur.

Movements into higher-level positions are defined in the SET initiative as “promotions”. Upon promotion, employees will be placed no lower than the minimum of the assigned grade for their new position. These new salaries will then be evaluated against existing internal peers to ensure that no compensation inequality between similar positions and similarly-situated peers exist upon salary placement. In instances where an imbalance is introduced, the individual moving into the new role will have a salary review for potential adjustment. Factors taken into consideration when evaluating a salary for adjustment can include: years of service, performance, experience, peer salaries, location and credentials.

While a move into a non-SET position prior to completing an initial USPS probationary period would restart your initial probationary period in accordance with university requirements, this is not the case with moves into SET roles. Understanding that SET is a realignment of duties, the probationary USPS employee will get credit for the time served in their current probationary position and will serve the balance of their probationary period in their new SET role.

You would restart your initial probationary period in accordance with the university requirement to serve an initial probationary period.

If your review is due at the time you are in a SET role, your current supervisor will complete the USPS Final Probationary Evaluation.

If possible, your current supervisor will collaborate with your prior supervisor to complete the review together.

Yes, pay grade information is included in the job descriptions on the webpage: https://knightvision.it.ucf.edu/set-job-descriptions/

Most employees will find their salaries unchanged by SET. In instances of voluntary demotions, a review of the of the role, responsibilities of the job and other factors, such as the individual’s prior experience, will be examined to determine the appropriateness of a salary adjustment upon placement into the new role. Voluntary demotions will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

The Employment Classification Change Matrix explains expected changes to insurance, retirement plans and annual/sick leave accruals when employees change classifications.

Generally speaking, regardless of the job that an employee is in, they will continue to earn service credit within the State of Florida retirement plans. If you have additional or more specific questions, we encourage you to contact Benefits.

At this time, we do not have a concrete answer. However, conversations regarding the change in how individuals work will continue.

Understanding Generalist & Specialist

When we say “specialized,” we do not mean that you will be doing the same thing every day. Specialization does not equate to isolation; rather, it means the opportunity to become an expert in one functional area, like HR or finance. Employees will also be able to receive more specialized training and do things that are currently not being done without that training, which will provide staff with new opportunities to learn and grow.

This is why we are asking for staff to express their interest in a given opportunity between HR and finance. The SET model was created for individuals to specialize in either an HR or finance function, and develop exceptional expertise in the responsibilities and tasks for that position in the college/division. Employees will also be able to receive more specialized training and perform new and expanded responsibilities. HR and finance specialists will still be working closely together.

We understand that the relationships and skills built over the years for many employees matter. This is a significant organizational change and it’s different than what we have done in the past. We understand that some people like doing a variety of different things, but there are exceptional organizational benefits when staff are focused on one specialization. We encourage you to embrace this as a new opportunity for professional development and growth.

Some titles may remain the same while others will change. This will vary based on each college/division and the employee’s role.

Talent Implications

UCF does not want to lose valuable employees who have deep institutional knowledge and loyalty to the university. Instead, we want to build on their knowledge and passion for a mission-focused organization. SET is committed to supporting training and development for staff and empowering them with new levels of authority to be better service providers for our faculty and staff. The SET model is focused on delivering exceptional service. And the SET project will allow for clear and consistent roles and responsibilities across the organization with greater transparency and opportunity for staff specialization and professional development.

The transition process will be ongoing and does not end with go-live in July 2022. Our first objective is to place employees into roles that align to their interest and provide robust and ongoing training to support success. If you have concerns about any outcomes or responsibilities, we encourage you to raise them with leadership. This transition should be an ongoing conversation for all of us to be successful. In addition, employees can always apply for openings across the institution.

HR, finance and research support are all professional areas of focus with opportunities across campus both within and beyond the SET centers. These roles will provide an area of focus upon which to build a successful career at UCF and internal mobility and growth will be encouraged.

SET Training

To prepare you for your new position, you will be provided trainings to take starting as early as May 1, 2022, while you are still in your current role. Details regarding this training will be provided and will include the total amount of required time (this may range from 20 to 30 hours across May and June). Much of the training you will take before Go-Live will be self-driven training you can take at your own pace. We are sensitive to the additional time commitment and your current supervisor will be notified of this training expectation and encouraged to allow flexibility in your current responsibilities during those commitments. Training will be accessible in phases.     

There is a SET Learning Path for each SET position that includes both Workday training and SET position-specific training. Subject matter experts in the central offices of finance, faculty excellence, HR and research thoughtfully chose courses based on the responsibilities in each SET job description. 

Every person taking a new SET job will receive a SET Learning Path based on their SET position. SET Learning Paths will be accessed through Webcourses.

Training will be offered in multiple formats, including instructor-led classes, job aids, learning labs, on-demand videos, self-driven online content, user guides, webinars and on-the-job training after Go-Live.

Business centers, kNEXT and the Talent Acquisition Unit may not be fully staffed by the beginning of May. Trainings will be recurring to make sure everyone hired after April 30 receives all the training they need.

One benefit of the SET operating model is that training developed by our central offices will continue after Go-Live. Staff will continue to have opportunities to develop their skills, as well as learn about updates to Workday and business processes.  

There will be two phases of training: pre Go-Live and post Go-Live. Pre go-live training will occur in May and June. Post Go-Live training will begin in July and be ongoing. Training will include a combination of on-demand, self-driven training (e.g., job aids, videos) and live training (e.g., learning labs, webinars and instructor-led workshops). Live training may be virtual or in-person. Information regarding live training sessions will be announced.   

Everyone moving into a new SET position will receive training. There is a SET Learning Path for each SET position that includes both Workday training, as well as SET training. Subject matter experts in the central offices of finance, faculty excellence, HR and research thoughtfully chose courses based on the responsibilities in each SET job description.