Frequently Asked Questions

HRIS stands for “Human Resources Information Solution.” It is the enterprise resource planning system that the State of Arizona uses to manage all of its personnel, payroll and benefits data and services. HRIS processes more than $2 billion in annual payroll and administers HR, payroll, and benefits for more than 70,000 state employees and retirees.  

Arizona’s HRIS technology is over 20 years old and the system is becoming obsolete. Having application support no longer available places critical records and financial data of all state employees and retirees at risk. HRIS modernization is needed to carry out efficient and compliant HR services, with leading-edge technology saving up to 3 million staff hours a year.

The State’s current HRIS was originally built decades ago, using what is now outdated software and technology. It has had to rely on manual and improvised work-arounds and customizations to meet agencies’ needs. 

The new HRIS will be called AZ360 and will have many of the features and functionality that are common in modern systems. It will be cloud-based, which, among other things, will help ensure that the State always has access to the latest technology and can take advantage of industry-proven software and processes for years to come. The system will provide intuitive, user-friendly interfaces so that users can access more system functionality with greater opportunity for continual process improvement initiatives. Employees will be able to use the system on multiple device types including mobile phones, PCs, laptops and tablets - a big improvement over what we have today. 

Nearly all active State of Arizona employees use HRIS to complete personnel related business, such as entering electronic timesheets, submitting leave requests, participating in performance evaluations, and completing learning and development training. Many employees and retirees also use HRIS to apply for and manage their healthcare benefits. In addition, there are about a thousand state employees whose day to day work involves managing data or other functional operations within the system. 

 The project’s official start date was October 1, 2022, and the work is scheduled to be completed in phases by the fall of 2025, with Phase 1A implementation targeted for Fall 2024 and Phase 1B targeted for Fall 2025. Click here to view the high-level project implementation timeline.

The HRIS modernization project will be completed in phases. The work begins with the project team using a “human centered design” approach, with end users’ wants and needs in mind. The goal is to build intuitive, easy-to-follow processes and a useful and accessible solution.

During the initial Align Phase, the project team works with key agency subject matter experts (SMEs) to map out each step in an HRIS business process’s workflow as it currently exists. The project team has identified 10 major HRIS business processes: 

• Core HR
• Recruitment
• Talent Management
• Learning Management
• HR Service Delivery
• Benefits
• Payroll
• Time Entry
• Absence Management
• Employee/Manager Self Service

Within each of these business processes, there are many actions that need to be mapped and validated with actual system users to identify preferences and pain points along the way. The goal is for these “as is” maps to match the end user’s actual experience as closely as possible. The team needs to understand and define the current state sufficiently to make sure it covers all the necessary and desired features in the future state design. 

In the Configure and Develop Phase, the project team then works to align the “as is” system reality with standardized industry best practices in the preferred, standardized enterprise solution. This is the project phase where creativity and collaboration really count, with the team working alongside agency SMEs with give and take to arrive at a best case final, approved design.

In the Achieve Phase, the project team assesses agency readiness for deployment of the new system. Training will be provided to system power users and end users at an appropriate time to ensure overall success when the new system goes live. Phase 1 is due to be completed late summer of 2024, with the remainder of the project to be completed by the fall of 2025.

Visit our website, az360.az.gov, where status updates are frequently posted. Please submit specific project-related questions using this feedback form. 

We expect so! If the State was simply to repackage the old way of doing things with a shinier look, it wouldn’t justify the cost or the effort. Instead, we are hoping that everyone who operates in the new system will experience a generational type of shift in value-added functionality and ease of use. It’s going to be a state-of-the-art enterprise resource planning system that is built and maintained to industry best standards and suitable for the State of Arizona’s evolving, rapidly changing 21st century workforce. 

AZ360 is the State of Arizona's modernized, all-in-one, personnel and financial data management and services application. Featuring industry-proven, cloud based technology and standardized processes, AZ360 will offer end users intuitive, user-friendly functionality for years to come. 

Specific launch dates have not been finalized but the AFIS upgrade is targeted to be complete in October 2023, and at that time, AFIS will be rebranded as the financial application within AZ360. Phase 1A of the HRIS Modernization Project is targeted for completion in October 2024, with final implementation, Phase 1B in October 2025.

• Phase 1A of the HRIS Modernization Project, targeted for completion and Go Live in October 2024, includes: Position Control, Personnel Management, Benefits, Deductions (including Garnishments), Time and Leave Management, Payroll, Payroll Accounting Management, and Employee/Manager Self-Service Roles
• Phase 1B of the project, to be completed by October 2025, includes: Talent Acquisition, Learning Management, Employee Relations, and Performance Management and Succession Planning.

Yes, we want to know about any and all projects agencies are considering or have begun that could integrate with current HRIS or future AZ360 operations. Simply fill out the Outside Systems Survey Form and our team will get in touch with you to learn more.

Yes, all agencies, boards and commissions will participate in determining the kinds of training their employees need to complete. The AZ360 project team recognizes that not all agencies will operate in the system the same way, and some agency employees will require more robust training depending on their needs. The project team is planning to offer a diverse selection of training, from virtual instructor-led training to simple quick reference job aids.

The application can be configured for many types of timekeeping, though specifics won’t be known until later when work begins on system configuration for the Time and Leave Management business area.

The application provides robust time and attendance configuration to support complex public sector rules, including those for pay eligibility, leave eligibility and usage, secondary pay generation, overtime and labor allocation. This will be explored during configuration.

Performance management is part of the project’s Phase 1B, which is scheduled to begin in October 2024 with a proposed deployment date of October 2025. Agencies have been given the option of staying on MAP until the performance management module in AZ360 is ready for deployment.

Regardless of how much or how little your agency, board, or commission works day-to-day in the HRIS application, most State of Arizona employees still need to use the system for things like electronic time entry and payroll purposes. Agency Captains play a critical role in the success of the project since they are the HRIS Modernization Project team’s primary way to communicate information about the project, assess agency readiness to operate in the new AZ360 system, and at the appropriate time, assist in scheduling employee training.