ADAPT Director Leaves; Project Continues

The executive director of Project ADAPT, a multimillion-dollar initiative which will overhaul the University's accounting systems, left last month to work at an Internet-based educational company--just as ADAPT's core systems whirred into place with few hitches.

Peter J. Segall has been at the helm of ADAPT since 1997, when he inherited a project already experiencing difficulties that put it behind schedule.

Under his direction, on July 1, the University launched the money-management Web sites that are the second phase of ADAPT, an initiative to reform the way records and finances are organized across Harvard's 10 schools. The first phase was entirely planning.

With the new systems, the University has a more detailed chart of accounts, which sorts and organizes accounts and spending at the University. Other highlights include a method for transferring money without going through a central office and a program for entering invoices on-line.

Segall's departure should not affect ADAPT's course too greatly, as his successor, Sara E. Oseasohn '74, already has been working with the program for three years.

Segall is now vice president for sales and partnership at WebCT, a company that develops Web-based educational material and was recently acquired by Universal Learning Technology.

"A good opportunity came my way. I was not searching [for a job]. I didn't even have a resume," Segall said. "I wasn't planning on leaving."

Segall said his job offer came suddenly. He left Harvard on July 29.

Though sudden, Segall's departure had been imminent for some time, according to Provost Harvey V. Fineberg '67.

"He always had in mind a transition after the first [implementation] phase," said Fineberg, who oversees information technology for the University. "I was hoping he would stick around another six months."

But ADAPT continues to roll along, and though it may not affect students directly, new Executive Director Oseasohn said ADAPT will make it easier for students to go about their daily lives without worrying about administrative details.

"Eventually these changes are going to let us make administration more and more invisible," Oseasohn said.

Although ADAPT--which will cost $100 million in total--is a year behind schedule and currently double the expected cost, the second phase was implemented on time and at the cost of $62 million which was estimated last spring, according to Oseasohn.

"We had a very smooth and successful cutover," Segall said. "It wasn't that hard."

However, one system did cause concern: the Web voucher for paying invoices on-line could not be easily integrated with the rest.

"It's a newer product," Oseason said. "The web technology was different."

This element was scheduled to be running in July, but will not be ready until later this fall.

There were also a few small glitches at the beginning of the implementation process--all fixed within days.

"We had left it so that everyone could see certain transactions that belonged to other departments," Oseasohn said.

For the next six months, the ADAPT team will work on details and address problems with the financial programs.

The next phases of ADAPT that will focus on human resources, payroll and benefits should conclude by 2001, and Oseasohn said she expects to be involved with the project until the end.