As we discussed in Rick's staff meeting,  you can help your 7/1/00 go-live go 
more smoothly, whether you are implementing financials and HR or HR only.  
Here is one way.

Timekeeping, though it seems mundane on the surface, is a focal point of the 
SAP integration.  Entry and coding of time populates not just payroll, but 
projects and cost centers, real time.  We will now have more flexibility to 
charge employee and contractor time to the areas they actually work (where 
people work on more than one area at a time).  This will only happen to the 
extent that the business and cost center owners drive it.  This capability is 
customizable not just by business unit or company, but by cost center within 
a company.

To make this work HOW YOU WANT IT TO on 7/1, each "organizational unit" (as I 
said above, you can drive this in your cost center(s) only or across your BU) 
needs to be clear on questions such as:

1.  Whether or not they want contractors to enter time in SAP
2. Whether you want positive timekeeping (each pay period specifying the cost 
center or projects one worked on) or "exceptions" only (e.g., vacation, sick 
time, etc)
3.  Whether an approval process is desired and if so, what it is
4.  Whether people will record their own time using the self service 
capability eHROnline (typically more precise and less handoffs) or whether 
they will continue to use a timekeeper (typically a little more convenient 
for people who (a)  rarely have access to a computer or (b) work in many 
different areas and are not willing/able to identify and use cost center 
numbers or project codes 
5.  Whether people  know the projects and cost center codes they should 
charge to

Your leadership in clarifying this within your cost center and/or BU will be 
instrumental in driviing the level of change you desire, as well as 
minimizing the noise related to the 7/1 go -live.  We have been using a 
variety of methods to communicate and drive much of this change, but the 
business drive for how much to utilize the tool is determined by you.

The deadline for the first SAP time entry period is 3 pm Houston time on 
Friday, June 30.

Despite all our collective efforts, I expect that it will be a few pay 
periods before we get each individual clear on what level of acitivity is 
desired from him by his cost center or company.  Thanks for your help in 
getting through the transition period.  Please call me or Andrea Yowman if 
you have any questions.