SPEAR PROJECT ADMINISTRATION
April 22, 1999
CAMPUS MSO's / KEY ADMINISTRATORS
SUBJECT: SPEAR Projects
The SPEAR project (Sponsored Project Excellence Achieved through Redesign)
continues toward the development of an integrated-sponsored project system
capable of meeting UCSD's needs. Six projects having the highest priority
in terms of immediate priority were funded last year.
Of these, four have been completed and are fully operational, and two are
in development and expected to be completed this year. The completed projects include Community of Science, OCGA Database Transfer, FOP
Validation and Early Index Deactivation. Those projects under development include Cost Projections (expected to be completed this month) and the Electronic Non-payroll Expense Transfer (ENPET).
Recently, approval was received to begin work in July on two additional
projects. These projects will sustain the momentum of our previous efforts
and provide the flexibility to adapt to new technology as we progress toward
a fully integrated system for sponsored projects at UCSD. The two new
projects are UCSD Coeus 3 (Phase I) and Overdraft Reporting.
UCSD Coeus 3 (Phase I)
This option adopts a simplified approach using MIT's Coeus 3 on a
relational database to track UCSD's awards. The name Coeus was chosen
by MIT. In Greek mythology, Coeus was the Titan associated with wisdom, and
the grandfather of Apollo and Artemis.
Award information will be passed directly to UCSD financial systems and
data warehouse for campus use via the web. These are essential steps in
preparing for electronic proposal processing.
The SPEAR Steering Committee and Work Group selected the Coeus option to
reduce the complexity of our initial efforts under Phase I. As such, the approval and electronic proposal segments in Coeus 3 will not be activated. These complex system components are only in their first operational year of production at MIT.
Phase II addresses selecting the most viable process for approval and
electronic proposal development at UCSD. At this point, Coeus 3 will have
completed a full year in MIT's production environment. Based on their
experience we will be able to modify our process/system accordingly for a
more effective integration.
Overdraft Reporting
At the end of the 1997/98 Fiscal Year, UCSD had approximately $18 million
in overdraft funds. To manage this condition, management needs accurate and
timely information that is not currently available. The Overdraft System
(OS) will be designed to fill this need. The OS will provide the following:
* creation of an evaluation matrix for overdrafts that is easily
initiated and maintained,
* classification and documentation of overdrafts and their causal
conditions,
* generation of detail and management reports that accurately reflect
overdrafts status, and
* monthly notification via electronic mail of overdraft conditions based
upon a client specified set of evaluation criteria.
It is expected that OS will provide management at all levels (department,
Deans Offices, central administration) the information to effectively manage
over-drafted funds. In today's environment, each fund has to be assessed for the overdraft condition. In many cases, these funds may remain in this condition for months without any corrective action. Higher levels of management would not be aware of a progressively worsening condition until the end of the Fiscal Year or grant/contract. OS will generate the information needed for management to focus their effort on the most problematic funds. With the improved timeliness of these actions, we expect to see a reduction in the number and dollar amount of overdrafts, which will reduce the negative STIP interest.
In planning for future projects, the SPEAR Work Group has established a high
priority on the following.
Sponsored Project Proposal Module (Phase II)
This project represents the second phase of the UCSD Coeus project. Its
principal features will include an electronic proposal capability that
includes scientific text, budget, approval tracking and security.
Cash Management Module
This module will address the billing and receivables management related to
sponsored projects. The system will provide the necessary features to
accelerate the issuance of invoices and collection of payments. It is
expected that this module will provide significant savings to the cash
resources required to operate UCSD.
Financial Reporting Module
This module's focus is on generating reports within the agencies' stipulated
time frames. This area had been problematic in the past and still
continues to be a very important goal of SPEAR, particularly for generation of financial reports in the federal/NIH area.
If you have any questions regarding this announcement, please call Miles
Bowler (2-1808) for additional information.
For additional information regarding SPEAR please access the SPEAR web
page:
http://ocga.ucsd.edu/SPEAR
Miles Bowler
Project Administrator for SPEAR