Campus partners,

The Mass Communication and Marketing project team has been working hard over the last six months on Phases 1 and 2 of the Marketing Cloud implementation project. We’re writing to provide you with an update and some information on what to expect next.

As you’re aware, the project involves a multi-year implementation and roll-out phases. The graphic below gives a breakdown of the phases we’ve shared previously. The planning phases and work included in each phase continue to proceed on track and have not changed.

Where we are: progress updates

Phase 1

• Marketing Cloud (MC) system installation and configuration is complete This work included configuration of things like admin users, security, IP address, domain configuration, DKIM, etc.
• The “unified data platform” work is complete

This work included building integrations from various systems of record: 

• Workday for employee data 
• Peoplesoft for student data 
• AAD data mart for data on alumni, parents, friends, and other constituent groups

This enables Marketing Cloud users to work from shared and accurate sets of data. Shared constituent data means significantly limiting—if not removing entirely—the need to manage email lists manually. More often than not, the data needed will already be in Marketing Cloud and updated daily from the data source of record.

Phase 2

• University Relations (UR) implementation is complete, roll out nearing completion. UR has completed their engagement with the implementation partner; the system is set up and configured for their use. UR users have completed training, and their ongoing newsletter campaigns have successfully been transitioned to Marketing Cloud. Next steps included transitioning the remainder of UR’s mailings into Marketing Cloud. The team is aiming to complete this in Feb.
• AAD implementation is complete, roll out to begin in March  AAD has completed their engagement with the implementation partner; the system is set up and configured for their use. Next steps involve transitioning central AAD communications and users to the new platform, which is anticipated to begin shortly after Giving Day in March 2023. A detailed plan for rollout to college/unit AAD staff will be developed over the summer
• Central units with internal communication needs  Now that we are past the initial implementations with UR and AAD, the team will move forward with onboarding central Human Resources (HR) and central Student & Campus Life (SCL). This effort will be the final step in phase 2 of the project. In conjunction, the team is reviewing a timeline/path forward for the other administrative units.

Going Forward - FY 2023 and Beyond

Phase 3 (FY 2023 and forward)

We acknowledge that our partners across campus are eager to transition to Marketing Cloud. From the beginning, the project team understood that implementing an enterprise communication and marketing tool that addresses the complex communication requirements across the university would need to be flexible and leverage lessons learned from each phase to benefit the next. This pause to reflect and plan accordingly has always been part of the project strategy, and is where the project finds itself today. 

As seen in the timeline above and shared previously, phase 3 will be handled as a new project with its own budget. This was the decided approach to manage many unknowns in the beginning. This approach allows the team to plan and forecast future work with more accuracy. This approach was approved by university leadership and deans and as such, the team will need to follow the proper processes to plan and gain approval for Phase 3 from a resource and budget perspective. It is our intention that the Phase 3 project budget will cover the implementation work for the units deemed in scope for that phase.

All this being said, we anticipate rollout to accelerate now that the technical and data foundations are in place and the team has gained experience with the system.

Getting Updates on the MC Project

While the team will continue to provide updates via email, updates will also be available through the Microsoft Teams channel (login required) and the IT@Cornell website (Cornell NetID login required) for the project.

If you have questions, please contact Melissa Shaffmaster (meb374) or Rachael Potter (rmp249). Thank you,  Mass Communication and Marketing Project Team