DASH

What is the University of Tennessee’s DASH Program?

After two decades of service, the University of Tennessee’s Systems Applications and Products platform—known throughout the university as IRIS—will no longer be supported in 2025 as software providers are moving the industry to cloud-based solutions. Given the central role that IRIS plays in processing all of UT’s financial and human resources activities, UT officials began planning in 2019 for the transition to a new, cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, known as DASH (Dynamic Administrative Systems for Higher Ed). We are working toward a systemwide go live of finance, human resources, and payroll in the summer of 2024.

What are we doing now?

We have completed the Design/Blueprint phase of the project and have entered the next phase, Adopt and Adapt. Project team members from across the state have been involved daily in prototype sessions. During Prototype 1, the first of three cycles for this phase, participants have seen UT designed processes like entering travel expenses. Valuable feedback is being captured to address concerns and insights, which is building a strong foundation for the subsequent prototype cycles. Change impacts are being documented and will help inform our change management strategies as we prepare for this transition. View the “Timeline” page to gain more insight on the phases of the implementation.

Project in Review

• UT and Accenture partnered in reviewing 24 process and 159 sub-process areas in finance, human resources and payroll for our Business Process Reimagination. About 300 employees systemwide participated in reviewing and reimagining current and future work processes.
• Accenture was selected through a publicly competitive process as the system integration partner for the DASH ERP implementation project.
• The initial Chart of Accounts engagement included defining the structure of the financial chart of accounts, serving as an accelerator as the Project enters the design/blueprint phase for financial workstreams. The final set of actual values will not be solidified for some time, as segments and values may continue to be refined during the design phase.
• The Design/Blueprint phase was completed in February 2023, as process, technical, and other non-functional requirements and design were identified to confirm the scope of the project.
• The Adopt and Adapt phase kicked off in March 2023, as project team members from across the state participated in prototype sessions. Valuable feedback and insight are being captured throughout this phase.
• DASH will launch in the summer of 2024, and will improve our users’ experiences and allow us to be more agile and dynamic in our finance, human resource and payroll functions.

Thank you, Governor Lee and Legislators

The Tennessee General Assembly passed a historic budget in April 2021. Among other items, it allocated $50 million nonrecurring for UT System and $120 million nonrecurring for other public universities to assist with implementing a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. Thank you to our legislators and Governor Bill Lee for making this important investment in public universities across our state. This key investment will transform the way we do business. Click the “Benefits” URL on the left to view the anticipated benefits and why UT is proceeding with this change.