PeopleTools Application Technology Toolkit, commonly known as PeopleTools ATT, provides powerful tools to customize and extend PeopleSoft applications. This article will discuss how leveraging PeopleTools ATT can help organizations drive innovation and take their business to new heights.
What is PeopleTools ATT?
PeopleTools ATT comprises tools that allow developers to customize and enhance PeopleSoft applications without touching the underlying code. Using PeopleTools ATT, organizations can build sophisticated technology solutions on top of their PeopleSoft investment in an agile and flexible way.
The core components of PeopleTools ATT include Application Class Builder, Component Interface, Application Engine, Records, Pages, and Messages. These enable building new application classes, components, batch processes, databases, pages and user interfaces. PeopleTools ATT also includes APIs that provide programmatic access to PeopleSoft functions and data from external applications and technologies.
Leveraging PeopleTools ATT for Business Transformation
Organizations can utilize PeopleTools ATT in powerful ways to transform their business and gain a competitive advantage. Here are some key ways PeopleTools ATT can help drive innovation:
Enhancing and Extending Existing Processes
PeopleTools ATT allows augmenting out-of-the-box PeopleSoft processes according to specific business needs. For example, existing approval workflows can be enhanced using Application Engine programs to incorporate additional validation rules, notifications and automated tasks. Records definitions can be extended with custom fields for capturing organization-specific data. These targeted enhancements allow leveraging existing investments while addressing unique requirements.
Building bespoke solutions
PeopleTools ATT opens the possibility of developing new applications built on foundational HR, financial, or supply chain systems. For instance, a performance management solution was developed leveraging PeopleTools ATT to automate goal setting, calibration and performance reviews across various levels and geographies. Similarly, a custom sales compensation application was created to calculate complex variable pay structures. Such bespoke solutions address specific pain points and add unique value.
Integrating with external systems
The integration capabilities of PeopleTools ATT empower peopleSoft to connect seamlessly to other critical systems. For example, component interfaces have been used to develop real-time bi-directional sync between ERP and CRM databases. This unified 360-degree view of customer data helps optimize processes like order fulfilment, billing and collections. Application Engine is also leveraged heavily to develop hybrid workflow solutions bridging different platforms. Such integrations break data and process silos for end-to-end visibility and efficiency.
Rapid innovation and continuous improvement
The agility of PeopleTools ATT allows organizations to evolve and transform at the pace of business. New requirements arising from market shifts or regulatory changes can be addressed in weeks instead of months by leveraging existing data models and services. Also, technical enhancements and upgrades to core PeopleSoft have become less disruptive as functionality resides outside the application, such as PeopleTools ATT offerings. This results in faster innovation cycles, keeping solutions relevant and competitive over the long run.
Future-proofing technology investments
As business needs and technologies change continuously, traditional customizations become challenging to maintain over time. PeopleTools ATT helps future-proof investments in ERP systems. Upgrades to underlying PeopleSoft platforms become non-invasive as extensions are decoupled via standardized PeopleTools ATT interfaces. Also, the skill sets required to support ATT-based solutions translate across versions, shielding them from vendor lock-ins and rising maintenance costs commonly associated with custom code. This provides long-term agility and protects strategic technology assets.
Leveraging PeopleTools ATT’s Full Potential
Developing an implementation strategy that is aligned with business objectives and priorities is essential to get the most value from PeopleTools ATT. Here are a few best practices:
- Establish a centre of excellence to develop reusable components, templates and guided implementations
- Focus initially on targeted enhancements for the most significant paybacks and quick wins
- Integrate ATT solutions as part of continuous delivery and DevOps pipelines
- Leverage frameworks, SDKs and accelerators from PeopleSoft and partner ecosystem
- Train and upskill employees on PeopleTools ATT methodology and tools
- Adopt Agile principles of rapid, iterative development for experimentation and optimization
- Continuously monitor usage and ROI from ATT investments to prioritize enhancements
Enabling Self-Service Experiences
PeopleTools ATT can be used to build lightweight, consumer-grade interfaces tailored for specific user groups. For example, component interfaces power mobile apps for the field workforce to record inspection details offline. Portal pages, conversely, offer self-service expense reporting and time-off requests for employees. Such initiatives improve user experience, empowerment and productivity.
Scaling for High-Volume Transactions
Applications built using scalable PeopleTools ATT patterns can meet the enormous processing demands of B2C businesses. For example, e-commerce payment gateways process millions of daily transactions, leveraging remote function calls to PeopleSoft for order management. Also, Application Engine batch jobs synchronize consumer profiles and contextualize touchpoints for personalized omnichannel experiences. This empowers scaling to serve mass markets profitably.
Optimizing Operations with BI and Analytics
PeopleTools provides capabilities to extract and transform transactional and operational data into dimensional models suitable for analytics. Features like Query and xSoup enable the building of advanced reporting and self-service dashboards. This offers unparalleled visibility into KPIs, waste, non-compliance and anomalies. Predictive modelling based on such insights helps optimize strategic and tactical decisions for step-change in process efficiencies across domains.
Orchestrating Ecosystems with APIs
Well-documented PeopleTools ATT APIs open myriad opportunities to embed PeopleSoft into partner ecosystems seamlessly. This allows thousands of ISVs and system integrators to offer extensions for PeopleSoft. Likewise, enterprises can expose services externally, extending ERP capabilities on demand. Orchestrated ecosystems built on a platform of trusted APIs future-proof investments and help stay ahead of the competition.
Augmenting with Intelligent Automation
PeopleTools provides tools to build automation components using RPA, AI/ML and IoT technologies. For example, bots developed using the PeopleSoft Bot Framework streamline repetitive ERP tasks and exceptions through attended/unattended automation. Similarly, AI virtual agents assist users proactively with contextual guidance. Such intelligent augmentation empowers superhuman productivity and quality of service.
Democratizing Innovation
Low code/no code configuration tools and templates bundled with PeopleTools allow process owners, power users and citizen developers to participate in continuous problem-solving. This nurtures an ideation culture where frontline staff are empowered to evolve solutions for end users. Democratizing innovation at scale in this manner sustains a competitive edge through rapid experimentation of novel, community-driven ideas.
Conclusion
In today’s dynamic environment, success depends on the agility to innovate at unprecedented speeds. PeopleTools ATT empowers organizations with the flexibility and control required to transform their ERP systems into strategic platforms. By unlocking PeopleSoft’s full potential through PeopleTools ATT, forward-thinking businesses can build new competitive advantages, optimize operations and scale efficiently for sustainable growth. Those who harness its power stand to gain a significant competitive edge in their respective industries.
