May 23, 2022

Action Required by Department:   Share the following information with all human resources (HR) office employees.

Description: This message is being sent on behalf of the California State Payroll System Project.

Dear California State Agency/Department Human Resources Chiefs,

On behalf of the California State Payroll System Project Executive Steering Committee:

The California State Payroll System (CSPS) Project is embarking on an initiative to modernize the State of California’s aging and disparate HR, travel and business expense, and payroll systems currently serving more than 285,000 employees. The goal of the CSPS project is to improve human resources and payroll services through the implementation of integrated technology and streamlined business processes. The future CSPS solution will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the HR, travel and business expense, and payroll system and improve the experience for state employees. 

As called for by Controller Betty T. Yee and Director Eraina Ortega in their message announcing the approval of the Stage 3 Solution Development, project readiness, implementation, and success will require a partnership between your department and the CSPS Project. Critical to our collective success is establishing Department/Agency Readiness Teams (DARTs). The DART structure will help ensure your managers and staff are aware, understand, accept, and commit to utilizing the new solution effectively. To initiate the development of your DART team, we are recommending you first identify a Sponsor and a Liaison. Assigning additional DART members will follow.    

To assist you in the process of identifying your DART members, we are conducting several virtual informational sessions. During the sessions, we will provide a comprehensive overview of the project, scope, timeline, and the DART roles, responsibilities, and time commitment. Please share this notice with representatives from your HR team and those who manage travel and expense reimbursement and ensure they attend one of the sessions by selecting a registration link for their preferred date/time: 

We are targeting to have DART members identified by the end of 2022. Department/Agency Readiness work will begin in earnest in late 2022/early 2023 and extend into FY 2027. 

Should you have any questions before attending one of the sessions, please email the CSPS Project Team at cspshelp@sco.ca.gov  

For more information about the CSPS Project, please visit: https://www.sco.ca.gov/csps.html 

Please find additional information regarding the DART roles below. 

Kind Regards, 

Chris Maio, CSPS Project Director  
California State Controller’s Office

Brandon Rutschmann, CSPS Project Director  
California Department of Human Resources 

Department/Agency Readiness Team (DART) Purpose: 

 

  • Sponsors CSPS change within the Department/Agency 
  • Coordinates Department/Agency readiness for CSPS 
  • Liaises with CSPS Project Team and coordinate DART activities and deliverables  
  • Supports the implementation and improvement of processes 

 

 

 

DART Team Members  Role 
Sponsor 
  • Provides high-level active and visible support of CSPS 
  • Ensures the necessary resources are allocated to implement CSPS 
  • Actively distributes project communications and participates in communication events 
  • Promotes and monitors participation in training, deployment, and transition activities  
Liaison 
  • Helps organize, develop, and coordinate the work of the Department/Agency Readiness Team 
  • Attends various CSPS Project Team meetings and events 
  • Identifies and addresses resistance to change
  • Regularly communicates with the CSPS Project Team representative and Department/Agency 
IT Coordinator 
  • Coordinates and manages activities related to CSPS technology requirements and issues 
  • Helps ensure staff have the proper setup for their CSPS roles 
  • Helps resolve any network and technical issues
  • Supports data conversions, interfaces, and testing 
Training Coordinator 
  • Coordinates the implementation of CSPS training program
  • Coordinates and supports CSPS end-user training communication, enrollments, participation, tracking, and feedback 
Subject Matter Expert (SMEs) 
  • Helps facilitate the changes to business processes at organization
  • Assists Liaison with the completion of Department/Agency assignments 
Reports Coordinator 
  • Coordinates Department/Agency reporting requirements
  • Supports testing of reports and helps ensure organization reporting needs are met 

 

Population Affected: All HR Offices

Contacts:   

SCO Key Initiatives:

Websites​: