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ISP TEAM
STATUS REPORTS
July 25, 2000
General
Ledger Status
The
General Ledger team is completing the set up steps for the application
and determining how best to use Oracle functionality to meet the requirements
of the University. Team members are also drafting the procedures for use
as training materials and working with the Technical team to prepare for
data conversion from the legacy systems.
A sampling
of GL set up steps includes:
- Define
calendar periods
- Define
set of books
- Define
security rules
- Define
descriptive flexfields
- Define
validation sets
- Set profile
options for user defaults
- Define
cross validation rules
- Define
reporting rollup groups
In addition,
the team has:
1. Worked with process owners throughout the University to complete lists
of values for revenue, balance sheet, and expense object codes.
2. Explored avenues for interfacing between the Oracle system and the
State accounting system (CARS).
3. Determined where current FAS attributes will live in the PTAEO and
General Ledger. Fund group, revenue source, and state fund will live in
the Fund Source segment of the GL and the Awards segment of the PTAEO.
State object codes will live in the Object Code segment of the GL and
an expanded version of them, called expenditure type, will live in Funds
Management.
4. Began identifying policies that will need to be revised and procedures
that will need to be developed or revised in the new system.
5. Began functional designs of conversion tables for the Technical team
to design and build. These are needed to convert information that resides
in the current financial system (FAS) to the Oracle applications.
The Technical
team is beginning work on the Human Resources table conversion that is
required for the Oracle applications to function (this information contributes
to establishing the application's approval hierarchy). Positions are being
mapped to what they will be in Oracle, and employee data is being converted.
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Funds
Management Status
The
Funds Management team is completing the set up steps for the application
and determining how best to use Oracle functionality to meet the requirements
of the University. Team members are also drafting the procedures for use
as training materials and working with the Technical team to prepare for
data conversion from the legacy systems.
A
sampling of FM set up steps includes:
- Define
expenditure types
- Define
expenditure categories
- Define
revenue categories
- Define
billing cycles
- Define
invoice formats
- Define
project statuses
- Define
project types
- Define
award purpose codes
- Define
award types
- Define
allowed cost schedules
- Define
burdening (fringe benefit and overhead charges)
In
addition, the team has:
1.
Developed specifications for an Oracle form that departments will be able
to use to request the creation or modification of Projects, Tasks, or
Awards.
2.
Met with process owners in the Office of Sponsored Programs and Financial
Administration for input on key set up values for Projects and Awards.
3.
Completed, with the Technical team, an analysis of current FAS attributes
and where they will live in Oracle.
4.
Clarified the relationship between expenditure types in GM and object
codes in GL. In the Oracle Grants Management module, expenditure types
are the equivalent of detailed object codes in FAS. Oracle requires every
expenditure type be assigned an expenditure category and a revenue category.
The expenditure category will be used for budgeting and reporting. The
revenue category will be used for sponsored program billing.
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Labor
Distribution Status
The
Labor Distribution team is also completing the set up steps for the application
and determining how best to use Oracle functionality to meet the requirements
of the University, as well as drafting the procedures for use as training
materials and working with the Technical team to prepare for data conversion
from the legacy systems.
A
sampling of LD set up steps includes:
- Set
up labor scheduling
- Set
up effort reporting
- Set
up auto population
Several
solutions have been decided upon for the application:
1.
The effort report approval process will be customized so it is a one step,
rather than two stop, process.
2.
Temp Services will enter the departmental PTAEO in LD, while fringe benefits
and administrative fees will be administered in OGM (Funds Management).
3.
PTAEOs will be printed on the automated time sheets.
The Technical team is beginning work on the Human Resources table conversion
that is required for the Oracle applications to function (this provides
Oracle with information to distribute employees' labor to projects). Positions
are being mapped to what they will be in Oracle, and employee data is
being converted.
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Accounts
Receivable & Cash Management Status
The Accounts
Receivable/Cash Management team is completing the set up steps for the
two applications and determining how best to use Oracle functionality
to meet the requirements of the University. Team members are also drafting
the procedures for use as training materials and working with the Technical
team to prepare for any required data conversions or activities where
technical resources are needed.
