Questions and Answers
The Questions and Answers shown below include the high level, straight forward questions and answers addressed in the May PERA demonstration for Finance. Questions on specific processes that are still in development have been omitted for clarity purposes.
Do you have additional questions? Please submit them to PERA-Finance@purdue.edu.
What is one of the biggest changes business office account managers can expect with PERA?
The biggest change is going to be the budget allocation process. Training on the budget allocation process will be a significant emphasis area as part of the change management process. In addition, experts will be developed for each area to serve as mentors until staff are comfortable with the new process.
Will budget allocations be reviewed by SPS prior to posting?
Yes. As part of the budget establishment process in the post award phase, business office staff will enter the budget directly into the Award in PERA. SPS will then review and compare the budget to the original proposal and follow up on any differences before approving it in PERA.
Will we be able to use PERA to obtain financial transaction data?
Business Offices needing data for projections and other account management activities should continue to use AIMS. AIMS will remain the institutional “home” for financial transaction data on sponsored program accounts.
When can we expect training to start?
Most of the training will be “Just In Time” and occur as close as possible to the October Go-Live. Training plans along with other project communications will be shared via established communication channels (The Bottom Line, email list serves, leadership meetings, etc.).
Since the roles will limit access to certain units, how will Business Office staff be able to view proposal and award information similar to our Coeus access today?
While it is true that roles which allow edits or activity requests to be made in PERA will be limited to assigned Depts, every BO staff will have viewer access to all proposals and awards similar to what they have today in COEUS.
How will roles be used in the new system and when can we expect to hear more details about role assignment?
This is a very role based system and the team is still working through expectations and standards. At a basic level, roles for Business Office staff will be granted edit and activity abilities based on the departments (using RCC) the user supports.
How will prior approval requests be processed in the new system? Can PI’s enter these types of actions directly into the system?
These requests can be routed through the system. However, areas who still wish to manage these types of approvals outside of the system will be able to do that before entering the request in the system.
The PI can initiate these actions but in the interest of minimizing the administrative effort of faculty, it is expected that business offices continue to take the lead on these actions. Training materials will substantiate this directive.
What will happen with the data that currently resides in Coeus?
Coeus information will be transferred to PERA but some data will never move. Some individuals will continue working in both systems through the transition.