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In the year of our 40th Anniversary, it is a great pleasure to see

OFID enter the era of Enterprise Systems by implementing SAP

Phase III. This is the beginning of a monumental change process

that is going to transform the way we do business. A whole new

world of possibilities awaits. The challenge is not only to

embrace this change but also to leverage its potential to the

fullest.

The real value of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) lies in

its enterprise-wide integration, which helps achieve a greater

focus on analytics, better and quicker decision making, robust and accurate operation/business

information, improved financial reporting, and simple easy-to-use interfaces; all of which shall be

appreciated as the system goes live on February 29, 2016. The system will empower ALL, leading

to the eventual devolution of operational decision making and support.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the sustained dedication of the entire project

team, which has successfully managed this complex and often trying process. I urge you all as end-

users to continue to support the team and take full ownership of the new system.

This issue

Director General’s Note P.1

From Project Manager’s Desk P.2

Go-Live Survival Checklist P.3

Upcoming Events P.4

OASIS Key Messages

Real value will start becoming

visible a couple of months after

go-live.

It will not be without issues. We

have to collectively resolve and

move beyond them.

After go-live, we cannot continue

with legacy systems. The sooner

we shut them down, the easier it

will be for OFID to move to OA-

SIS as its new operation system.

OASIS Project success

depends on:

Excellent Project Team

Communication

Senior Management Sup-

port

Motivation and Apprecia-

tion of Staff & Partners

Managing Change At All

Levels

Thinking Out of The Box

ISSUE 07/February, 2016

DIRECTOR GENERAL’S NOTE

Suleiman J. Al Herbish

Project Newsletter of OFID’s Information Technology Unit

OASIS Go-Live

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Over the past

several months, I

attended several

OASIS training

sessions on vari-

ous aspects of

the new system

including the new

MIS, project man-

agement on the

MIS (as it relates

to grant opera-

tions), permis-

sions manage-

m e n t a n d

K n o w l e d g e

Asset Adminis-

trator’s (KAA)

training (also as it relates to grant operation). The

purpose of this write up is to provide a brief

overview on what was effective about these train-

ing programs.

First, I’ll talk about project management training.

The objective of this session was to introduce the

new MIS system as it integrates into OASIS. After

brief presentation on how this new system fits

into the larger integration plan, there were sever-

al PowerPoint slides that instructed users on how

to look up information on every aspect in the

project approval process. The training session

participants were then instructed how to extract

data from the MIS system using a range of differ-

ent criteria and variables. The other sections of

the new MIS were also illustrated, including how

to pull a data report and how to assign filters to

those reports.

I’ll take the permissions management lesson as

another example. The objective of this training

session was very straightforward: provide a step-

by-step set of instructions to change permissions

on EDMS folders and files and create and manage

groups within EDMS to easily manage those per-

missions. First, the end users were instructed

how to create, edit, and add to EDMS groups.

Next, they were instructed to assign access to

example files for individuals and groups.

There were two helpful things with the way each

of these training sessions were conducted. First,

the lesson objectives were straightforward. In the

latter example, the goal was to show how EDMS

permissions could be assigned and managed.

Therefore it was easy to detail each step towards

this. Second, everyone participating in the training

was following along on a computer. This interac-

tive step-by-step approach allowed me to get a

better feel for the system and procedure that

wouldn’t have been apparent had I simple heard

the instructions verbally without being able to

follow along. By walking everyone through the

procedure and by having the trainees working

with the same materials and examples, the train-

(Continued on page 3)

From the Project Manager’s Desk It gives me great pleasure to communicate that OASIS “OFID Application System for Inte-

grated Solutions” project is going live on February 29, 2016. Like any major project or

complex systems implementation, this project brings its own unique blend of challenges

and opportunities. As our new operating platform, OASIS will enable OFID to adopt indus-

try best practices in the areas of treasury & risk management, loan management, project

management and optimized payment processes. Finally, I would like to thank the project

teams of OFID (Applications and Infrastructure ) and our partners, who have put in long

hours and significant effort throughout the project. Also, a note of appreciation is due to

senior management and all OFID staff across the board who have whole heartedly support-

ed us.

