State payroll modernization advances to test payrolls; DPA aims for 2026 go‑live

Sara Clark, payroll modernization product owner at the Department of Personnel & Administration, demonstrated a configured payroll platform that will replace the Colorado Payroll Personnel and Payroll System (CPPS) and discussed data migration progress and testing.

Clark said DPA has migrated essential payroll data (positions, employee attributes, direct deposit information, deductions and garnishments), masked sensitive data for testing, and is preparing substantial preliminary payroll runs that will compare calculations with the legacy mainframe. "So this will help us greatly when we're ready to cut over," she said, describing recent data‑load improvements.

The department reported roughly $14 million spent to date out of $51 million appropriated and said it expects to use available funds. Clark told the committee the project is aiming for a 2026 go‑live and that the legacy system will be kept operational for several months as a rollback/backout safeguard; legacy maintenance costs are not currently included in the modernization appropriation.

Committee members asked about user workflows, accessibility for county agency users, the product owner structure and how the project will measure whether the new interface is faster for long‑time mainframe users. Clark said Colorado Digital Service had assisted with usability studies, DPA has a change‑management program and agencies will confirm data and run payrolls in test ahead of cutover.

Lawmakers also asked whether any artificial intelligence or automated decision systems were embedded in the payroll product; Clark said no generative AI capabilities are in use in the payroll implementation at this time, though vendors may offer future optional capabilities such as chatbots.