AAC Liaison Activities - 1998-99
Jul 98, Meeting 1, Procurement Office
At its July 28 meeting, the AAC met with the Director of the Procurement Office, Diane Shea, and other staff members regarding current Purchasing issues. Mary Amato-Bacci, Mark Damian, Gerald Greenhow, Thomas Hoole and Michael McNamara participated in the meeting. Discussion covered use of the credit card, SAPWeb, plans for turning off EREQ, and timeliness of providing purchase orders. .
Thomas Hoole indicated that he and others are working to resolve issues that are now preventing some Departments, Laboratories and Centers (DLC's) from using the credit card. Specifically, the requirement to have the credit card verifier be a different individual from the credit card purchaser has presented difficulties for some units where traditionally the same individual purchases supplies, monitors accounts and pays invoices.
The AAC conveyed concerns about the impact of turning off EREQ within DLC's using SAP requisitioning that may be unable to use the credit card, and will no longer have the capability to process DAPO's.
Michael McNamara indicated that he and others are working hard to improve the timeliness of providing purchase order numbers. The AAC expressed a desire to maintain an ongoing dialog with members of the Procurement Office on these and other issues.
Jul. 98, Meeting 2, Training and Documentation
At its meeting on July 28, the AAC met with Linda Lancaster, Manager of Training and Documentation with Management Reporting to discuss issues related to SAP training. Michael McNamara of the Procurement Office and School Coordinators, Brian Tavares and Jennifer Kratochwill, participated in the discussion.
Linda Lancaster described efforts to develop a cohesive training program for SAP requisitioning, including course based training and user documentation. She also described the recent expansion of the Help Desk to support SAP, noting that staff knowledgeable of MIT business practices rather than students will staff the SAP Help Desk.
The AAC expressed concerns that the Help Desk is being seen as the solution for providing help with SAP. The AAC suggested that for a limited time after formal training is accomplished, an on site trainer should be available within the DLC's to assist Administrative Assistants and others as needed. The AAC expressed a desire to maintain an ongoing dialog with Linda as we move forward to implement SAP in the Departments, Laboratories and Centers on Campus.
Aug. 98, Meeting 3, Classification and Compensation Project Team
At its meeting on August 11, the AAC met with Nora Costa, Captain of the Classification and Compensation Project Team. Nora presented an overview of the Classification and Compensation Project for Administrative Staff. Alyce Johnson of Personnel and Thomas Wilson of the Wilson Group participated in the discussion.
The Team's efforts are focussed on significantly reducing the number of salary levels for Administrative Staff. At present, there are 43 salary levels, and the creation of ten or less "super ranges" is being considered. This is a work in progress, and a few of the concepts under discussion follow. Compensation factors such as leadership skills, critical thinking / problem solving or interpersonal effectiveness are applied to grade levels. Job descriptions are linked to the compensation factors, and then matched to the appropriate grade level. The Team will work to assess MIT's competitiveness, and recommend a salary structure to achieve desired market position. The AAC looks forward to hearing more as the Team continues its work.
Aug. 98, Meeting 4, Information Systems / Help Desk
At its meeting on August 25, the AAC met with William Hogue, Director of I/T Support, Barbara Goguen, Team Leader of the Help Desk and Robert Smyser, who is working with the Business Liaison Team (BLT).
The AAC wanted to provide constructive feedback as Information Systems works to improve Help Desk service to the MIT community. The Committee expressed concern that in many cases work is stopping, because we are not able to get the answers we need fast enough, and noted that there needs to be a better correlation between the time responsiveness of the Help Desk and the work that we are doing.
William Hogue, Barbara Goguen and Robert Smyser described the recent expansion of the Help Desk to support SAP, noting that staff knowledgeable of MIT business practices rather than students will staff the SAP Help Desk. In addition, Information Systems has implemented a new tracking system for checking on the status of each request. Emails sent to the Help Desk go to a recipient list, so that the individual with the most knowledge concerning a particular issue will respond. Responses go to the recipient list as well, so that all individuals can become more knowledgeable. Help Desk staff are trying to be more responsive, and are now making on-site visits when necessary to resolve problems.
William Hogue expressed a desire to maintain an ongoing dialog with the AAC.
Sep. 98, Meeting 5, Changing Business Practices - Institute Controller / Institute Auditor
At its meeting on September 24, the AAC met with James Morgan, Institute Controller, and Charles Shaw, Institute Auditor regarding changing business practices and internal controls.
