Just as the first IS User Survey in 2004 helped guide ISDS activities over the past year, so the responses to the 2005 survey will focus ISDS on issues of primary concern to system users.

733 out of 1,960 Integrated System users responded to the survey; 165 submitted comments. “We tried to fine tune some of the questions this year to help us understand better the source of areas of frustration,” says Virginia Evans, Assistant Vice President for ISDS. “For example, we distinguished between downtime for HR/Payroll and downtime for month-end close. The additional clarification was useful, as were the detailed and constructive comments that were written. We really appreciate the time people took to help us make the system more useful.”

Categories of topics raised by users in their survey comments may be viewed on the IS web site. A detailed analysis of the survey responses is currently underway and will be posted on the IS web site when it is complete.

A number of issues raised by survey respondents are already on the ISDS radar. As progress is made with each, it will be communicated to system users. These issues include:

• Provide ability to select Cash Balance Report for an entire organization, or multiple projects at one time.
• Discoverer BBA and Expenditure Detail reports only for active accounts.
• Encumbrances for 9-month employees.
• Shorten the time for month-end close so don’t have to lock out at noon.
• Update Processing Funds web site to make it more clear who does what and how.
• Have Discoverer available after 5:00 p.m.
• Improve Principal Investigator Reports.
• Alphabetical Vendor Listing that shows: DMBE, eVA, and state or UVA contract status.
• Allow the de-linking of P-A combinations that are no longer used.
• A report that shows the total hours submitted for a student with the pay rate and the amount paid by element.
• Reduce the amount of time the HRMS specialist responsibility is disabled for running payroll.

As with last year’s survey, there were a number of comments this year that expressed problems for which there are already answers, which can be found in the Hints and Tips in this issue of IS Exchange.

One new question on the survey was whether or not there was improvement in the system between 2004 and 2005. “It is gratifying to see that 60% of respondents saw improvement in the system over the past year (only 5% disagreed),” says Evans. “That is the most significant statistic for us. We will be using the results of this year’s survey to stay focused on the issues that have the greatest impact on users.”