In This Issue:
Budget Planning Using NIMBUS
SAP System Hierarchies
Simplified Procedure for Creating a New Department or Sub-Department
OSP's New Proposal Development Course
Administrative Education Courses
FSS Reorganizes
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Budget Planning Using NIMBUS
At the request of users, NIMBUS opened early in the budget cycle to allow the DLCs to use the systems features during the budget planning cycle. NIMBUS is the system of record for Institute budgets that provides a web front end for feeding budget information to SAP. As of November 1, 2002 the FY2004 budget was open for budgeting activity. While units are not required to use NIMBUS during the planning cycle, many have found it helpful to work in NIMBUS now to prepare for final budget submission later.

As usual, final budgets are due at the end of February. Please keep in mind that if you budget at the detail level now, and your budget is changed, you will have to go into NIMBUS later and adjust it to equal the new amount.

There are a couple of things to remember about using NIMBUS for budget submission. When using the Budget Entry screen, the budget data in the FY2003 column is not refreshed daily, but is updated at least weekly. Also, if you inadvertently press the SUBMIT button before you've completed your budget, you need to ask your Budget Officer to reopen the Budget Group in order to continue.

Please note that over the next few months, in preparation for the budget submission period, some routine system maintenance will be performed. Consequently, there will be a few times when NIMBUS may not be available. You will be informed in advance of any planned outages. If you have any questions about using NIMBUS for early budget planning, please contact your Budget Officer.

Expanded OBFP Web Presence
The NIMBUS launcher page, the entry point into the NIMBUS web front end, has been integrated into a new OBFP web site. Existing bookmarks to Nimbus (http://web.mit.edu/budget/nimbus/) will continue to work and bring up the launcher page. However, in addition to starting NIMBUS, users may also now choose to enter the OBFP web site from the launcher page.

The web site contains a staff directory and list of responsibilities, directions to the office, a mission statement, links to other sites, important dates, and deadlines. The web site also provides access to a number of useful documents, such as the budget instructions and carry-forward policies. An MIT personal certificate is needed to access the documents page and the staff directory. The guide to using NIMBUS has been moved from the launcher page to the documents area within the web site. As always, OBFP will continue to post important messages related to budgeting on the Launcher Page. The URL from the MIT Home Page is http://web.mit.edu/budget/. If you have any questions or comments about the web site, please send email to obfp-www@mit.edu.

SAP System Hierarchies
A Profit Center Hierarchy is a grouping of cost objects in an administrative unit, such as an academic department or research lab, that is created to be used for financial reporting. For an SAP user with authorization to report on a profit center, all cost objects within it will be included in the report. When a new cost object is created, it must be placed in the appropriate profit center. It then follows that anyone with authorizations to perform transactions within the profit center will therefore be authorized to perform the same transactions on the new cost object.

Your profit center hierarchy can be viewed on the Roles Database web site: http://rolesweb.mit.edu/webroles.html. Just click on "Hierarchy of qualifiers" and under "Qualifier type" select COST. Hit "Submit" and drill down to find your area of MIT.

A Fund Center Hierarchy is a grouping of cost objects in an administrative area that is created to be used for spending. An SAP user can be authorized to do requisitioning on a fund center. Authority to spend can be limited to single fund centers that may be established within the overall departmental fund center.

The fund center hierarchy can be viewed on the Roles Database web site: http://rolesweb.mit.edu/webroles.html. Click on "Hierarchy of qualifiers" and under "Qualifier type" select FUND. Hit "Submit" and drill down on the custom fund groups to find your area of MIT.

The human resources hierarchy can be viewed on the Roles Database web site: http://rolesweb.mit.edu/webroles.html. Click on "Hierarchy of qualifiers" and under "Qualifier type" select ORG2. Hit "Submit" and drill down to find your area of MIT. This hierarchy is still under development, however, we urge you to review it as the work progresses so you will be aware of what is being designed in the new system.

The HR/Payroll project is a large endeavor. Currently there are three separate systems of record for Human Resources:

CYBORG - the current Human Resources system
Payroll system - MIT's in-house payroll system, which contains all payroll data
SAP-HR module - currently contains all MIT employee benefits data

While all these hierarchies have been created for different purposes in SAP, it is important to be familiar with them and keep them up-to-date as departments reorganize and new departments are created at MIT.

Simplified Procedure for Creating a New Department or Sub-Department
Many areas of MIT must be notified when a new department or sub-department is formed. Payroll needs to know so that people are paid on time. CAO needs to know in order to develop the Profit Centers. Human Resources needs to know to create the Organizational Units. The Budget Office needs to know to create the "BAGS" in the NIMBUS budget system. The Data Warehouse administrators and Information Systems staff need to know in order to update the roles database.

