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Grants Management Application Suite (GMAS) to go live in October top
GMAS, a new enterprise-wide, web-based grants management system, is slated to go live in October to support the work of Harvard's research administrators. To learn more about the project generally, you can visit its website at http://oas.harvard.edu/gmas/.
The system is being implemented to streamline work processes and to provide greater visibility into them and the data they generate for research administrators. GMAS will also position the University to take advantage of emerging electronic research initiatives, and to be responsive to existing regulations (Public Law 104/107).
GMAS will be a multi-phase project. Over the next few years, GMAS will fully transition Harvard's paper-based proposal submissions with federal agencies to electronic transmissions. In the meantime, this phase will automate and integrate many of the current functions involved in administering research at Harvard.
GMAS was conceived and developed with the active involvement of hundreds of users who participated in user experience research, concept and usability testing, as well as final system testing and acceptance. GMAS's conceptual design, functionality, and features are depicted here.
Who will use the new system?
Faculty, grant managers, department administrators, and research administrators both in Central and in the major research faculties will use GMAS to accomplish many of the tasks required during the life cycle of a sponsored award: submitting proposals, accepting awards, setting up accounts, tracking expenditures, and required reporting.
There will be several deployment “waves” to extend use of the system across all departments. In the first wave this October, hands-on access to GMAS will be provided to the Office for Sponsored Research and staff in the central research administration offices at SPH and HMS/HSDM as follows.
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Tasks performed online in GMAS |
Harvard University (Central) Office for Sponsored Research |
SPH Office of Sponsored Research |
HMS Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA) |
| Proposal entry and submission | For all tubs except SPH and HMS | For all SPH departments | For all HMS/HSDM departments |
| Negotiation and setup of awards | For all tubs except SPH and HMS |
For all SPH departments | For all HMS/HSDM departments |
| Account setup in system | For all tubs except SPH and HMS |
For all SPH departments | For all HMS/HSDM departments |
| Financial management and report scheduling | Central OSR for all tubs |
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| Account closeout | Central OSR for all tubs |
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View-only access to GMAS will also be provided to the central administration of FAS, KSG, and GSE, as well as to a number of research departments within SPH and HMS. At present, it is anticipated that hands-on access for research departments within SPH and HMS will be provided in a second wave next year. Additional deployment will be planned based on the success of the first two waves.
Sponsored reporting in CREW
Although the full implementation of GMAS will occur in stages, all users will benefit from much more robust sponsored reporting available via CREW. Eighteen sponsored reports will be available initially (four will migrate from AWS2 while 14 new reports will provide more visibility to pre-award/proposal data). A further 25 reports are slated for release over the next six months. In the next issue, we will provide more detail about the new reports.
Implementation details
Also in the September e-News, we expect to provide an overview of how the GMAS business process will work. In the meantime, here is some additional information of interest to GMAs users, as well as those who are transitioning to CREW for sponsored reporting.
| Desktop requirements for GMAS | Desktop requirements are expected to conform closely with those published for other University administrative systems, with the significant exception that GMAS can be used on Macintosh computers. Please consult the ABLE desktop standards page for final details closer to the GMAS go-live. |
| GMAS training | Information about signing up for instructor-led courses and web-based pre-instructional materials and training modules are available at http://oas.harvard.edu/gmas/training.html. |
| Getting up and running with CREW | Help with CREW is available on ABLE: http://able.harvard.edu/crew. |
| Using the Sponsored Budget Tool | Detailed award budgets will continue to be developed and uploaded via the Sponsored Budget Tool. Help with the SBT is available on ABLE: http://able.harvard.edu/sbud. |
Tips for working more easily with the new PeopleSoft Job Data Change form top
As described in the June 1 e-News, a new business process was introduced in June to electronically route job data changes that need to be made in the PeopleSoft HR system. Here are some follow up questions that have been asked by users during stabilization this summer, along with related answers.
Key Fields
What are the three key fields that must be filled in?
For employees in your department-level security, you must fill in the following:
1. New Effdt (Effective Date)
2. HUID
3. Employee Rcd
For employees outside your department-level security, you must fill in the following:
1. New Effdt (Effective Date
2a. Transfer Emplid (that is, the Empl ID of the employee you are trying to transfer)
3a. Transfer Empl Rcd
Why can't I find the form I saved?
If you create a form and either save or submit it without an effective date or with an Empl Rcd of 99 (or a Transfer Empl Rcd of 99), the form will not be retrievable (either by you or Central Payroll). In cases where this has occurred, you must create a new form. This will be corrected in a future enhancement.
Can I change any of the key fields after the form has been saved or submitted?
No. After you have saved and exited the form (the form is no longer in your browser), the key fields CANNOT be changed. Verify all key fields prior to saving the form. If any of the key fields are incorrect (e.g., New Effdt), you must delete the form and create a new one.
What if the employee is in my security view, but the left side of the form does not populate?
If you enter all three key fields and the current job data does not populate the form, check your fields to make sure you entered the information correctly. If the information is correct, verify the employee's information by running the Individual-University Job Profile in CREW.
What happens if I change the New Effdt field prior to saving the form?
Changing the New Effdt field after you have entered the job data changes on the form will clear the fields. You will need to re-enter the information prior to saving or submitting the form.
What happens if I change the HUID prior to saving or submitting the form?
If you create a form and make a change to the HUID (or Transfer Emplid) after the Empl Rcd (or Transfer Empl Rcd) has been entered, the Empl Rcd (or Transfer Empl Rcd) will default back to 99. You must correct this prior to saving or submitting the form.
When should I use the transfer section?
You should only use the Transfer Emplid section if the employee is outside your department-level security.