The purpose of this newsletter is to acquaint all staff with what the Go-Live means to them

and how they will be impacted by this significant change which is coming to the institution.

Jacobs Edo, PMP

Project Training Experience

By Nicolas Smith

The “go live” date is set for Feb 29, 2016 but

what do we do between now and then to get

ready for the OASIS system? The OASIS pro-

ject team, working with our partners, has de-

veloped and is deploying an outreach effort

that will help users prepare for the new sys-

tem.

First of all, what is OASIS? OASIS - OFID Ap-

plication System for Integrated Solutions”- that

is the new name of an effort to modernize and

revamp the enterprise information systems of

OFID. Beginning nearly two years ago, at the

time it was under the name SAP Phase III, the

core aim of this effort was to replace disparate

and dozens of aging and unconnected comput-

er systems with one integrated, enterprise,

web-based system that will improve business

services, enhance the ability of the organiza-

tion to deliver on its mandate and increase efficiency. The name OASIS was chosen among

several other names proposed to the SAP

Steering Committee, as it represents a number

of powerful meanings that are close to OFID’s

mandate and activities. OASIS is a fertile spot

in a desert, where water is found; so it means

a source of help for those in need. Water is

also one of OFID’s main focuses of interven-

tion.

The software chosen is SAP ERP, MIS and

OpenText enterprise content management

systems, with SAP (Systems, Applications and

Products) in Data Processing as the leading

system. SAP is a German company and an

industry leader in this particular field. The

areas covered include all of the major business

functions, including finance, risk management,

treasury and business intelligence/analytics.

What Happens Next…?

As of February 29, OASIS goes live and be-

comes our first integrated enterprise system.

For a short period of two months, both

OASIS and the old legacy systems (MIS,

Portman, etc.) will run in parallel. This will

be done to ensure reconciliation of both

systems. Since OASIS will be the leading

system, it is important to note that all trans-

actions must first be entered in the related

OASIS’s system followed by the entry in

legacy systems. Of critical importance are

transactions related to loans, treasury, dis-

bursements, accounts receivables and pay-

ment (loans repayments, supplier invoices

etc.), purchase orders, general accounting

entries, business partner and projects. Initial-

ly, some problems may arise as users famil-

iarize themselves with the system despite

extensive trainings conducted through the

project. A helpdesk has been established to assist users with all such issues. All affected

staff are requested to contact the Key Busi-

ness Users and IT for OASIS Support related

issues. They will either resolve the issues at

their level if it relates to their domain or

otherwise will forward it to our support

partners for resolution.

Getting Ready to Go-Live –

Where to go for Help?

We have defined a procedure to support

you using the new OASIS system in your

daily activities. For this reason you can con-

tact us in the following ways:

Helpdesk Request Form

Partner Consultation

SAP Incident Management

What is OASIS?

3

Go-Live Survival Checklist

Have I completed all required training?

Have I received an email with my User

ID and Temporary Password?

Do I know that I will use my Tempo-

rary Password the first time I access

OASIS system and have to change it to

my “normal” password ?

Do I know what I am going to use as my

“normal” password ?

Do I know that if I cannot log into SAP

through the SAP GUI on my first try, I

should contact helpdesk?

If needed, I know how to change my SAP

Default Settings in SAP ECC through the

SAP GUI.

I can access the go-live newsletter for the

most current information.

I can access my training materials, videos

and business blueprint for information

regarding the use of OASIS functions

Do I know who the OASIS Support Team

members are for my department and how

to find their contact information?

Do I know how to contact a member of

the OASIS Support Team if I have a ques-

tion or need help?

Do I know that there might be interrup-

tions in the OASIS system during the days

following Go-Live and all functions might

not be available during the controlled start

-up ?

Do I know that important information will

continue to be distributed after Go-Live

and I should continue to check and read

my email ?

ing session provided an effective way to trou-

bleshoot problem areas that end users might

encounter as well as give a platform for which

questions could be easily answered.

