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Asset
Management Training
| Q: |
Are assets allowed to be transferred
without submitting a request through PeopleSoft? |
| A: |
No. Initiate the asset
transfer through PeopleSoft, and then the
budgetary authority will approve or deny the
request. Only mass transfers of assets should
be submitted directly to the Property Control
Department. |
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| Q: |
Does software that is updated every
year (that is worth over $1,000) accounted for
in PeopleSoft? |
| A: |
Yes. The Property Control
Department will be able to tag the Jewel case
for software that is worth more than $1000.
However, license key upgrades that are worth
$1,000 or more are not. License keys are not
recognized as capital by FIU. |
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| Q: |
Who has access to the Manager Self-Service? |
| A: |
Only the budgetary authority
has access to Manager Self-Service. Every
employee has access to Employee Self-Service. |
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| Q: |
What is a custodian? |
| A: |
The user of the asset who has physical possession
and control of the asset. |
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| Q: |
What is a Budgetary Authority? |
| A: |
The person that is responsible
for the accountability of the assets that
are in the Department (Organizational or Activity
Department ID) they manage. |
General
Ledger - Financials Reporting and Budgeting
| Q: |
What is the difference
between an Organizational Department ID and
an Activity Department ID? |
| A: |
Organizational Department
IDs represent a true organizational structure
within the university while Activity Department
IDs are used to track financial activities
within and rollup to an Organizational Department
ID.
However, both fields are
setup in the system as Department IDs and
the only place where the relationship between
an Organizational Department ID and its related
Activity Department IDs is maintained within
the PantherSoft system is within the DEPT_ROLLUP
tree. This structure, in conjunction with
Primary and Secondary Budgetary Authorities,
will be used for various functionalities in
the system such as budget exception notification
and the approval of expenses, asset transfers
and requisitions. |
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| Q: |
Where do I enter the Organizational
Department when entering a budget transfer? |
| A: |
At present, Organizational
Departments are only used in transactions
that involve projects. Be advised that budget
transfer journals will no longer be entered
for projects. You will need to contact the
OSRA Post Award Grants Manager for the Award
directly to request a modification to the
Award budget in the PeopleSoft Grants Suite. |
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| Q: |
Now that the system lets you go over
budget, is there any limit to how much over
the budget you can go? |
| A: |
No, but Your Budget Manager
will be checking the budgets frequently (at
least once a month) because they will be ultimately
responsible for maintain the department within
budget. |
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| Q: |
What about using the Speedtype functionality
when entering a budget transfer? |
| A: |
There is Speedtype functionality,
but we recommend that you click on the ‘Find’
link and type in the Department or Project
Id, to pull up the correct chartstring since
it does not function as it does within other
areas of PantherSoft. |
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| Q: |
What happens if you input the wrong
combination string? Doesn't this get corrected
over-night currently? |
| A: |
In 8.4 the system would
let you post to the Dept. Ledger, but would
get an error the next day on the parent ledger.
In 9.0 the system will let you post budget
transfer with the wrong combination. However,
budgets are loaded based on specific Chartfield
combinations; thus, if a budget transfer is
entered with the wrong combination, it will
not increase the desired available budget. |
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| Q: |
Can we have a process/report run every
month? |
| A: |
Yes you just need to
create a recurrence. There’s already
a list of pre-made recurrences to choose from.
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| Q: |
How would we schedule Reports to run
dynamically each month? |
| A: |
You can setup 12 different pages, 1 for each
month. |
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| Q: |
Won't the system
slow down if too many processes/processes are
scheduled to run at the same time? |
| A: |
If this happens, the
IT department would have to take care of it
by purchasing more servers and equipment as
necessary. |
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| Q: |
What is the difference between an
Org dept and an Activity deptID? |
| A: |
Org. depts. Represent true organizational
structure within the university while activity
DeptIDs are used to track activities within
an org dept. However, both fields are setup
in the system as DeptIDs and the only relationship
between org. depts and activity dept in the
system will be contained in a tree. This structure
will be used for various functionalities in
the system such as budget exception notification
or expense approval. |
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| Q: |
The 'org' field is missing? |
| A: |
You will not be able to see the org department
in 9.0 unless you view it in a tree. This is
the only place that shows the relationship. |
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| Q: |
Where do I enter the Org dept when
entering a budget transfer? |
| A: |
Org depts are only used in transactions that
involve projects. Be advised that budget transfer
journals will no longer be entered for projects.
