The initial phase started in Spring 2021 and was an inventory gathering of website content to help audit, analyze, document and migrate content to the new website.
This phase consists of validating the findings from Phase I and implementing user recommendations, based on multiple surveys and focus groups, into a design that will accommodate the content. The website design will have a user-friendly interface with easy to navigate menus and an intuitive search engine. In Phase 2 we plan to organize content by function, not by units. This recommendation is based on community feedback.
We are in the final stages of building the BusFin site. Our focus over the next two weeks will be developing the Buying & Contracts, Policy, and Forms sections. 80% of the site is built and currently being reviewed by content owners.
If you have been sent content for review, your deadline for providing feedback is end of the day Friday, March 1. We cannot guarantee that feedback received after that date will be accommodated before go-live on March 19. If you have not yet received content for review, it should be sent out next week. Given the tight timeline, you will have no more than 5 business days to complete your review.
Keep in mind, that after the BusFin site launches on March 19, we will resume our normal process of editing website content. Any changes requested prior to go-live that are not completed by March 19 will be made shortly after go-live. Additional requests for edits, updates, or additions after March 19 can be submitted to sharedservices@uillinois.edu and we will process the request as usual.
We are approaching the Business and Finance website anticipated go-live date of March 19. In preparation for this launch, we will be offering preview sessions for a more detailed look at the areas of the new website that specifically interest you.
Find the registration options below. You can register for more than one if you would like.
January 2024 Update
The new Business and Finance website is coming soon! The debut of the new Business and Finance (BusFin) website, replacing the current OBFS website is now scheduled for mid-February. We plan to facilitate this introduction through a series of preview sessions. While our initial target and announcement specified a debut on January 16, we find it necessary to adjust this timeline despite our best efforts.
Following the debut events, the eagerly awaited go-live date for the new website is now confirmed for March 19. Our primary objective remains to deliver a modern, user-friendly platform for Business and Finance units across the University of Illinois System.
Stay tuned for announcements about upcoming unveiling events.
We extend our sincere thanks for your dedication and contributions to our project. Your involvement has been important to our success, and we deeply appreciate your essential role in this accomplishment.
September 2023 Update
We want to again thank all the stakeholders that have been actively engaged with helping us review and analyze your existing web content. We are close to having those meetings complete and look forward to starting content migration in the near future. Please keep in mind if you are still reviewing content, the deadline to have all content turned in is October 31. We remain on track to launch the new website before the end of the calendar year.
New Features - Business and Finance News Center
We are excited to share that the new Business & Finance News Center is now active and has been well received. We hope the enhancements we made will make your experience with the News Center more efficient and enjoyable. This is just the beginning of what's to come with the OBFS Website Redesign. We look forward to bringing you more improvements and features in the days ahead.
Highlights of the new News Center include:
- Updated Categories
- Streamlined Email Notifications
- User Friendly Design
- Enhanced Search Functionality
For more information about these enhancements, check out the news article: Welcome to the New Business and Finance News Center!
Also, as time allows, we will begin to work on Forms, FAQs, and Who to Ask sections. The hope is to consolidate content and research ways to make it easily searchable.
We continue to value your input and thank you for your continued commitment and engagement with the OBFS Website Redesign Project. If you have questions, please contact Derek Briles (Project Management) or Filip Przybysz (Change Management) at sharedservices@uillinois.edu.
July 2023 Update
We continue to meet with units to review and analyze existing web content as well as fine tune the navigation. Also, by reviewing all policies we have the opportunity to look for “non-policy content” that may be better housed elsewhere. We remain on track to launch the new website before the end of the calendar year.
New Features
We are spending time working on Forms, FAQs, and Who to Ask sections. The hope is to consolidate content and research ways to make it easily searchable. As time allows, we will need to analyze all forms and FAQs. The new News Center will be an exciting update and we look forward to sharing more with you.
Testing
Testing results for proposed information architecture show we are on track for the majority of the website with slight adjustments.
We value your input and thank you for your continued commitment and engagement with the OBFS Website Redesign Project. If you have questions, please contact Derek Briles (Project Management) or Filip Przybysz (Change Management) at sharedservices@uillinois.edu.
June 2023 Update
The Customer Advisory Group and Stakeholder meetings on June 29 and June 30 have been cancelled. We look forward to meeting with you again on July 27 and 28 to share new information and updates.