An email list, dept-request@mit.edu, has been created so that with one message you may contact all the central offices that need to be notified. The central office administrators can then perform the actions necessary to insure that the new organizational unit is set up properly.

Some approvals are required to create a new department or sub-department. The Provost or the Executive Vice President must approve the creation of a new department. However, a sub-department does not require such high-level approval.

Once it has been decided to create a new department or sub-department, contact your Business Consultant in Financial Systems Services (http://web.mit.edu/fss/www/sabc.html), who will help you with the procedure and the required form. There is a specific form you will be asked to complete, "Request for new MIT Profit Center/Organizational Unit (Org Unit)," and it will be available soon on the CAO web site: http://web.mit.edu/cao/www/index.html.

New HR Contact Database
There is a new database to track contacts for personnel actions, paperwork, and questions, as well as those who sign letters for appointments, salary increases, and promotions. In the past, this information has been in a FileMaker database maintained in the Human Resources department, with no way for departments, labs, and centers to validate its accuracy. The database for HR "contacts" is now being maintained in the roles database, and it is based on the SAP Human Resources hierarchy described above. Examples of "contacts" include:

Actions- Administrative
Actions- Academic
Actions- Service
Actions- SRS
Actions- Support
Telephone Directory- Primary
Department Head/ Director
HR Primary Authorizer
Human Resources Officer
Letter Signer
Letters- Academic
Telephone Directory- Secondary

Contact information for your area of MIT may be viewed at the web page,
http://rolesweb.mit.edu/hr_roles.html.

The data is current as of October 2002. Any "Primary Authorizer" may make corrections and updates by contacting the Business Liaison Team at <business-help@mit.edu>. The Business Liaison Team will soon validate HR Primary Authorizers with the Assistant Deans and/or Senior Administrators.

OSP's New Proposal Development Course
The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), working with several departments, has been pilot testing a new course called Proposal Development. OSP currently is evaluating feedback about the pilot course and will make modifications to it, as necessary.

"Many areas like to have their people trained as a group," said OSP Assistant Director Steve Dowdy, "and that makes sense because not all departments do things in the same way."

According to OSP's web site (http://web.mit.edu/osp/www/), the Proposal Development module of Coeus will allow users to create a proposal on-line, prepare the budget, attach the scientific portion of the proposal, and route the proposal, all in electronic form. The budget preparation tool calculates the budget by applying employee benefits, vacation, F&A rate (Facilities and Administrative), lab allocation, and inflation rates. In addition, under recovery and cost sharing are automatically calculated.

Areas that are interested in the Proposal Development training should contact Winnie Nwangwu at x3-1648 or send e-mail to coeus-help@mit.edu.

Other Coeus news
OSP is recognized as a leader in contract and grant software, and more than 80 other schools have now licensed Coeus for their own use. MIT is actively participating in several government-wide efforts to streamline the proposal-to-award lifecycle, and OSP will continue to work with the government to ensure that Coeus is compatible with federal standards and requirements.

The current client is written using PowerBuilder; however Coeus is being converted to JAVA, which will allow users to access the application from anywhere.

SAPgui Update A new release of the SAPgui software, version 6.20, is being prepared and tested to support two brand new desktop operating systems: Mac OS X and Windows XP Pro. This new gui will only be needed by those whose computers run Mac OS X or Windows XP Pro. All others can continue to use the same gui they have been using for the past year. For those who will be purchasing new computers or changing operating systems, and expect to need this new SAPgui, further information will be available late January 2003.

CAO Office Groups Moving to 600 Technology Square (NE49) All groups in E19 that report to the Controller's Accounting Office are moving to 600 Technology Square (NE49) -- the new five-story office building on the corner of Portland and Main Streets. For a map, please go to the CAO web site. The following groups will be closed for moving on Friday, December 20, and will reopen for business in their new location on Monday, December 23: Group New Address     NE49 Floor Accts Payable NE49-4064 4th Accts Receivable NE49-4077 4th CAO Systems NE49-3142 3rd Controller's Hdqtrs NE49-3142 3rd Reporting NE49-3142 3rd Insurance Plans Accting NE49-3131 3rd Procurement NE49-4122 4th Property NE49-4021 4th Retirement Plans Accting NE49-3131 3rd Sponsored Accting NE49-4161 4th Travel NE49-4037 4th If there is an emergency situation concerning any of the above offices when they are closed on December 20, call Paul Arsenault at x3-6274. Telephone and fax numbers and email addresses will not change. PAYROLL TO MOVE LATER: The Payroll Office will move on Friday, December 27, and open in its new location NE49-3131 (3rd Floor) on Monday, December 30. Payroll will be reachable by telephone on December 27 for emergencies, but the walk-in window in E19 will be closed for the move. Walk in service will resume in NE49 on Monday, December 30. CHANGES IN SERVICE WINDOWS: In an effort to provide "one-stop shopping" for pickup and drop-off transactions and to streamline operations, client reception for multiple groups will be consolidated into a central reception function on the fourth floor of NE49. FOURTH FLOOR CENTRAL RECEPTION: Centralized reception service will be provided Monday through Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm for all groups on the fourth floor: Procurement, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Travel, Sponsored Accounting, and Property. In the reception area, clients may drop off items for all of the above groups, such as purchase requisitions, invoices, requests for payment, travel advance requests, and travel vouchers. Accounts Payable checks, travel advance and travel reimbursement checks may also be picked up at fourth floor reception. THIRD FLOOR RECEPTION: In another effort to consolidate and streamline similar functions, reception on the third floor will serve both the Controller's groups on the third floor and Department of Facilities groups (scheduled to move to NE49 in January 2003). PAYROLL WINDOW: Payroll transactions will be serviced at the payroll window, located on the third floor (to the left just off the elevator). Payroll clients may go directly to the Payroll window and do not need to check in with third floor reception. The Payroll window hours will be 9:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. CAO will be undergoing many changes over the coming weeks. Your understanding, cooperation, and your feedback are very much appreciated as we all adjust to these changes.