The other training sessions also generally fol-

lowed this model of interactivity and a clear

through a process that had a clear and defined

objective. Oftentimes, these training sessions

were accompanied by a PowerPoint presenta-

tion which explained how a particular aspect of

the system fit into the larger context of SAP

Phase III. The presentations and instructional

videos were also easily available on EDMS so

that an end user could later review what was

covered in each training session.

(Continued from page 2)

“Using technology to radically improve

performance and propel OFID’s core

business into the Digital Age…”

Jacobs Edo, PMP

Do I know that becoming an expert in

the new technology and business pro-

cesses will take time and I have to be

patient ?

Legacy Systems Retirement

OFID will not require many applications cur-

rently being run across the institution to cov-

er a multitude of its business processes. Dur-

ing the interim period, these applications will

continue to run for reconciliation purposes

ONLY. After go-live, business users are re-

quested to make a continuous analysis of

legacy applications in comparison with OASIS

and determine which ones must continue to

run in order to perform business functions

after this period is over. Our objective is to

shut down all legacy applications, as they will

now become not only redundant but will also

be an additional cost burden for their mainte-

nance. On the same note, all staff members

are also requested to adopt an “out of the

box” approach to meet their business re-

quirements. While existing reports and analy-

sis may not be available in the same format,

OASIS will provide the reporting necessary to

carry out our business efficiently besides

providing an immense information warehouse

for business decision making.

Notes for OASIS Password

Management

At initial log-in, the system will prompt you

for a password change; please change to

your choice password after reading the

NOTE below:

Please note that you are responsible for the

custody of your password. The password is

encrypted and IT Unit will not be able to tell

(Continued on page 4)

“The OPEC Fund is an institution that has

been evolving continuously since its inception

39 years ago. The OPEC Fund you see today

bears little resemblance to the institution of 20

years ago or even of 10 years ago. This has

been partly by necessity - the development

arena is constantly shifting - and partly by

design”

Suleiman J. Al-Herbish

Director General, OFID

SAP Phase III (OASIS) Kick-Off Meeting - October 28, 2014

4

March 22, 2016

March 10, 2016

Presentation to Support Staff

March 09, 2016

Presentation to Professional Staff

February 18, 2016

Display of OASIS Go-Live Poster

Upcoming Events

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY UNIT

The OASIS system initiative will transform most of OFIDs’ business and administrative operations by

installing integrated, enterprise-wide software.

The scope of the project includes loan management, payroll, SWIFT payment, treasury & risk man-

agement, customer accounts payable, business partner, and project management activities.

This newsletter is produced as part of the go-live communication strategy of the OASIS Business Transfor-

mation team.

Project Manager: Jacobs Edo — j.edo@ofid.org / + 43-151564-142 Project Sponsor: Dr Jorge Goncalves — j.goncalves@ofid.org / + 43-151564-284

If you have any questions or need further information, please contact the OASIS Project team

Hotline at + 43-151564-142 or E-mail: it@ofid.org

Dinner for Project Team

March 24, 2016

“TTThe past decade has been a

period of dramatic change at

OFID. This transformation is

well reflected in the operation-

al and financial results of the

past few years, which are the

outcome of a process of strate-

gic repositioning, organization

strengthening and financial re-

alignment. These developments

have enabled the institution to

substantially enhance the exe-

cution of its mandate and con-

solidate its standing as a

prominent and respected play-

er in the global development

arena”

A decade of transformation: OFID

ten years on; published June 2013 as

revised in March 2014

February 29, 2016

OASIS Go-Live

OASIS Go-Live Event

your password. However, if you forget your

password, you can request IT Unit to reset

your password via an email to helpdesk. IT

will re-initialize your password. You will be

prompted to change it on your first subse-

quent log on.

Do not share your password with colleagues;

you will face the risk of sharing your personal

and work sensitive information.

The password must be easy to remember and

personal to you, as this secures your SAP

work area.

It must be at least six characters long with a

number and special character include in the

mix (examples of special characters are: !, @,

#, $, %, ^, &, *, (, ), etc.)

The password must be different from the old

password for returning users at least by one

or two characters.

Any issues relating to log-in / password assis-

tance, please contact IT helpdesk or call me

on x137.

(Continued from page 3)