We continue to work with groups to finalize content organization design of the new Business and Finance website as part of the OBFS Website Redesign Project. An email was sent asking the Customer Advisory Group to again help validate the best approach that will render the most effective website design. As a reminder, please complete the brief exercise to help the project team determine the best way to organize content on the site by Friday, June 30. If you did not receive this email, please disregard.
If you have questions, please contact Derek Briles (Project Management) or Filip Przybysz (Change Management) at sharedservices@uillinois.edu.
May 2023 Meeting Notes
Project team shared preliminary mock-ups of the new Business and Finance website based on the wireframes we had shared in previous meetings. These mock-ups included the main topic-based navigation as outlined below under the main navigation section.
You’ll also notice:
- Streamlined content with less text,
- pages designed with user in mind, and an
- expanded B&F Applications section with explanations for many of the applications (such as Chrome River).
We continue to work with stakeholders and CAG on content clean-up and review, and this will be an ongoing process. Look for communications coming soon about some of the features which will be an enhancement from the old OBFS website, such as the new search function.
Main Navigation
The topic-based navigation will be broken into six high level sections as follows:
- Accounting and Budgeting
- Buying and Contracts
- Paying People
- Travel
- Equipment Management
- Payments to the University (under consideration)
For more on the Business and Finance units, there will be an improved About Us section on the website as well.
New Features and Testing
There will be a pilot/test environment for both Business and Finance news and the website, to search for bugs and validate the new design.
Thank you for your continued commitment and engagement with the OBFS Website Redesign Project.
April 2023 Meeting Notes
Since our last update, we continue to work with stakeholders and CAG on feedback on navigation and website redesign as well as a deeper dive into the website content review. We are also excited to soon begin communicating some of the features that will be an enhancement from the old OBFS website such as the new search function.
Content Review
Up until recently the focus of the project team has been on navigation and now it is time to move to a thorough content review. Regular meetings are being conducted with unit subject matter experts (SME) regarding content to ensure it is easily accessible and users can navigate specific content easily. The SMEs and users will do multiple rounds of testing during design and implementation before moving forward.
New Features and Testing
With the new website comes an improved and redefined Search functionality that will be an exciting improvement to users. Business and Finance News communications will migrate to Webtools, also improving search capabilities on that end. Testing will be conducted on both B&F news and the Website, to get the bugs out and allow comfort with the process.
New Production, Development, and Test sites are being developed to test navigation and layout. More to come!
March 2023 Meeting Notes
- Phase 1 Recap - During Phase 1 website inventory and content ownership was conducted to determine who owns the pages and information. Peer websites were also reviewed to make the best decisions we can moving forward.
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Phase 2 - Content owner survey and navigation exercises were used to help identify areas of topic navigation that users struggle with and help determine the overall layout including hub pages, topics structure, homepage, application section, search, etc.
The high-level basic navigation topics being considered are:
- University Financial
- Buying and Contracts
- Paying People
- Travel
- Equipment Management
- Accepting Gifts and Money
Next meetings
- Stakeholder: 4/27
- Customer Advisory Group: 4/28
February 2023 Meeting Notes
- Feb. 2023, Navigation Test - Two groups of stakeholders were asked to complete a brief exercise to help the project team determine the best way to organize content on the site. Each group received a separate exercise to get unbiased feedback. The reliability of this data will allow us to make the best decisions moving forward.
- Stakeholder Group - A stakeholder group of content owners and other influencers create a more meaningful connection and integration with the project. It allows the content owners to directly connect with user requirements and help better understand the new path for the Business and Finance website. The group meets monthly. If you are a content owner and would like to participate in Stakeholder Group meetings, please email sharedservices@uillinois.edu to be added to the group.
- Customer Advisory Group (CAG) - CAG provides the project team with an additional avenue for gathering requirements and allows the team to continue their engagement with the community. The group membership consists of focus group volunteers and those community members who were actively engaged in providing feedback that informed the requirements will be used. The group meets monthly. If you frequently interact with the OBFS website and would like to participate in Customer Advisory Group meetings, please email sharedservices@uillinois.edu to be added to the group.
- Community Engagement - Project Team Members frequently present updates and project progress during Business Manager Group (BMG) Meeting at the three universities. Additionally, the team distributes regular communications engaging with the community, soliciting feedback through surveys and focus groups, along with sharing regular updates and reached milestones.
If you have questions, please contact Derek Briles (Project Management) or Filip Przybysz (Change Management) at sharedservices@uillinois.edu.