“There are some real key advantages to the e-builder system,” said Jessica Garon, Instructional Course Designer, who will be among those guiding the training during the implementation of e-Builder, IP&O’s new cloud-based capital planning and project management software solution. 

“All data can be viewed in the system by all project participants,” Garon said of one of the system highlights. 

Each e-Builder user is assigned a specific role. Once roles are assigned for a project that user group can share information, view all information, leave comments about a project, and much more.

 “Depending on your role in the system you will be able to review and perform certain functions,” said Marlon Hidalgo, Senior Program Administrator, IP&O Systems Control and Support, who is also an e-Builder Certified Professional. “Only those participating in a project can make changes to it in e-Builder.” Hidalgo explained that the user roles are not based on the user’s Rutgers title, but merely a way for e-Builder to grant permissions in the system. Permissions and rights in e-Builder are defined by the person’s role in a project. 

During the course of a project, all project participants can see notifications, comments, financials, and all information associated with that project. “There is a learning curve, as with anything,” said Garon. “The amount of information e-Builder holds is comprehensive,” she added.  

Every department has its own dashboard. There are approval stops along the way so that projects cannot proceed without all of the funding and approvals established. 

The training group, headed by Sue Bhuyan, Director, myPath Training and Employee Development, conducted a pilot test prior to training. The pilot revealed some areas that can be strengthened before training. “The pilot gave us a chance to review the e-Builder processes that are in place within the system. The feedback gave us the chance to make some improvements. This fully prepares us for training others in the system,” said Bhuyan.

As the various groups ramp up in the system, Hidalgo will help with troubleshooting and making enhancements for each group, as needed. “Each group has very different processes. Everyone should be able to speak to each other in the system,” Hidalgo explained, “and we can make process improvements as we move along. I am looking forward to everyone’s feedback as they start to use the system.” 

“The real value of having our own training group and a certified in-house system administrator in Marlon, is that the support for e-Builder and for ServiceNow is right here and available to everyone,” said Ghislaine Darden, Associate Vice President. “We don’t have to rely on an outside system developer when a problem arises. We have our own in-house experts and trainers.” 

There are five financial processes integrated into e-Builder, Garon explained. The processes make sure the project is on track, with controls in place for budget transparency including notifications to approvers when changes are made, and if changes are needed to the budget, all approvers will be notified. 

“Communication is so critical to any undertaking and the ability to leave comments in e-Builder also allows for users to follow the projects and add comments of their own and address other’s remarks,” said Joseph Holtsclaw, Senior Director, IWMS Administration. “I know our project teams will find this ongoing dialog useful and time saving, as all of the information is in one place.”

Because e-Builder uses a lot of acronyms, a glossary has been created by the training team.

Prior to in-person training, users are required to take two online courses to prepare for in-person training. Those courses will provide an overview leading up to the training sessions. 

“We will be notifying everyone in advance of their training schedule,” Garon noted.