For those of you who work in the Finance System – or rely on others who do – the following update continues our series of status reports on FIN and Grants.

FIN: three customized processes return (with some improvements)

In the next few months, we’ll implement three changes to FIN 9.2 business processes. We’ll let you know when they’re ready to migrate.

• Interdepartmental (ID) Accounts. In FIN 8.4, we had implemented a customized process to edit journals using ID Accounts so that these lines balanced. In FIN 9.2, as part of the overall plan to remove customizations, we eliminated that process. Unfortunately, the switch from automated to manual edits/updates resulted in increased time and effort to complete these journals and the campuses have asked us to restore the custom process.
• Cash Transfers. In FIN 8.4, we had also implemented a customized process to edit journal cash transfers against the Fund Transfer Table. Like the ID Account edit, the cash transfer edit was eliminated with the upgrade to FIN 9.2 – and the campuses asked us to restore it. Note: In the old system, you had to limit each cash transfer journal to one pair of (two) lines. With the new edit, you will be able to enter multiple pairs of cash transfer lines in a single journal.
• Reorgs. There are times when you need to change your org unit … but you want to keep the familiar SpeedType number. In FIN 8.4, CU relied on a customized process for automatically transferring budget/actuals/expenses from a SpeedType with org unit A to the same SpeedType with org unit B. Note: In the old system, you had to process manual journals when reorgs involved SpeedTypes with SubClasses. The new reorg process will be able to handle all Speedtype reorgs – including SpeedTypes with SubClasses.

Grants: campuses make significant progress with revenue reconciliation

The campus controller and sponsored project offices – along with the FIN team and the Grants consultants – are working hard on Grants module stabilization activities.

• There’s still a lot of work to do in the areas of data clean-up, billing, and refining the numerous Grants-related business processes and flow.
• Good progress is being made on the outstanding revenue to be recognized. To put this effort into its proper context, we need to keep in mind that sponsored project revenue recognition was accomplished in the Finance System through a customized process for over 16 years. With the implementation of FIN 9.2, CU is now using the PeopleSoft-delivered process. This has required reconciliation and clean-up work going back to 1999, when we first implemented PeopleSoft Finance. Many thanks to the many individuals who’ve worked so hard on this!

Cognos: information on your m-Fin reports

Many of you do not enter data directly in the PeopleSoft Finance System (whether in the Grants or other FIN modules) – but you frequently rely on the Cognos Reporting System to see information entered in FIN or in HCM.

The m-Fin reports have been updated to display new data fields from the new systems and they are pulling financial information appropriately from the CIW (data warehouse). However, when the actual data – e.g., PETs, salary/benefit encumbrances – is incorrect in HCM, then the m-Fin reports display incorrect data. When we see these issues, we report them to the HCM team for investigation and resolution.

What does this mean for you?

If you’re a general user of FIN – i.e., you look up information and/or you process journals – the system is stable. Several of your most-missed custom processes are being recreated in FIN 9.2 within the next two months. You tell us you like our training videos for learning how to use the system, and we’re continuing to create How-To videos to help you.

If you’re a specialized user of the Grants module – i.e., you work in your campus sponsored project/controller office – the Grants processes and process flow are not at normal. Progress is being made but we can’t identify, just yet, a timeline for completion/full stabilization.

If you’re a PI or department administrator involved with sponsored research, know that your campus finance teams are working hard to get your sponsors the information they need. Your m-Fin reports are pulling data correctly, so if you see something (e.g., a PET or salary/benefit encumbrance problem), let us know so we can work with the HCM team to fix.

Do you have questions or concerns?

Please let us know. Contact FinProHelp@cu.edu or your campus controller’s office.