Why can't I find an employee's transfer form when searching with their HUID?
When searching for saved or submitted transfer forms, you cannot do a search using the employee's HUID (for transfers the HUID defaults to “NEW”). You must use an alternative search value such as Requisition ID or Name.
Future Row Exists
What should I do when the Future Row Exists box is checked?
After entering the three key fields on the form, always check to see if the Future Rows Exists box is checked. If the box is checked, review the future-dated transaction(s). The "Comments" section MUST be populated to provide Central Payroll with directions on how any future-dated rows should be handled (carried forward, deleted, etc.). If no comments are provided, Central Payroll will NOT make any changes to the future-dated rows.
Action/Reason Codes
Can the Job Data Change form be used for all Harvard transactions?
No. The form can only be used for:
- promotions
- demotions
- job reclassification
- pay rate changes
- transfers
- data change
How should I process an employee who has received a promotion and is transferring to a new department?
To process this type of transaction, you must use an action code of XFR (transfer) and a reason code of PRO (promotion).
Is there a document that provides a list of the action/reason codes for the Job Data Change form?
Yes. You can find a list of the action/reason codes for the JDC form on ABLE: http://able.harvard.edu/hr-hiring/job-data-change-action-reason-codes.pdf.
Field Defaults
What do the different field indicators mean after I fill in the action and reason codes?
Fields highlighted blue and asterisked = required |
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Fields highlighted blue = recommended |
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Fields that are blank = not allowed |
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Why can't I update the Administrative Salary Plan field?
If you have an employee who is staying in the same Job Code but is changing their standard hours, you must re-enter the employee's Job Code to activate the Salary Administrative Plan field's dropdown list. This will be corrected in a future enhancement.
For example: Employee is changing their standard hours from 35 to 40:
When I enter a new Job Code for an employee, will the default values reflect the employee's new Job Code?
Yes. The Standard Hours, Union Code, and Salary Administration Plan fields will default based on the new Job Code. Although only changes are required, you may need to clear the field(s) or re-enter the correct value(s) if the new default value(s) are incorrect.
What are the critical fields that I need to change when an employee is going from hourly to salary?
- The Pay Group field must be set to a group that will default the Employee Type field to “S” (Salaried).
- Set the Comp Rate Code field to "NAANNL."
- The new salary must be entered in the Comp Rate (FTE Salary) field.
- Change the Time Report Status to "Inactive."
- Delete any additional costing rows (OTP, OTS, and MMN), if necessary.
Note: The Actual Annual Salary field does not update PeopleSoft; it is used as reference information only.
What are the critical fields that I need to change when an employee is going from salaried to hourly?
- The Pay Group field must be set to a group that will default the Employee Type field to “H” (Hourly).
- Set the Comp Rate Code field to "NAHRLY."
- The new hourly comp rate must be entered in the Comp Rate (Hourly) field.
- Change the Time Report Status to "Active," enter the Workgroup, and Group ID.
- Add any additional costing rows (OTP, OTS, and MMN), if necessary.
Do I need to update the Job Code for a lateral transfer (action code of XFR and reason code of LAT) even if there is no Job Code change?
Yes. Even though the Job Code field is not changing, you still must type in the employee's Job Code in order for the form to trigger the employee's costing. This will be corrected in a future enhancement.
How do I process a transfer for an employee who's costing string is not changing?
This must be done as a two-step process. First, enter the employee's transfer information on the JDC form. Be sure to fill out the Job Code and Department fields. Fill out any additional required fields and/or fields that are changing. Leave the employee's costing as it appears on the form.
After the form has been submitted to the database (the employee now exists in the new department), you can modify the employee's costing string by using one of the following three methods:
- Job Data Change form
- Costing Upload process
- The Departments Budget Table Maintenance process
This will be corrected in a future enhancement.
Cost Proration
What is the difference between the Override Future Costing and Leave Future Unchanged on the form?
- When you select the Override Future Costing option, any future rows (where the Department ID is the same) will be overridden with new costing.
- When you select the Leave Future Unchanged option, any future costing rows (where the Department ID is the same) will not be affected.
When does the Calculated Costing Data section get updated on the form?
If there has been a change in the employee's costing (indicated on the form when the Costing Changed box is checked), the calculated costing data on the form will populate once the form has been submitted to the database.
How does the calculated costing get prorated?
To explain this, let's take a look at an example of an employee who's costing has changed. In this example, the employee's costing change is to be effective on June 16, which is the fourth day in the pay period (June 13-19).
Pay period begins |
Effective date |
Pay period ends |
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days |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
To determine how the costing will be prorated, use the following formula:
The number of days (in the pay period) before the effective date
Total number of days for the pay period
In the above example, 3/7 = 42.587 will be allocated against the old costing string with the remainder being applied to the new costing string.
Does PeopleSoft generate a proration every time there is a change to costing?
No. Proration will not occur for the following scenarios:
- Department has changed (transfers)
- Employee class has changed (determined by job code)
- Pay frequency has changed (determined by pay group)
About the e-News top
The Office of Human Resources publishes this semimonthly electronic newsletter for users of Harvard University's financial, HR, and reporting systems, policies, and procedures. Generally, the e-News is published on or around the 12th and 26th of each month.
It contains:
- updates on projects underway to build or improve University administrative systems;
- information about new University policies, procedures, and forms;
- reminders about upcoming deadlines and cut-over dates;
- tips and tricks for working more easily or productively.
We welcome questions and suggestions for improvement from readers. If your questions are of general interest, we will answer them in future issues.
Please send comments, questions, or suggestions for improvement by email to us at: admin_systems_enews@harvard.edu