Talon

What is Talon?

Talon will replace Banner human resources and Banner finance with a state-of-the-art cloud platform. This new enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform will be a single system to house and streamline all of Tennessee Tech’s needs for modern human resources, finance, and payroll technology.

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What does Talon provide that our current human resources and finance systems do not?

Cloud-based resource systems give organizations a competitive edge by enhancing operational efficiency and effectiveness, maintaining accountability, improving data access, and strengthening customer service.

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What is the process for the ERP?

The process started in 2019 when Tennessee Tech leadership worked with the UT System and other LGI’s to research best practices for the ERP replacement. It has involved interviewing consulting experts, staff of other universities, higher education and information technology associations and vendors about their transition experiences. Tennessee Tech has engaged consultants with expertise in ERP planning and organizational readiness to evaluate where the university is and what it needs to do to prepare for selection of an implementation partner and system transition.

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What are the next steps?

• Begin work on the cloud-readiness projects

• Selection of an implementation partner

• Finalizing the contracts with Oracle and the implementation partner

• Accessing the $20 million dollars of funding set aside in the Governor’s Budget

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When will the new system go live?

We are planning for a go-live date for Human Resources  and finance by January of 2026.

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Why will it take so long to implement?

Current business operations must continue to be maintained throughout the implementation while simultaneously evaluating all our processes before we transition to the new system to make sure they follow best practices, increase efficiency, reduce redundancy and remove administrative barriers.  It also takes time to orchestrate the plan, setup, configure and test a system for the hundreds of transactions that Talon will support.  We need to confirm data brought over from Banner human resources and Banner finance is correct and the processes function as designed.

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Who is making the decisions regarding the program?

The governance structure and escalation process will engage impacted stakeholders to advise on and propose decisions. Final authority will rest with the project’s executive committee. The project governance structure is shown below: 

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Will I get training on the new human resources and finance system?

Yes. Training will be available and ongoing for all impacted employees on the new system.

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What is the total implementation cost? How is Tennessee Tech paying for it?

While the total implementation cost of the system has not yet been determined, Tennessee Tech is managing project expenses using the $20 million in funding set aside in the Governor’s Budget.  Total costs largely depend on the university’s need to operate efficiently and without redundancy while following leading practices.

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Will tuition go up as a result of the project?

No.

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How will my job change?

We do not anticipate any workforce reductions as a result of implementing the new system.  While TALON will be more efficient and increase productivity, it will allow users to spend time on higher-level tasks.

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What resources will be available to faculty and staff during the Talon project?

A variety of communications, stakeholder engagement activities, and training resources will be provided that include online guided learning, videos, reference guides, and instructor-led sessions.

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