Modernizing HR for growth: UT San Antonio’s Oracle HCM Cloud journey

In a recent OHUG webinar, leaders from UT Health San Antonio, including Ernest Vasquez, Assistant Vice President for HR Operations and HRIS; Charles Phillips, Manager Application Systems Analysis and Programming; and Michael Fox, Senior Manager for Clinical Health IT Support, along with Baker Tilly’s Jeff Haynes, Director, and Scott Winter, Director, shared how the organization approached its transition from PeopleSoft to Oracle HCM Cloud. The discussion gave a practical overview of what it takes to modernize HR and payroll in a large, complex environment while balancing operational demands, competing priorities and long-standing processes. 

Why UT Health San Antonio made the move 

UT Health San Antonio is part of the University of Texas System and serves a broad mission across education, clinical care, research and community service. The institution had also been expanding its clinical footprint for years. In addition to opening its first specialty and research hospital, it launched an outpatient surgery center in San Antonio. It recently merged with the University of Texas San Antonio in a move that created the third-largest research university in Texas and dramatically expanded the institution’s scale. 

UT Health San Antonio had been operating on PeopleSoft HCM for more than 20 years. During that time, the organization grew significantly, culminating in the launch of its first hospital. The hospital introduced a completely different workforce model. While the institution already supported clinicians and clinics across the city, a hospital environment required 24/7 operations, different staffing expectations and more complex workforce needs. 

That shift exposed the limitations of the legacy PeopleSoft environment. At the same time, the institution was dealing with other realities like aging, burdensome customizations, uneven documentation and the retirement of employees who held critical historical knowledge about how the system worked.  

The move to Oracle HCM Cloud from PeopleSoft was ultimately driven by several principles: 

• Prepare for the launch of the new hospital 
• Adopt more modern, scalable HR processes based on leading practices 
• Maintain integrations with critical downstream systems 
• Improve performance, reporting and security 
• Reduce the burden of managing on-premises upgrades 

A phased approach to the transition 

“We weren’t just implementing a new system – we were also supporting a hospital launch at the same time. That required us to be very deliberate in how we phased the work and aligned our resources.” - Ernest Vasquez, Assistant Vice President – HR  Operations and HRIS, UT Health San Antonio 

• Phase 0 (Calibrate) focused on planning and preparation. This eight- to ten-week phase helped define scope, governance, priorities and risks, ensuring alignment across stakeholders before implementation began. 
• Phase 1 began with the go-live of Oracle Performance Management and Oracle Learning Management. At this stage, PeopleSoft remained the system of record, requiring a coexistence model where data flowed between systems. 
• Phase 2 brought the rest of the HR footprint into Oracle HCM Cloud, including core HR functionality and additional modules such as Recruiting and Benefits. Core HR went live, followed by Compensation. 
• Phase 3 included Payroll, due to its complexity and organizational impact. This allowed the team to also transition from a monthly payroll cycle to a biweekly model to better support hospital workforce expectations. 

Starting with a strong foundation 

Before the implementation began, UT Health San Antonio and Baker Tilly completed a Phase 0, referred to as a ‘Calibrate’ phase. That phase took roughly eight to ten weeks and focused on defining scope, governance, priorities and risks before entering implementation. The goal was to ensure alignment across stakeholders and reduce risk early, prior to beginning implementation. This preparation helped the team establish a clear road map, refine timelines and identify change management needs before execution began. 

“The difference between a smooth implementation and a challenging one often comes down to the level of preparation. Organizations need a clear understanding of their road map, key risks and what success looks like from the outset.” –  Scott Winter, Director, Baker Tilly 

Following the Calibrate phase, the project moved into structured implementation phases, beginning with the ‘Harmonize’ phase. This phase focused on aligning business processes and defining the future-state operating model before full configuration began. It included targeted design workshops, stakeholder education sessions and leading practice demonstrations to help teams understand what Oracle Cloud could support out of the box. This phase served as a bridge between planning and execution, allowing the team to refine timelines, clarify requirements and align stakeholders before moving into full implementation. 

How the project was managed and why it worked 

Executing a multi-phase HCM transformation across HR required disciplined project management and clear accountability. 

• A key differentiator was dedicated project ownership. UT Health San Antonio assigned a full-time project manager who worked closely with Baker Tilly’s delivery lead, enabling faster coordination, issue resolution and decision-making. 
• The team also established clear governance and decision-making structures early on by defining ownership, escalation paths and approval processes. This helped avoid delays and kept work moving. 
• Executive engagement reinforced this model. Regular leadership involvement ensured alignment and allowed the team to resolve blockers quickly. 
• Equally important was the collaboration between UT Health San Antonio and Baker Tilly. Both teams operated as a single unit, maintaining open communication and shared accountability. 
• Finally, transparency and disciplined use of tools, including action logs, decision logs and detailed timelines, ensured visibility across stakeholders and continuity over a multi-year effort. 

Key lessons learned from the implementation 

Through the process, the team learned several important lessons: 

• Resource availability matters. Many team members balanced project work with daily responsibilities, which created challenges. Greater focus and dedicated time would have improved efficiency. 
• Empowering subject matter experts (SMEs) is critical. Teams must be able to make decisions or escalate them quickly to avoid delays. 
• The transition also required a shift from a customized legacy system to a standardized cloud model. Instead of replicating old processes, the team had to rethink them based on outcomes and best practices.  
• This exposed gaps in documentation and process clarity, requiring teams to revisit the reasoning behind existing processes. 
• There was also a learning curve with new tools, particularly in reporting and integrations. While basic proficiency can be developed quickly, deeper expertise takes time. 
• Flexibility proved essential. Despite strong upfront planning, competing priorities required ongoing adjustments to timelines and scope. 

Long-term sustainment strategy for UT Health San Antonio 

While UT Health San Antonio had been live for decades with PeopleSoft, the Oracle Cloud go-live marked an important transition in ownership. It transitioned to a governance model where less control lived with the centralized IT team and more control lived with the human resources (HR) and Human Resources Information System (HRIS) teams.  

“‘Go-Live’ is really more like ‘Go Begin!’ for our clients.  This is where the rubber hits the road – the real work of governance begins - system administration, sustainment through quarterly upgrades, taking advantage of new functionality – optimizing the return on their investment.” – Jeff Haynes, Director, Baker Tilly 

A key shift from the governance of PeopleSoft was redefining roles and responsibilities on the Oracle Cloud platform.  Much of the work moved from information technology (IT) to human resources information system (HRIS), with HRIS taking ownership of configuration and system management, while IT focused on integrations. Another major shift was rebuilding the security model for Oracle Cloud, avoiding direct duplication of PeopleSoft's model. Access was redesigned based on actual roles and responsibilities, creating a more scalable structure.   Ultimately, to support ongoing operations, UT Health established a governance framework with three focus areas: 

• Strategic oversight 
• Operational management 
• Stabilization 

Each functional area was assigned a module owner, responsible for decisions and enhancements. This created accountability and improved prioritization across the system. The model also includes input from across the organization, ensuring changes reflect real operational needs. 

Looking ahead, UT Health San Antonio continues to evolve its platform by adopting new features such as Redwood and evaluating artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, while incorporating quarterly updates into its operating model. 

How we can help  

As organizations modernize HR and payroll systems, having the right implementation partner is critical. With deep experience across the Oracle Cloud platform, Baker Tilly supports organizations through every stage of the journey, from planning and implementation to long-term optimization.  

Know more about how Baker Tilly can help accelerate your Oracle Cloud transformation!