People and Finance Service Transformation

People and Finance Service Transformation (PFST) is programme of work to improve, modernise and future-proof our People and Finance services. This will involve reimagining our ways of working and adopting new technologies to support us. 

The programme will take a critical look at how we operate in the context of our core, underpinning systems. It will consider both PeopleXD and Oracle, as well as the other systems we use to deliver our People and Finance services. However, technology is not the only driver for the programme; any decisions related to system changes will be considered as part of a wider ambition to optimise how we deliver People and Finance Services across the organisation. 

Why do we need to transform our People and Finance services? 

World-class teaching and research need excellent professional services to support them. Simplifying, improving and making our services more consistent and efficient will help our academic communities to focus on their priorities and thrive into the future. 

Some key reasons driving the need for change include: 

• Feedback from across the University - our systems and ways of working are already outdated. Staff report de-skilling compared to industry practice, and they do not have a 'modern' experience of interacting with our systems and processes
• Resource constraints - we are increasingly under pressure to manage our cost base. Inefficient processes and inadequate provision of usable tools creates costly ways of working
• Increased compliance burden - Keeping up with increasing compliance and reporting requirements has resulted in manual processes and workarounds  
• Changing technology landscape - significant opportunities exist for increased automation, use of AI and better use of technology to underpin our core admin services  
• Data and analysis - as data and reporting have matured across the wider landscape, we need to improve ours
• Strategic Alignment - the programme is a key implementation vehicle for the People Strategy, it will enable two priorities of the new Strategic Plan 2025-30 and will be a mechanism for the People and Finance Shared Leadership Groups to achieve their objectives/ targets 

What are we aiming to achieve? 

This is an ambitious transformation programme, and there is a lot of work ahead to clearly define which changes should be introduced and to ensure those changes deliver value on par with the University’s investment. PFST aims to deliver improvements in the following ways:  

• Simplify ways of working: Streamline processes to make common ways of working easier, leaner and more cost efficient for everyone 
• Use technology effectively: Leverage technology opportunities including automation and AI to drive cost reduction across People & Finance services 
• Meet our obligations: Manage our statutory requirements and compliance obligations in a more cost-effective way 
• Build better data insights: Ensure high quality data to provide better insights and enable smart decision-making and identify cost saving opportunities
• Empower and develop our people: Provide staff with the tools, training and professional development to reduce workload pressures and improve job satisfaction 
• Work better together: Enhance collaboration and joined-up delivery of services, valuing everyone’s knowledge and experience 
• Improve user experience: Provide services that are easy to access and use
• Grow the culture of improvement: Embed a culture of continuous improvement

What approach will the programme take? 

PFST is an ambitious programme of change encompassing processes, ways of working, behaviours, roles, systems and tools. While it is much more than a system replacement programme, it is informed by and looking ahead to a large-scale systems change for both People and Finance Services. Big implementations are risky and PFST’s approach will be to de-risk ours by delivering bitesize chunks of change along the way through carefully chosen projects which will deliver meaningful changes and benefits in their own right; but crucially which will also put the building blocks in place for wider systems change later.    

 A good example of this is the Purchasing hierarchy project which will improve the way we approve purchases now, resolving issues raised by departments, and preparing the way for automation of some of our P2P processes. This a change within our current on-premise finance system that can be ported across into a future cloud-based system.   

Over the next year the programme will be focusing on foundational pieces of work such as service model design for People and Finance services. A service model:  

• outlines how the University delivers an entire professional service to the community and achieves its strategic goals.  
• identifies what services are provided, where and how.  
• includes a catalogue of services, roles and responsibilities, people, process, technology, governance and career development.  

PFST will be working closely with new Shared Leadership Groups to co-create service models. We will also work through new and existing engagement groups such as Process Oversight Groups and Process User Groups to ensure voices from those delivering services day-to-day are heard and valued. 

First workstreams 

In Finance, the first workstream will be Purchasing, starting with the Purchasing hierarchy project. 

In People, the first workstream will be Talent Acquisition. 

How can you get involved? 

Thank you to over 600 members of staff have already contributed to the programme through participation in workshops, focus groups and meetings.  

There will be many other opportunities to be involved with the programme in the coming months and years. To keep up to date with future opportunities, we suggest the following:

• If your role involves Finance, please join the Finance Community and get involved with the Process User Groups. 
• If your role involves HR, please sign up for People News at peoplecomms@admin.ox.ac.uk. 
• If you would like to contribute in any other way, or if you have a particular question, please email pfst@admin.ox.ac.uk outlining your role and main areas of interest.    

How long will it take? 

PFST will be a multi-year programme and it will involve many people.

The programme approach is to de-risk the overall transformation by delivering bitesize chunks of change along the way through carefully chosen projects which will deliver meaningful changes and benefits in their own right; but crucially which will also put the building blocks in place for wider systems change later.  So while a full transformation programme will take several years, you will start noticing changes sooner. 

Listening to stakeholders and working collaboratively is essential to success. Over the last few years, we’ve set up Process Oversight Groups (POGs) and Process User Groups (PUGs) in Finance, and Product Ownership Groups and Communities of Practice in HR as early steps to ensuring this collaboration is fully integrated into our approach.