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Changes to Month End Closing Dates-Invoices and Reimbursement Requests top
Beginning with the month of January 2009, Accounts Payable and Reimbursement and Card Services will be changing the cutoff date for accepting invoices and reimbursement requests for month-end processing.
Due to growing volume, increased mail at the end of each month, and cost cutting measures (reduction of overtime,) the cutoff date will be moved to 5:00 pm on the 4th to the last business day of each month.
For example, in January 2009, the cutoff for accepting invoices and reimbursement requests guaranteed to be entered in the month of January will be 5:00 pm Tuesday, January 27.
Future month end deadlines:
- February 2009, the cutoff will be Tuesday, February 24, at 5:00 pm.
- March 2009, the cutoff will be Thursday, March 26 at 5:00 pm.
Accounts Payable On-line Vendor Form Migration Deadline top
In November 2008, the On-line Vendor request form became available as an Oracle responsibility; the target date for full migration from paper to on-line processing is Monday, February 2, 2009.
To date we have had received a fantastic rate of response. 76% of the Authorized Requestors, which account for approximately 94% of the users, have responded and have staff submitting forms via the on-line process. Thank you for your support. Authorized Requestors that have not yet had the opportunity to respond will receive a reminder call over the next couple of weeks.
Questions concerning the On-line Vendor processing form should be directed to Customer Relations Team, at 617-495-8500 or your Customer Relations Manager.
Procurement Web Site Released to Focus on Cost Containment and Cost Savings top
The Office of the Controller’s Procurement team announces the release of www.procurement.fad.harvard.edu. The site is designed for those who purchase goods and services as well as those who manage department budgets. It contains:
- Vendor management ideas
- A simplified process for analyzing an organization’s spending patterns
- Recommended practices to assist departments and groups across the campus as they look for opportunities to reduce their costs
Content is regularly added and updated and new posts are added to the “blog” at least twice each week.
Warning: Beware the Toner Pirates! top
Recently, a number of Harvard staff members have been contacted by vendors offering to provide a “special deal” on toner for their copy machines. Toner is free for almost every copy machine at Harvard, so this scam leaves the staff member stuck with unnecessary product and excessive bills. Since the prices charged are typically 4 to 5 times the commercial value, these callers have been nicknamed “Toner Pirates” in the office equipment industry. “Toner Pirates” will place an initial call asking for your copier make, model, or serial number, then follow-up days or weeks later with additional calls offering a toner “special” or a compelling opportunity if you place an immediate order. Toner is free with IKON, Harvard’s preferred vendor, and most other vendors. Never provide account or copier information other than the machine ID number to a caller. IKON and other vendors do not need to ask you for this information and will not call you to do so.
If you have been contacted by a Toner Pirate, please contact Harvard Procurement at 5-4441.
Human Resources Reporting: Enhancements and Changes to HRMS CREW and Database Objects top
CREW HR 5.1 Release Notes
[Production release date: 1/16/2009]
| Reports | ||
| Description | Modifications | |
| 1 | HRACCDP221 – Departmental Accomplishments Profile (DEG, LNG) | The report security has changed (row level security has been removed). No changes were made to the functionality of the reports. |
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the UIS Helpdesk at 496-2001 or uis_helpdesk@harvard.edu.
Thank you,
The Harvard Human Resources, Information Systems and Analytics Reporting team.
Fiscal Budget Tool Training top
Here are some training opportunities for those schools using the ORACLE Fiscal Budget Tool:
1. Desk Top Online Course:
This course includes task simulations which provide learners with hands-on experience in using the Fiscal Budget Tool features. Quiz questions are available at the end of each unit within the course to reinforce key points. The questions are not scored and learners are provided feedback to assist them in selecting the correct answer. All of the Fiscal Budget Tool work instructions have been updated to reflect the most current version of the Oracle Applications and provide step-by-step instruction on how to perform key tasks within the budget tool application. To begin the training, access Eureka.
2. Optional Hands On Fiscal Budget Tool Workshops:
Fiscal Budget Tool Workshops are now available on Wednesdays. Workshops available at 10:00 am and 3:00 pm provide optional hands-on clinics designed to provide one-on-one support and allow you to bring your specific fiscal Budget Tool questions for resolution. To sign up for a workshop contact Lori Kalish at 617-384-7409 or via e-mail at lori_kalish@harvard.edu. (Please note: This training focuses on the tool. Budget processing guidelines and policies specific to your unit are not provided. For assistance with local guidelines around the budget planning process, please contact your local financial manager or budget office.)
Congratulations to the e-News Survey Raffle Winners! top
The e-News Task force would like to thank those who participated in our e-News survey last fall. We are currently reviewing the results and will be publishing more information in the near future.
We would like to congratulate those who won prizes in the e-News raffle:
- Judith Wilburn, Harvard University Press, winner of an iPod Shuffle
- Colleen McMahon, Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences, winner of an iPod Shuffle
- Caroline Howard, Alumni Affairs and Development, winner of a Harvard umbrella, portfolio and pen set
- Cindy Lewko, Harvard Business School, winner of a Harvard umbrella, portfolio and pen set
Upcoming Releases top
FY2009 FINDINI Release Schedule
A significant upgrade to the financial applications, known as a "FINDINI release", is done every two to four months. Each upgrade introduces needed bug fixes, enhancements, and technical upgrades into Harvard's financial systems. Generally, releases are performed on weekends to assure maximum availability during the business week. Most outages occur from 6 pm Friday evening-6 am Monday morning.
Here is the FINDINI Release Schedule for the remainder of FY2009:
| Release Number | Dates | Notes |
3.2.7 |
6:00 pm Friday, March 27- |
CREW Financial Reporting Release included; CREW unavailable until Tuesday, March 31 |
3.2.8 |
6:00 pm Friday, June 19- |
CREW Financial Reporting Release included; CREW unavailable until Tuesday, June 23 |
The Oracle Financial Applications are:
| • General Ledger & ADI | • Electronic Shop and Pay (ESP) |
| • Budget Tool | • Harvard Crimson Online Marketplace (HCOM) |
| • Accounts Receivable | • Capital Project System (CAPS) |
| • Cash Management (CMRA) | • Chart Security Maintenance Application (CSMA) |
| • Accounts Payable | • Chart of Account Validator (CoA) |
| • Web Voucher | • Web Reimbursement |
| • Procurement Card (Pcard) | • Online Vendor Form |
HR Release 23
The next PeopleSoft and CREW HR Reporting releases are tentatively scheduled for the weekend of May 2-3, 2009. Check future editions of e-News for release details.
CREW Reports
In addition to the CREW Financial Reporting and CREW HR Reporting releases which correspond with the FINDINI and HR releases listed above, changes and enhancements to new and existing CREW reports are also released monthly. This schedule is as follows:
| Release Number | Dates | Notes |
5.1 |
January 17-18 |
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5.2 |
February 14-15 |
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5.3 |
March 14-15 |
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5.4 |
April 18-19 |
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5.5 |
May 16-17 |
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5.6 |
June 13-14 |
About the e-News top
The Center for Workplace Development publishes this electronic newsletter for users of Harvard University's financial, HR, and reporting systems, policies, and procedures. The e-News is generally published on or around the 15th 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.
For information about subscribing or unsubscribing to the eNews notifications, visit our who gets the eNews page.