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Purchasing
| Q: |
Commodity Cards and Departmental Travel
Cards? Who will be receiving these? |
| A: |
Commodity Cards and Department
Travel Cards will be issued according to the
individuals role in the department as either
the person responsible for department purchases
or travel liaison. This will be determined
by the each department’s business/fiscal
office and will be reviewed by the Credit
Card Solutions Administrator. If the current
ProCard cardholder has not been identified
as continuing to have a role that will require
either card, the card will be inactivated
on June 30, 2009. In order to avoid a card
being inactivated in error, you will need
to contact the Credit Card Solutions team
for assistance. |
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| Q: |
Do I have to
request the new Departmental Travel and/or Commodity
credit cards if I currently have a ProCard? |
| A: |
No. If you currently have a ProCard and your
role within your department requires you to
continue to have either a Commodity Card or
Department Travel Card, you will not to request
a new card. Depending on your role and the
card you will have, the profiles within the
cards will be updated. |
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| Q: |
Why is there an attachment button?
What would you be "attaching"? |
| A: |
PeopleSoft includes the attachment box with
the comments field in case you need to attach
a file. Such as if you have a quote or some
specifications from a vendor you can attach
and submit that. |
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| Q: |
Who are the Approvers? |
| A: |
Those individuals known as “Approvers"
in the current system, are going to be the approvers
that are responsible for approving/denying transactions
within PantherSoft system in 9.0. |
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| Q: |
Is every card-holder going to training?
How will they be informed? |
| A: |
All new cardholders will
have to attend mandatory training to receive
their cards. Existing cardholders will be
asked to come in for refresher training to
explain the roles of the new cards they are
receiving. Additionally, there will be UPK
Online Tutorials that explain the step-by-step
actions that need to be undertaken for reconciling
and approving transactions within PantherSoft. |
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| Q: |
Can one person play both roles and
approve their own charges? |
| A: |
It is possible for a cardholder to also be
an approver, but they will not be able to approve
their own charges. They could be a approver
for someone else’s charges, typically
a subordinate employee. |
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| Q: |
Will we always
have to navigate as it is explained within the
UPK online tutorial or Instructor-led training? |
| A: |
No, there are several
different ways to navigate through the system
to accomplish the same task. The UPK is just
a recording of 1-way to accomplish the task. |
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| Q: |
When doing purchase
orders for say 100 furniture units; will we
have to input 100 different lines? |
| A: |
For
furniture orders, only OCO items must be itemized.
The remaining furniture can be grouped an
entered on one line; the quote number must
be referenced in the description field and
on the PO header. There should also be a separate
line for delivery and installation. |
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| Q: |
Do we have an option to cancel a requisition
completely? |
| A: |
You can “deny” a requisition but
it won’t disappear completely from the
system. PeopleSoft maintains historical data
on all transactions, even if those that are
canceled. |
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| Q: |
What happens
if I entered a receipt and vendor has not been
paid; Is there a way we can check the status,
for example check if we're missing an invoice? |
| A: |
Yes,
this is even possible in 8.4; Accounts Payable
runs queries to find when items are not matched
(PO-Receipt-Invoice). You may also use the
“PO Activity Summary” link within
PantherSoft to see the history related to
a PO. |
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| Q: |
Is there a report that can be printed
for Commodity Cards/Dept. Travel Cards that
I can attach receipts to? |
| A: |
Only travel related receipts (DepartmentalTravel
Card and T&E Card) will be sent with Expense
Report via fax server. This functionality is
not available for the Commodity Card currently. |
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| Q: |
If I am a Commodity Card and a Dept.
Travel Card holder will I see both charges together
in one screen? |
| A: |
YES |
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| Q: |
How long before Commodity Card and
Dept. Travel Card charges disappear? |
| A: |
Each month when the statements are loaded
into PeopleSoft, Cardholders/Reconcilers will
have ten working days to reconcile/verify their
transactions. |
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| Q: |
If invoice comes in for more than
PO amount what is the process for receipts?
