Program Milestones & Timeline
The Ascend 2.0 Program is focused on the implementation of two core projects – Bruin Finance and BruinBuy Plus – which will replace the legacy mainframe financial system and procure-to-pay system. The first release (R1) of BruinBuy Plus launched on January 2, 2024.
Ascend 2.0 program leadership will be conducting a thorough assessment in the coming weeks and months to determine an appropriate path forward for the Ascend 2.0 program, including a new R2 go-live date. Once a path forward is determined, the program team will communicate further details with campus.
Explore the information below to learn more about each program milestone and how they contribute to the successful implementation of our future financial system:
To create an extensive system like Bruin Finance, the program team has broken down its development into 11 “Sprints.” “Sprints” are repeated cycles of building, testing, reviewing, and validating the functionality that will be featured in the new system. The goal of each Sprint is to take a set of business requirements identified by campus leaders and subject matter experts for how the new system should work and transform them into a prototype of what will eventually be used by campus-users.
The 11 Sprints are taking place between May 2023 and September 2024. Each Sprint lasts about 6 weeks.
To learn more, review our What are Sprints video on the Ascend 2.0 YouTube Channel.
Once the system is built, it will go through three cycles of System Integration Testing (SIT) and User Acceptance Testing (UAT).
SIT focuses on end-to-end business scenarios, including integration points and legacy/external applications. This is a period of internal testing by the program team to ensure the system is functioning correctly. SIT began in March 2024 and is currently in progress.
To learn more, review our What is SIT video on the Ascend 2.0 YouTube Channel.
After SIT is completed, UAT will be conducted to ensure the system works for users by having a select group of end users test the system themselves. These testers will re-execute a subset of the scenarios conducted during SIT to verify that the entire solution is properly functioning.
After the system is tested, end-user training will be available to the broader campus community to help end-users learn how to navigate the new system. A variety of modalities (e.g., live training, on-demand videos, written materials) will be offered. More details about Bruin Finance training will be shared after the determination of a new R2 go-live date.