OCS open days: 13 August in Addis, 21 August in Nairobi!

We have heard about OCS (*) for a while now, and One Corporate System is due to get launched in September 2015 at ILRI. We imagine you may have some questions about it, or might just be curious to know what the system looks like, particularly around the three modules that will be launched this year: time management, research proposal pipeline, procurement/payment).

An ‘OCS open day’ will be organized in Addis Ababa and in Nairobi to quench your thirst for updates about OCS, on 13 August (Addis) and 21 August (Nairobi), around coffee morning/Friday morning coffee.

During these open days you will be able to:

• Get a general go-around of the system;
• Hear about the main functionalities of the three modules implemented;
• Find out what functionalities will be implemented later (or much later);
• Engage with the OCS team to ask your questions, share your suggestions etc.;
• See the OCS posters and pick up your OCS flyer;

In order for all staff to have some opportunities to attend these open days we will have two different slots on each of these open days:

• 10.30-12.00 and 14.00-15.00 at the cafeteria in Addis Ababa on Thursday 13 August
• 11.00-12.30 and 14.00-15.00 at the information centre in Nairobi on Friday 21 August

So, in the morning you will be able to enjoy your cup of coffee and move straight onto OCS.

If the open days prove useful we may organize some more later, around the time of the official launch. Since OCS will be rolled out only later in the region, there will not be any broadcast at this stage but this will be planned as the OCS roll-out covers ILRI regions too. Meanwhile you can find ongoing news about OCS in the ‘Week ahead’ email and on ILRI announcements.

We look forward to seeing you all at the open day soon!

Find out more about these OCS modules at: http://ilri-ocs.wikispaces.com/OCS_Modules
Find out more about planned OCS activities at: http://ilri-ocs.wikispaces.com/Timeline
Send your questions to: askILRIOCS@cgiar.org

(*) One Corporate System (OCS) is a cross-center CGIAR initiative designed to develop a common, automated, and INTEGRATED operational support system for:

• Project management,
• Human resources,
• Finances and other administrative functions.

It is a center-driven approach, conceived through a collaboration of forward-thinking finance directors and others across multiple CGIAR centers. The process from conception to development has engaged an even wider group of committed individuals across nine CGIAR Centers and the Consortium Office.