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| A: |
If an invoice comes in for more the PO amount,
the department or Accounts Payable must contact
Buyer on PO. Remember, a PO is a binding contract,
therefore the price on PO is what vendor has
agreed to and we will not pay more than that
price. Receipt should be entered for an amount
equal or less than the amount on PO. |
Travel
and Expense
| Q: |
How do we process FIU Foundation and
FIU TARs and Expense Reports? |
| A: |
If travel is being funded
by both FIU and the FIU Foundation, you must
create one (1) TAR with all of the estimated
expenses and the amounts to be funded by each
entity. Once you return from your travel you
must create two Expense Reports, one for each
entity, in this case one for FIU and a second
for the FIU Foundation. When creating the
Expense Report for FIU you must always use
the ‘Quick Start: A Travel Authorization’
which will allow you to select the original
TAR and populate your expense report with
all of the information contained within the
TAR. The Expense Report for the FIU Foundation
must be created from scratch and you have
to reference the TAR number on the ‘Reference’
field. See the Travel sections policies and
procedures for more information on this topic.
There will be a UPK Online Tutorial created
for this particular topic. |
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| Q: |
I provide services offsite, and I
currently get reimbursed for miles, I don't
need a TAR for that right? |
| A: |
In that case, you just need to create an expense
report. |
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| Q: |
What happens if I go over the original
TAR estimated amounts for foreign travel? |
| A: |
That shouldn't be a problem
as long as you have the receipts and correct
paperwork that justifies the expenses incurred.
For sponsored programs, please contact the
OSRA Post Award Grants Manager for approval. |
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| Q: |
How do you establish a proxy so you
can modify something for someone else? |
| A: |
Each individual can assign
someone else as a proxy but you cannot create
yourself as a proxy for someone else. This
is done through employee self-service. Employee
Self-Service > Travel and Expenses >
User Preference > Delegate Entry Authority.
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| Q: |
If you submit a TAR, can you still
modify it? |
| A: |
No, you cannot modify a TAR if it’s
been submitted; TAR's that have been created
and "saved for later" can be modified
before they are submitted for approval. |
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| Q: |
What happens if, for example, you
forget to input meals and you want to modify
it after it’s already been submitted? |
| A: |
Your manager/approver can modify it for you,
or they can send it back to you so you can modify
it. |
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| Q: |
I have a grant, do I have to follow
the same process for completing TARs and Expense
Reports? |
| A: |
Yes, the process is the same. For all Travel
Authorizations containing a project ID, the
Post Award Grants Manager will be reviewing
and approving. |
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| Q: |
How do I attach receipts to Expense
Report via ImageNow? |
| A: |
You must first print Expense Report with Bar
code as follows before sumitting for approval:
- Click the More Options
list.
- Click the Printable View
list item.
- Click the GO button.
- Click an entry in the
Report ID column.
- Click the Expense Report
tab. Notice the Bar Code to your right.
You are now ready to fax to main number
for ImageNow: 305-348-1355
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| Q: |
How do I pay for Travel related expenses
incurred for Job Candidates, Students and\or
Non-Employees? |
| A: |
Expenses for these individuals
should be paid using the Departmental Travel
Card issued by the Purchasing Department,
however, prior to making any travel arrangements
for University staff, students or non-University
employees, a Travel Authorization must be
approved and submitted to the Travel Department.
For instructions on the Travel Authorization
preparation, refer to the Travel Department
Policy and Procedures, and also review the
online training provided at http://panthersoft.fiu.edu/financials/UPK/travel.htm.
Please note that after July 1, 2009,
Travel Authorization may not be requested
after the fact. To obtain the Travel Authorization
for non-employees (includes candidates, speakers,
guest lecturers and other non-employees authorized
to travel for the University) the Cardholder
will request the Travel Authorization under
their Panther ID#, rather than requesting
a new Panther ID# for the non-employee as
was done in the past. On the Travel Authorization
form, indicate on the ‘purpose’
line the traveler’s name and purpose
for the travel (ex. Speaker for Graduation
Ceremony, Candidate for (Position title and
Job Number). Once the travel has taken place
an Expense Report must be submitted in PantherSoft,
and the Approver should include this same
information in the description field. |
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| Q: |
Can I enter a TAR, Cash Advance or
Expense Report for someone else? |
| A: |
Yes, but the Employee must first authorize
you to do so via PantherSoft, under Employee
Self-Service > Travel & Expenses >
User Preferences > Delegate Entry Authority. |
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| Q: |
I cannot approve a Travel Authorization
or Expense Report because the Approve button
never shows up. |
| A: |
You must first Budget
Check and receive a status of Valid for a
TAR or Expense Report before you can approve
it. If you have insufficient budget or some
other Budget Exception you will not be able
to approve the TAR or Expense Report. You
will need to either select a different funding
department\project or contact your Area Budget
Manager.