The Institute is attempting to establish new guidelines on account monitoring and reconciliation in light of changing Federal regulations and the new electronic environment. MIT is working to convey the need to weigh the time spent and the associated labor cost of monitoring detailed transaction reports against the value of the transactions being monitored. Mr. Morgan and Mr. Shaw suggested that perhaps Administrators can find ways to provide adequate oversight without monitoring every transaction, while still maintaining sound management practices.
The AAC expressed concerns that the current error rate on account statements does not provide a comfort level where a more relaxed attitude toward account reconciliation can be adopted. Members also conveyed that this approach varies from the current MIT culture and past business practices, and that specific guidelines regarding acceptable future practices will need to be developed.
The AAC wishes to maintain an ongoing dialog with James Morgan and Charles Shaw as we move forward to implement SAP and new account management practices in the Departments, Laboratories and Centers on Campus.
Oct. 98, Meeting 6, Data Warehouse and Brio Query Demonstration
At its meeting on October 8, Scott Thorne of Information Systems demonstrated the Data Warehouse and Brio Query systems for the AAC.
AAC members found these systems to be powerful tools offering great hope for financial reporting at the Institute in the future. Staff from Information Systems, Controllers Accounting Office and Management Reporting are working together with input from users in Departments, Centers and Laboratories to develop reports that will be available for users across the Institute. Developers are seeking input from individuals willing to test reports, and to provide comment regarding the effectiveness of reports in the development stages.
The AAC looks forward to offering input, and appreciates the opportunity to evaluate how available information can be of use to MIT Administrators.
Oct. 98, Meeting 7, Management Reporting
At its meeting on October 22, the AAC met with Katherine Cochrane, Director of Management Reporting, and Lorraine Rappaport, Leader of the SapWeb Team, regarding development priorities in the SAPWeb environment.
AAC members conveyed to Katy and Lorraine that availability of the "approve requisition" function within the SAPWeb environment would be of great benefit to the MIT administrative community. Even though development of this function may be time consuming, this is seen as the improvement that would have the greatest positive impact on areas requiring approvals for purchasing. In addition, it was suggested that having a workflow that would notify the requisitioner of the PO number via email would be extremely helpful. It was also noted that if display functions can be incorporated into the SAPWeb environment, this would also be useful.
The AAC appreciates the opportunity to provide input, and expressed a desire to provide additional input on other issues of this nature in the future.
Nov. 98, Meeting 8, Campus Police and Ombudsperson
At its meeting on November 5, Anne Glavin, Chief of Campus Police, and Mary Rowe, Ombudsperson, met with the AAC to share a new program developed for the MIT community regarding "Dealing with Workplace Violence and Fear or Threat of Violence". Thomas Zgambo and Toni Robinson from the Ombuds Office joined the meeting.
MIT has formed two Workplace Violence Program Resource Teams to respond to situations involving violence or the threat of violence at the Institute. The Behavioral/Situational Assessment Team (BSAT) includes staff from Campus Police, Medical Department, Personnel, Legal Affairs, Safety Office, Ombuds Office, Dean's Office and Graduate Education. In addition, Campus Police has formed the Threat Management Unit lead by Chief Anne Glavin.
AAC members found the one and one half hour program to be extremely useful. The program will be offered to members of the community in the future, and Administrators are urged to attend the presentation when given the opportunity.
Dec. 98, Meeting 9, New Budget System, NIMBUS
At its meeting on December 3, Stefano Falconi, Director of the Office of Budget and Financial Planning, met with the AAC to demonstrate the prototype for the new budget system NIMBUS, currently under development. Vsevolod Petriv and Steven Herman, also of the Office of Budget and Financial Planning participated in the demonstration.
Administrators will be required to use the new system when submitting MIT budgets due on February 26, 1999 for fiscal year 2000. Stefano explained that his office was forced to develop the new system at this time, in that the old system is not year 2000 compatible. The new system is Web based and accessible with the use of Netscape 3.0 or higher.
AAC members responded very favorably to the NIMBUS system. Though the system is not yet fully tested, it is clear that Office of Budget and Financial Planning staff have gone out of their way to develop a system that is easy to use. The AAC appreciates that developers recognize the need for input from end users, and Committee members look forward to using the system.
Dec. 98, Meeting 10, John Curry, Executive Vice President
At its meeting on December 14, John Curry, MIT's new Executive Vice President, met with the AAC to introduce himself to the Committee and to meet the AAC members. Mr. Curry shared some of his experiences working at Cal Tech, UCLA and the University of Southern California. He conveyed his desire to listen to the MIT administrative community, and to understand the needs of Administrative Officers and others on campus.
