Dear eVA users,
As Craig Herndon shared with you in a recent email, the Dept of General Services (DGS) is leading an upgrade project for eVA. This project is centered around a transition to a new underlying platform, iValua, and is scheduled to be completed in December.
In preparation for this effort, VCCS has assembled a core project Team with key staff from the System Office business and ITS groups as well as the SSC. We’ve been in communication with DGS as they have shaped and initiated this effort.
To date, much of the work around the project has been within DGS and with their delivery partner, CGI (the technology firm that has been supporting eVA to date). However, over the next several months, staff across the VCCS will have the opportunity for more involvement with this project particularly as we engage in training, user acceptance testing, and adapting our business processes to the updated software.
With this in mind, the core project Team will be communicating regularly with you and providing project-related resources to help us all with a successful transition. We’ll be sharing what we learn, seeking your questions and feedback, supporting training, and testing, and working with DGS to ensure VCCS needs are being communicated.
Let me share several useful items which we currently have in place:
Headline schedule
DGS has shared their project schedule at a high level. While we continue to work with the agency to nail down more specific tasks and steps, we can share the following DGS target milestones:
· System Test – CGI Responsibility – July 19th – October 11th
· User Acceptance Testing (UAT) – September 28th – December 2nd
· Training Analysis and Development – April 12th – December 20th
· Introductory Learning – May 17th – July 29th (and potentially through August)
· Micro Learning and Train the Trainer – July 28th – September 29th
· End User/Instructor Led Training – September 30th – December 20th
· Conversion Testing – October 12th – November 8th
· GO LIVE – December 2021
Beyond this, DGS is still developing their detailed “Integration Outreach and Rollout” plan. Everyone understands that this schedule is very ambitious, and we’re hoping to have more schedule and task clarity on VCCS engagement in these activities. We recognize that DGS is charged with upgrading a system used by all agencies in the Commonwealth and we are working to do our part to ease this transition.
Project websites
We’ve established a VCCS project website at https://www.ssc.vccs.edu/procurement/eva-transition-project/. We’ll be using this site to share information on our VCCS project activities, general project resources, and any updates we’re aware of.
DGS has also established their eVA Newsroom at https://eva.virginia.gov/eva-transition-newsroom.html.
DGS Buyer User Group Information https://eva.virginia.gov/buyer-user-group.html
Project Communication and questions
We’ll be establishing continuing VCCS email communications and hosting project zoom meetings over the next several months. Watch for more info on this in your inbox and on our project website.
If you have questions, suggestions, concerns, or other feedback, please direct these to help. Our SSC Customer Engagement team will be tracking and responding to your queries, working closely with the VCCS eVA team and DGS.
eVA “Design Briefs”
DGS has held a series of information sessions on aspects of the new (Ivalua) eVA platform. Links to these “Design Brief” videos are available at the SSC project site (https://www.ssc.vccs.edu/procurement/eva-transition-project/).
eVA Training
I want to thank everyone in the VCCS community for your help in supporting this important effort. An upgraded eVA system will offer a better, and more functional, user experience for everyone in our system. We’ll be keeping you informed and engaged as the project continues and look forward to your input and efforts to make this transition a success!
Cheers,
Dennis
Dennis Moynihan, Director
Shared Services Center
dmoynihan
M: 802-829-2329
