Frequently Asked Questions

The BEACON Project

• What is BEACON?
• Why is BEACON needed now?
• What systems will BEACON replace?
• What is the timeline for implementing BEACON?
• What is the time period for the pilot of the new BEACON HR/Payroll System?

State Agency/Community College Involvement

• How will state agencies participate in the project?
• Will community colleges be impacted by the BEACON HR/Payroll project?
• Will the State provide training?
• Will state agencies have to purchase new hardware?
• Will state agencies who currently maintain/use their own HR and Payroll systems be required to use the new state HR/Payroll system when it is implemented? If so, does this apply to SPA employees only, or SPA and EPA?

What's Included (or not) in the Project

• We keep hearing terms like core users, power users, and super users. What's the difference?
• Upon its initial implementation in 2008, will the HR/Payroll System have an on-line employment application system through which individuals can electronically apply for state government positions or will that feature be added later?
• Upon its initial implementation in 2008, will the HR/Payroll System have an on-line Time, Attendance, and Leave Recording System or will that feature be added later?
• Will the new HR/Payroll SAP System have a Training Records System when it goes live in 2008? By Training Records System, I am referring to a system to record all classes, workshops, and training attended by a department’s/state agency’s employees.

BEACON Funding

• How is funding being acquired for BEACON?
• What does the BEACON funding include?
• Are any of the costs for development, implementation and support going to be passed onto state agencies?
• We are all concerned after the meeting about this new system doing away with some payroll jobs. Can you give me some information on this?

Learning More

• How can I learn more about the progress of BEACON?
• If my question wasn’t answered here, how do I find the answer?

The BEACON Project

What is BEACON?
BEACON (Building Enterprise Access for NC’s Core Operation Needs) is North Carolina's program to streamline and standardize key business processes in Human Resources, Payroll, Data Warehousing, Budgeting, Financials, and Tax and Revenue. Our mission is to comprehensively implement SAP, an enterprise resource planning software system that will lead to improved efficiencies, data sharing, and an overall improved usage of public funds.

Why is BEACON needed now?
As North Carolina continues to grow, so, too, do the public’s expectations for expanded services, cost-effective operations and accountability for program performance increases. A prerequisite for the State to meet these expectations is the superior management of its financial and personnel resources. Yet, the State’s current core business systems are not up to this task. They are old, difficult to maintain and support, rely on outdated technology and are difficult to change for new operational requirements. Moreover, they are at risk of failure due to old age, loss of vendor support, and are supported by a workforce that is rapidly reaching retirement age. At the direction of Governor Easley and the General Assembly, BEACON will create a new, improved and more cost-effective business infrastructure for the North Carolina State Government.

What systems will BEACON replace?
The systems that will be impacted by BEACON support the following business functions: financial management, cash management, payroll, human resources, budget management, treasury, and revenue accounting. The project is divided into phases that will be implemented over a span of seven to 10 years, with the first focus on human resources and payroll. The human resource and payroll system will replace Central Payroll, DOT Payroll, and PMIS (Personnel Management Information System).

What is the timeline for implementing BEACON?
BEACON will use a phased approach for implementation. The overall program is expected to take seven to 10 years to implement. The first phase, the HR/Payroll implementation, will go live in early 2008.

What is the time period for the pilot of the BEACON HR/Payroll System?
A User Acceptance Testing (UAT) pilot comparison period is planned for the last three months of 2007. The UAT will be comprehensive in terms of the project's planned scope. Users from ALL agencies will have the opportunity to take part in the UAT, and an independent third party will provide a system audit and verification at that time as well.

State Agency/Community College Involvement

How will state agencies participate in the project?
Representatives from all 31 BEACON-impacted agencies will participate in project activities, such as design, testing, training and communications. Continued participation from agency staff throughout the project will be key to the success of BEACON.

Will community colleges be impacted by the BEACON HR/Payroll project?
The individual community college campuses will not be impacted by BEACON, but the Department of Community Colleges will.

Will the State provide training?
Yes. The State will design training for a variety of user groups. Training courses and curriculum is currently in development and will begin to be rolled out for BEACON HR/Payroll Project users in early September.