Your Area Budget Manager can view budget exception
errors by navigating to Commitment Control
> Review Budget Check Exceptions > Travel
Authorization / Expense Sheet. If there are
insufficient funds in the budget at the time
that the travel transaction was created, you'll
need to have the Approver for the transaction
Deny and return it to the originator. The
originator can then resubmit the transaction
for approval at a later time when there is
budget. |
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| Q: |
I inadvertently
submitted a Travel Authorization / Expense Report,
and there was a mistake. How to I get it back
to make changes or delete it? |
| A: |
If
this happens, you will need to speak with
the Approver(s) for the Travel Authorization
/ Expense Report to have them Deny the transaction
and then mark the checkbox on the approval
page labeled Return to User.
Once it has been denied and returned, you
will then be able to make changes and re-submit
it. |
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| Q: |
Process for Non-Employee Travel Authorization
and Reimbursement? |
| A: |
The process outlined below has been implemented
in the short term until a long term solution
is finalized and approved for travel reimbursement
for non-employees and students.
- Creating a Travel Authorization
- A Travel Authorization (TAR) must be
created for all non-employees and students.
- The TAR must be created under the Panther
Id of the travel liaison of the department
(this is typically the person in charge
of the Group Travel Card).
- Please include the following under the
comments section of the TAR:
- The non employee or student name
and address
- The relevant Panther ID if it exists
- Also note that the TAR is being
completed on behalf of the non-employee
or student, and any other pertinent
information
- Expense
Reimbursement: Out-of-Pocket Expense
- Fill out an “Unencumbered Payment
Form” referencing the TAR with all
necessary receipts
- In addition to the unencumbered form,
an expense report must be created by copying
the original TAR under the Travel Liaison’s
Panther Id, and code all items on the
expense report as ‘non-reimbursable’.
This will release the encumbrance created
by the original TAR.
- The Expense Report barcode page, receipts,
and the ‘Unencumbered Payment Form’
should be faxed to extension 7-1355 so
that all documentation for the travel
is properly maintained for future audits.
- Expense
Reimbursement: Expenses Paid Directly by
FIU using the Group Travel Card
- Expenses paid by FIU using the Group
Travel Card have to be approved via the
Purchasing module. The TAR # must be referenced
on the Group Travel Card charge when reconciled
and approved.
- An expense report must also be filled
out and be created by copying the original
TAR, under the Travel Liaison’s
PantherId, and all items on the Expense
Report must be coded as ‘non-reimbursable’.
This will release the encumbrance created
by the original TAR.
- The Expense Report barcode page, along
with receipts should be faxed to extension
7-1355 so that all documentation for the
travel is properly maintained for future
audits.
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| Q: |
Where can I change my Employee Bank
Account Information for Expense Reimbursements? |
| A: |
As part of the upgrade, if changes need to
be made regarding your banking information it
must be initiated in the ADP
Employee Self-Service system. You no longer
have to fill out the “Employee Electronic
Authorization Form” in order to have your
banking information updated for reimbursement.
All changes in the ADP Self-Service system should
be reflected in PeopleSoft the next day. |
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| Q: |
Why does the Expense Report and the
Travel Authorization contain a signature line?
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| A: |
We are aware that the printed expense report,
as well as the Travel Authorization forms, contains
a signature line. However, these do not have
to be signed by the travelers or the approvers,
as the workflow approval process will maintain
a history of the approvals for all Travel &
Expense transactions. |
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| Q: |
What are “Pooled Approvers”
on the Travel and Expense transactions? |
| A: |
On the Expense Reports and Travel Authorizations
you will see the term (Pooled) under the “Name”
header. This signifies that there is more than
one approver for the approver profile. For instance,
the “Expense Manager” Approver profile
will always have the term “Pooled”
because both the Primary and Secondary Approvers
have the authority to approve the transaction.
The same holds true for OSRA Supplemental, DSO
Supplemental and Prepay Auditor approvers. Once
one of the approvers in these groups (pools)
has approved the transaction the ACTUAL name
of the approver will be displayed under the
“Action History” section of the
Travel and Expense transaction. |
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