Project NextGen

Project NextGen will take place over fiscal year 2026. The project is organized into five workstreams, with activities extending through March. The dates below refer to the Foundation Phase.

The following Guiding Principles were defined during the ERP Roadmap project 

Foster Trust to​ Enable Change​

Build and maintain trust across campuses to support collaboration, enable alignment, and increase adoption of changes. Trust is the foundation for successful transformation.​

Challenge the Status Quo​

Foster a culture of future-focused change and innovation that challenges existing practices, enabling continuous improvement.​

Default to Best Practice​

Begin with proven industry best practices as the baseline for process and system design. Customize only when justified by strategic or regulatory needs.​

Standardize to Strengthen​

Pursue standardization where it aligns with shared goals, while allowing campus-specific adaptations to support business needs persist with a transparent, structured review process​

Govern with Intent​

Develop a system-wide model for governance with both system and campus participation that uses collaborative methods to balance system goals with diverse institutional needs​

Seek Technology Unification​

Evaluate and select platforms and technologies which prioritizes unification where practical and allow uniqueness where required for institutional needs. Seek a single ERP platform inclusive of assessment for Student functionality. ​

Embed Change Early and Often

Embed organizational change management early and continuously, ensuring training, communication, and stakeholder engagement are integrated throughout, with sufficient staffing and resources for successful implementation​

Business Process Transformation

Complete a Business Process Transformation Assessment to determine the extent to which UMass ERP processes can be modernized and aligned with leading practice​.

Technology Assessment & Rationalization

Complete a Technology Assessment and Rationalization to determine which current UMass products would be retained vs. replaced as part of a Modernization - Refine Student Roadmap with results of Technology Assessment and Rationalization​.

Program Planning & Governance

Design an Implementation Phase organizational and governance structure including an approach to staffing and funding.​

Change Management Strategy​

Establish a change management strategy for a future implementation phase​.

Procurement Strategy & Approach​

Develop a Procurement Strategy & Approach for future ERP product(s) and implementation services​.