Will state agencies have to purchase new hardware?
State agencies that do not meet the minimum hardware requirements will have to purchase hardware. The project team will work in coordination with ITS and the agencies to review minimum requirements.

Will state agencies who currently maintain/use their own HR and Payroll systems be required to use the new state HR/Payroll system when it is implemented? If so, does this apply to SPA employees only, or SPA and EPA?
The goal of the BEACON HR/Payroll initiative is to ensure that all current functionality used in PMIS, Central Payroll, and DOT Payroll is implemented in the new system. BEACON agencies that have developed HR & Payroll systems to supplement functionality that is not currently in payroll or PMIS will migrate to the new SAP system. Yes, the SAP system will apply to SPA employees, and EPA employees that will be paid thru the BEACON HR/Pay System.

What's Included (or not) in the Project

We keep hearing terms like core users, power users, and super users. What's the difference?
There are four primary user types for BEACON. They are:
Core Users – Sometimes referred to as a power user, the core user type represents State employees that will be using SAP daily for HR and Payroll activities. These uses will require a high level of training on SAP and BEACON processes.

Super User – The super user is a subset of the core user community. The super user will be trained before core users and will provide local expertise on the new system. Super users will require additional training and may participate in testing and training activities for other user types.

ESS User – Employee Self Service (ESS) users are state employees that will be using the self service web portal to maintain some of their personal information. ESS users represent the largest user group but will require minimal training.

MSS User – Manager Self Service (MSS) users are state employees that will be using the self service portal to help manage their employees. MSS activities include features such as time and leave approval.

Upon its initial implementation in 2008, will the HR/Payroll System have an on-line employment application system through which individuals can electronically apply for state government positions or will that feature be added later?
An e-Recruitment feature (as it is termed in SAP) is out of scope for the planned January/April 2008 HR/Payroll System implementation activities. However, a separate rollout of this function is under consideration by the BEACON Project Steering Committee, and a separate deployment is anticipated in the future.

Upon its initial implementation in 2008, will the HR/Payroll System have an online Time, Attendance, and Leave Recording System or will that feature be added later?
Yes, online time, attendance, and leave recording functionalities will be available to employees through a web portal when theBEACON HR/Payroll system rolls out in 2008.

Will the new HR/Payroll SAP System have a Training Records System when it goes live in 2008? By Training Records System, I am referring to a system to record all classes, workshops, and training attended by a department’s/state agency’s employees.
A Training and Events Management feature is out of scope for the planned January/April 2008 HR/Payroll System implementation activities. However, a separate rollout of this function is under consideration by the BEACON Project Steering Committee, and a separate deployment is anticipated in the future.

BEACON Funding

Are any of the costs for development, implementation and support going to be passed on to state agencies? How is funding being acquired for BEACON?
Development and implementation costs for BEACON are being funded by the Legislature on an annual basis.

What does the BEACON funding include?
Funding for the program includes software, hardware, staffing, ongoing support, maintenance, training, and project team operations. North Carolina State government is a large, multi-faceted organization with over 200,000 employees. Replacing the core business systems accessed by over 65 state agencies and universities is an enormous project. Over 100 people will be working full-time to implement SAP while continuing normal business operations to the State.

We are all concerned about this new system doing away with some payroll jobs. Can you give me some information on this?
The Project Team is currently analyzing the BEACON HR/Payroll Project's potential impact on state jobs. The Office of State Budget and Management will be evaluating this analysis and deciding what changes may be made to these positions. These decisions are expected in early fall, and will be communicated as soon as they are finalized. It is not the intent of the project to eliminate positions, and the expected impact to state jobs is minimal.

Learning More

How can I learn more about the progress of BEACON?
The BEACON Web site at www.beacon.nc.gov is updated regularly with the latest news and information as well as other helpful resources, including a calendar of meetings and events. You can also subscribe to the BEACON electronic newsletter and get the latest news delivered, at no cost, to your inbox.

I couldn’t find the answer to my question here. How can I find the answer?
If we did not answer your question here, please email the question to BEACON@ncosc.net. We will reply to you directly and post the question and response for others to see under the FAQ.