Administrative Education Courses
Robert Davine, Senior Business Consultant in Financial Systems Services, and Eileen Nielsen, Budget Officer in the Office of Budget an Financial Planning, are creating an administrative educational curriculum for Institute employees called "Managing Finances," in partnership with HR's Organization and Employee Development (OED) team. This effort is part of a broader initiative to expand current course offerings into a thorough and sequential curriculum in the Institute's administrative processes.

This administrative education curriculum has two primary components: managing finances and managing people. The Human Resources Department is working to expand the curriculum that relates to managing people, while Bob and Eileen are working on the curriculum that relates to managing finances. When completed, the managing finances curriculum will offer courses in financial management, budgeting, procurement, audit, and facilities. The curriculum will serve as both job training for current financial administrators and career development for aspiring financial administrators.

The first course, "Fundamentals of Financial Management" covers the Institute's cost object categories, SAP's cost object types, the Institute's secondary cost structure, (i.e., Employee Benefits (EB), Facilities and Administration (F&A), Fund Fees), how to create a research proposal budget, and how to use SAP's Project System to enhance reporting and control spending. This course is offered seven times a year for twelve participants per section. Employees can register for the course on the web and should check Controller Jim Morgan's monthly statement messages for notices of when new sections become available. Over 125 employees from all areas of the Institute have attended the course so far, and the reviews have been excellent.

Other administrative courses that are in the planning stages include "Procurement, Travel Documents, and JVs," "MIT's Audit Procedures," and "Facilities." Stay tuned.

FSS Reorganizes
This fall Financial Systems Services (FSS) put in place a new organizational framework to better fulfill its core purpose of supporting MIT administrators in using SAP-based applications to meet their busiiness and technology needs.

As an "application-based structure," the new framework enables greater flexibility in customer response and fully integrates the HR-Payroll Project into the larger FSS organization. It is anticipated that the new structure will also support the organization's evolution to enable ongoing improvements to customer service, communication, and performance management, as well as to address effectively the Institute's strategic commitments and priorities.

Another hallmark of the new FSS organization are its Strategic Growth Initiatives (SGIs) that connect the department's core purpose and vision to reality. SGIs are what must get done, the compelling tasks that most directly lead to realizing the department's vision. Initial FSS SGIs include building bridges with key stakeholders, creating systems to ensure efficient scalability of our operation, and organizing for greater flexibility.

The fundamental concept is to have a "relationship management structure," in which client management is the most important dimension, to dissolve structural obstacles to client service, and provide clients with a single entry point into the FSS organization. Being "of service" is the most important core value within FSS.

As the new organizational structure evolves, client managers and "functional pools" will become central. These functional pools will provide peer review and affinity groupings. They will be managed by team leaders responsible for assuring professional development, as well as for allocating resources appropriately to the projects being supported. This new model is already underway with the Logistics Team's pilot of the client manager concept, and the identification of two "peer group leaders."

This very exciting time in FSS offers the opportunity to become a flexible organization that can quickly respond to the changing demands of our clients and the priorities of the Institute. Success requires the commitment and collaboration of each and every member of the department.

FSS Director Wayne Turner now leads a new management team, which includes himself, an Associate Director for Communications and Performance Management, and six group and project leaders.

Members of the new FSS leadership team and their titles are:
Wayne Turner, Director
John Hynes, Associate Director
John Cunningham, Lincoln Laboratory Project Manager
Mark Damian, Logistics Group Leader
Veronica DuLong, Financial Group Leader
Dan Fitzgerald, HR-Payroll Project Group Leader
Janet Sahlstrom, Community Outreach Group Leader
Jane White, Web Services and Learning and Docs Group Leader