A sampling
of AR set up steps includes:
- Define
payment terms
- Define
transaction types
- Define
autoaccounting
- Define
invoicing and accounting rules
- Define
adjustment limits
- Define
item tax exceptions
- Define
product/customer exceptions
- Define
aging buckets
Examples
of solutions the team has identified are:
1. Use the
"sales person" or "agent" field in accounts receivable to capture Organization
information, allowing receivable information to be sorted by Organization.
2. Worked
with the Office of Sponsored Programs and the Funds Management team to
identify a means of providing invoice formats required by OSP for external
reporting.
3. Departments
will be able to set up department-specific customers and will be able
to associate a specific address with their customers. In low volume situations,
customer setup may be performed centrally rather than to train and retrain
a departmental employee to do something they would do infrequently.
4. Schools
that collaborate on programs for which fees are charged may be able to
allocate amounts to each school when the invoice is prepared rather than
by processing an IDT.
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Purchasing
& Accounts Payable Status
The
Purchasing and Accounts Payable team compiled and reviewed approximately
600 potential business requirements in the areas of vendor maintenance,
requisitioned goods, invitation for bid, requests for proposals, sole
source, procurement card, payment voucher, vendor invoices for requisitions,
problem invoice resolution, check payment run, foreign currency payment,
moving expense reimbursement, departmental/Procurement Services transaction
status inquiry, year-end close, 1099 reporting, security, and reporting.
The team then compared those requirements and/or features with Oracle
application functionality to identify gaps.
Team members
are now working to prioritize and resolve all gaps, and the technical
team will estimate resources necessary to deliver any technical solutions.
This information will be shared once completed.Concurrently,
the team is beginning the set-up steps for creating the working prototype
of the Purchasing and Accounts Payable applications.
The Technical
team is beginning work on the Human Resources table conversion that is
required for the Oracle applications to function (this information contributes
to establishing the application's approval hierarchy). Positions are being
mapped to what they will be in Oracle, and employee data is being converted.
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Order
Entry & Inventory Status
The
Order Entry/Inventory team compiled and reviewed approximately 125 potential
business requirements in the areas of order fulfillment for ChemStores,
inventory management, internal billing and generic billing, and reporting.
The team then compared those requirements and/or features with Oracle
application functionality to identify gaps.
Team members
are now working to prioritize and resolve all gaps, and the technical
team will estimate resources necessary to deliver any technical solutions.
This information will be shared once completed.
Soon, the
team will begin the set-up steps for creating the working prototype of
the Order Entry/Inventory application.
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Finance
Reports & Data Warehouse Status
The Reports
team completed a reporting needs inventory, incorporating results of a
survey of all Reports Subject Matter Experts, interviews with deans and
administrators, and reporting needs identified in the teams' business
requirements documents. This inventory includes an assessment of the requirements
and a match to the best Oracle reporting tool.
Additionally,
team members are evaluating the Oracle Discoverer tool, determining its
potential, and comparing it to what is currently being used at the University.
A series
of "model" reports will allow units to see their financial picture at
a point in time by a number of variables, e.g. Project or Organization.
These reports will be drillable from summary level to detail. The team
has developed a prototype of the model report and will call upon subject
matter experts to evaluate the prototype and suggest design modifications.
Pre-defined
queries in Oracle Discoverer allow a user to enter criteria such as Project,
Organization, or Award to generate a report. For example, one could enter
Org and a period of time and generate all Project-Task-Award combinations
for that unit during that time period or all balances during that time
period.
A Business
Area in Oracle Discoverer is equivalent to a filing cabinet drawer. Within
each area, there is a series of Folders, or views of data. Users can generate
their own Discoverer reports to access this information. For example,
a Business Area might be Accounts Receivable, and the Folders might include
Aging, Receipts, and Customers. Each Folder represents a table or combination
of tables containing data from the Oracle applications. A tool called
NoetixViews will create Business areas and views based on the structure
of the Oracle tables. In addition, the team will create additional Business
Areas that will make it easier to find information commonly sought by
U.Va. employees.
The Reports
team is also working on the design and getting ready to build the reporting
database - what will replace the current Information Warehouse. In addition,
team members are working, with help from a newly hired technical resource,
to identify which reporting needs can be met by Discoverer rather than
by customized reports.
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