Frequently Asked Questions

Project 921 is an initiative to consolidate multiple 3rd party contracts and integrate the recruiting and onboarding system and processes across all campuses of the University of Nebraska and Nebraska State College System with the SAP enterprise system. Following a project naming contest, we landed on the name Project 921 because the goal is to move the nine (9) campuses to (2) one (1) standard SuccessFactors platform for Recruiting, Onboarding, and Performance and Goal Management.

SuccessFactors is a cloud-based suite of applications from SAP that helps organizations manage their workforce, from talent acquisition and onboarding to performance management, learning, and succession planning. The modules obtained and part of this implementation are Recruiting and Onboarding (Phase 1), and Performance and Goals Management (Phase 2).

Project 921 will bring us one Success Factors platform for Recruiting and Onboarding, and Performance and Goals Management. As such, we will realize the following benefits:

Enhanced Functionality
With new, upgraded features for the business processes for internal and external recruitment, onboarding, and performance/goals management.

Increased Collaboration
Across campuses by being able to work in the same application.

Modern Integration
With existing technology to improve flexibility and streamline procedures.

The main functionality that this will improve focuses on applicant tracking, electronic forms for pre-boarding and onboarding, integration with SAP, and online goal management and performance review/feedback processes.

The Human Resources leaders have enlisted the time and talents of many subject matter experts from all of our campuses to serve on the project team. The project team members collaborated with our implementation partners up front to impart their deep business process knowledge and experience to define tasks, evaluate system requirements, and make decisions for our future operations.

The Change Network is a group of Change Champions representing each of the campuses to the Project 921 Organizational Change Management team. They are actively engaged with bringing detailed information to their respective campus members who have a vested interest in learning about the SuccessFactors implementation and how it will impact their activities around recruiting and onboarding, and performance management and goals management. The purpose of their role is to promote the adoption of the new recruiting and onboarding processes that will replace the current recruitment system.

Each campus has a number of Change Champions. In many cases, they are intended to align with their specific department; however, some represent various departments beyond their own. To see a full list of the Project 921 Change Champions, refer to Fun Fact Friday, Volume 2 by clicking this link.

We have set up an email account that is dedicated to Project 921. You can send any questions or thoughts to us at project921@nebraska.edu. This mailbox is constantly monitored.

Email us at project921@nebraska.edu and ask to be added as a stakeholder. You will be added to the Project 921 stakeholder list and receive weekly communications about the new system.

The project kicked off in early July 2024. That started the requirements gathering phase of the project where we worked to identify how our processes fit within the system and how to set up the system to meet our needs.

From there we go through different types of rigorous testing. This culminates with the User Acceptance Testing (UAT) that gives a group of users hands on experience in the system. The feedback from UAT helps us make final preparations before we to move into production.

The last phase of the project, before we deploy Recruiting and Onboarding will be End User Training. This will take place in the second quarter of 2025. Click HERE to see the overall timeline available on this website.

User acceptance testing (UAT) round one serves as an initial validation of our discussions surrounding the SuccessFactors system build. This round, which we completed in January, involved a small group of testers and focused primarily on validating the testing scripts in preparation for the larger group participating in the second round, as well as providing additional experience for system administrators to work in the applications.

Round two of UAT will be more extensive and include a broader audience, most of whom we pulled from the Change Champion Network. It will take place in March 2025. During this phase, we will cover the full lifecycle of an employee—from requisition and hiring to creating an employee record in SAP and managing separations. This also serves as an opportunity to validate and refine the end user training materials and prepare the people selected from each campus to deliver training.

End user training will be a blend of instructor-led training and brief video clips. Additionally, end users are able to educate themselves with information that we provide through our regularly published Fun Fact Friday bulletins. We also have our Module Monday video clips that provide short tutorials of specific key processes.

A significant group of people from across all of the campuses will receive training on the details of the end user training materials, as well as how to deliver an effective training course. This will prepare them to teach the end users on their respective campuses, primarily through an instructor-led classroom setting. These sessions will take place in the beginning of April, just before we go live in early May with Recruiting and Onboarding.

Because SuccessFactors is an SAP product, we will derive our organizational charts and information about positions and their reporting relationships from the SAP system. However, HR offices can designate additional approvers or create routing paths for various pieces of information that need approval.

Yes. One of the new features we’re implementing for our hiring events is a section where the search committee chair or hiring manager will upload their interview notes, rubrics, and any other tools they are using. The system will store this information to centralize recruitment documentation, support internal audit review and eliminate storing recruiting documents in your office or in a separate location.

They receive emails with instructions on what they need to provide.

Timing and collaboration between HR and departments will be important in the transition to SuccessFactors. Each campus HR office will work with their departments to balance their recruitment and hiring events during this time. While both sites will be “live” at the same time – one will be used to wrap up recruiting activities and the other will be used to launch new recruitment activities. Your campus HR office is your best source for questions on this topic

The original plan was to focus on staff and work with the academic departments if they are interested.

Unlike the Recruitment and Onboarding component with a scheduled go live date, the SuccessFactors performance & goals management tools will be utilized by departments as they are ready for an electronic process. Some campuses and/or departments already use electronic processes, and those entities may choose to continue with their existing systems or switch to SuccessFactors. While using the performance & goals management tools are optional, adoption is encouraged, and training will be provided for those choosing to use the new components.