News & Updates sent August 10, 2021

Posted on August 10th, 2021

This is a challenging phase of the project, and our Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are actually learning how to do their jobs in the new system, while assessing and improving ctcLink functionality for each business process, checking accuracy of data, and determining and setting employees’ level of access and security roles in the system. “We are literally in a world of the unknown,” stated Kristina Hutchinson, HCM Pillar Lead, and as we test each process, we are trying to determine how the data entered will impact our processes, but also other processes across the system.

Dear College Community,

We are only two months until ctcLink Go‐Live and it’s time for User Acceptance Testing (UAT)!

UAT Testing Has Begun
Many of our colleagues began UAT in ctcLink on Thursday, July 28. UAT is organized into two “sprints,” the first of which is scheduled to run through August 23. UAT is an opportunity for the ctcLink project team and some additional staff to test selected processes in the new system (entering new hires, processing invoices, enrolling students, etc.), in order to identify possible issues prior to going live. This is a critical and necessary step to a successful launch of ctcLink.

Community Support
I am amazed daily that this high-level of work is occurring parallel to the normal college operations, juggling family responsibilities, taking summer vacations, and preparing for fall quarter. Our team needs the support of the SVC community as they continue with this critical work. Please take time to appreciate the efforts of our colleagues, but most importantly, please have patience with the Business Office, Enrollment Services, Financial Aid, Human Resources, Instructional Deans offices, and other impacted areas as they work tirelessly to transition us to ctcLink and complete normal work responsibilities to serve our students and the SVC community.

Welcome New ctcLink Team Staff
Please help me in welcoming (back) our newest member of the ctcLink team. Rachelle Russell joins us from the SBCTC ctcLink team and will provide support as a Functional Analyst primarily to the CS Pillar (Student Services functions). Before the SBCTC, Rachelle was with us at SVC in the financial aid office, so she brings a great combination of ctcLinkexperience and knowledge of the SVC community. Rachelle can be reached at Rachelle.Russell@Skagit.edu.

Timelines and Resources
Additional information on ctcLink can be found in the Administrative Services Newsletter. Here are a few of the latest articles and a link to the project timeline:

Final Countdown article includes detailed list of all cut‐off dates and service impacts.
Human Resources article includes information on changes to HR, Payroll, accessing personal information, self-service, and HR cut‐off dates
ctcLink Project Status includes all ctcLink information for SVC and the Project Timeline.

I am tremendously proud and inspired by the work of so manymaking sure Skagit Valley College’s transition to ctcLink is successful.