COMPAS NEWSLETTER

November 2025

How Do CORE and COMPAS Come Together?

With the implementation of Colorado’s Modernized Payroll Services (COMPAS), stakeholders have been asking “How do CORE and COMPAS come together?” 

We would love to tell you! Colorado Operations Resource Engine (CORE) is the statewide ERP that currently manages the financial functions of Budget, Accounting, Inventory and Procurement business activities across the State of Colorado under a single system. Payroll (COMPAS) is another function that will exist within the CORE system - they are not two separate entities. 

This interconnectedness allows for a consolidation of functions into a single secure system. While some users of the payroll module will have experienced the CORE system through their current roles and responsibilities, other employees impacted by payroll operations will be experiencing this for the first time after using CPPS. 

The COMPAS project team has developed a robust training strategy that incorporates and supports both user experiences so that end users will feel comfortable, supported, and able to operate within the system. 

To align with this partnership, CORE will debut a new logo (shown below). We are excited to be on this journey together!

COMPAS Stakeholder Spotlight 

This month our featured stakeholder is Charlene Markel – a Payroll and Benefits Administrator with the Department of Local Affairs who has worked for the State for more than four years. Charlene has actively engaged with the COMPAS project by attending COMPAS Biweekly Office Hours and Agency Tours so that she can stay abreast of project progress. 

Charlene recently dropped us a note to express her excitement for the COMPAS go live as well as her appreciation for the transparent communications and resources available to prepare users for COMPAS. Here’s what she had to say:

“COMPAS has taken the mystery out of HR and Payroll processing and made it something I can understand. The tutorials, meetings, and website are all amazing! My current favorite resource is the COMPAS Reports Recommendation page. Appendices A, B, and C let me know exactly where my favorite reports are migrating, and I even discovered some new reports in the process! The system is intuitive and a promising grand improvement.

Thank you all for the inclusiveness, patience, and commitment to reaching me at my skill set levels. I think you are doing a great job at maintaining the integrity of our current system and mapping the way to the new.”

Thank you, Charlene. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves!

WordWise

The COMPAS implementation introduces a new set of terminology that may be unfamiliar at first. That’s why we’re launching WordWise, a monthly segment designed to help you become fluent in COMPAS—one word at a time.

This month’s featured word: Title

In COMPAS, a Title is equivalent to the Job Class in CPPS. The Title field can include up to six characters and may contain both letters and numbers. Here are a few examples of valid COMPAS Titles: A1A1XX, 430500, 160SES

Want to get ahead? Visit the COMPAS Crosswalk on our project website to explore a glossary of terms, including mappings from CPPS to COMPAS and other vocabulary you’ll encounter as you explore COMPAS.

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COMPAS introduces a workflow capability that will allow transactions to be routed to another user (or group of users) for review and approval before they are considered final. CORE users are already familiar with this process, but for those new to COMPAS, the concept is likely new. While workflow for COMPAS is still under design, the intention is to implement a streamlined process with just one level of peer review and approval required for all transactions. The introduction of workflow in COMPAS is just one way the application will improve the accuracy of transactions. Stay tuned to the COMPAS Learning Center for a short video on the Workflow and Approval process coming soon….

We'd Love to Hear From You

Have ideas for future newsletter topics or office hours? Is there something you'd like to hear more about?  We are all ears.  Your feedback helps shape content that matters to you. SoC_COMPAS@state.co.us