Much of the discussion centered on recent experiences with the implementation of SAP and the numerous changes initiated under the umbrella of reengineering. AAC members explained that the administrative community has been frustrated with the inadequacies of SAP, and demoralized through the rollout process due to the increased workload and high error rate encountered during this transitional period. The AAC stressed the need for a coordinated approach to rolling out all of the various technologies on campus. This is necessary in order to minimize the impact of technology overload, because people cannot learn all of the various systems while simultaneously meeting core responsibilities within the Departments, Laboratories and Centers. The AAC also expressed the need for the Institute to speak with one voice in presenting an overall plan for an integrated financial system, with an articulated vision for accomplishing financial work and the elimination of shadow systems.
AAC members were pleased with Mr. Curry's willingness to listen to concerns of the community, and look forward to working with him in the future.
Dec. 98, Meeting 11, Authorization Process Discovery Team (APDT)
At its meeting on December 17, the AAC met with representatives of the Authorizations Processes Discovery Team (APDT). Charles Shaw, Institute Auditor, Thomas Hoole of Procurement and Veronica DuLong of CAO are members of the Team and participated in these discussions.
The Team has been charged to establish protocols for processing all authorizations at MIT. They are working to come as close as possible to "one stop shopping" for authorizations. The Team seeks to simplify the existing authorization process, as well as make it easier for appropriate offices such as Procurement to check authorizations. The Team has considered approvals for requisitioning, invoices, VIP cards, payroll and personnel data, financial reporting, MITSIS, travel, ECAT, COEUS, keys, kerberos ID's, budget, telecommunications and hazardous substances.
The currently used signature authorization cards will be eliminated, and authorizations will be maintained electronically using the Roles Database. It is anticipated that Departments, Laboratories and Centers (DLC's) will have the option of maintaining authorizations within their own units, or will be able to forward authorization materials to a central area for processing. AAC members were pleased with the work of the Team to date, appreciates the opportunity to review progress to date.
Feb. 99, Meeting 12, General Ledger Accounts Proposal
At its meeting on February 11, the AAC met with Nancy Dykstra of Management Reporting regarding the General Ledger (G/L) Accounts Review Proposal. Nancy is working with others to improve the consistency and meaning of G/L accounts, also known as cost elements, and previously called object codes. At present, MIT has a list of over 450 expense and 110 revenue G/L accounts. Many of these codes are used inconsistently, making reporting based on these elements difficult at best. 70% of all transactions use only 10 of these accounts.
Nancy and others are working to minimize the overall number of G/L accounts, and to provide a better mechanism for reporting on these elements by improving the consistency and meaning of these codes. AAC members support these efforts, appreciate the opportunity to review progress to date, and look forward to providing additional feedback in the future.
Mar. 99, Meeting 13, HRPD Project with Patricia Brady and Maureen Bednarek
At its meeting on March 11, the AAC met with Patricia Brady and Maureen Bednarek to discuss the status of MIT’s Human Resource Practices Development (HRPD) Project. The final reports generated by the HRPD project teams are ready for printing, distribution and posting on the web, and senior officers are considering proposals for continued implementation in fiscal year 2000.
In particular, Patricia and Maureen reviewed the core competency model, and talked about the future of this project. The key outcome of the project is the development of a customized, competency-based human resource (HR) tool kit to modernize MIT’s HR practices. In fiscal year 2000, the focus will be on competency-based performance management. AAC members appreciate the opportunity to review progress to date.
Mar. 99, Meeting 14, James Wallace, Assistant Director for Operations,Facilities
At its meeting on March 25, the AAC met with James Wallace, Assistant Director for Operations, Facilities. In his new role, Jim is responsible for overseeing the operations of Building Services, Grounds, Repair and Maintenance and Mail Services. In the near future, a formal review of Repair and Maintenance will be initiated. In addition, Jim is now evaluating communication processes in Facilities, and is working to improve response time for services. His major concern is the current condition of MIT’s buildings, and how to acquire resources to accomplish critical repairs to the infrastructure. The AAC members look forward to working with Jim in his new role.
Apr. 99, Meeting 15, Professor Lawerence Bacow, Chancellor
At its meeting on April 8, the AAC met with MIT’s Chancellor, Professor Lawrence Bacow. As Chancellor, Professor Bacow has oversight responsibility for graduate and undergraduate education, student life, student services, research policy, strategic planning, campus development, and the management of MIT’s large scale institutional partnerships.
The Chancellor discussed the issue of childcare centers on campus. The AAC members had reviewed the "Report of the Faculty Advisory Committee for On-Site Childcare at MIT". Professor Bacow stated that the Institute is committed to providing additional childcare slots, including spaces for infant care, and that space will be allocated within the newly constructed CIIS building for this purpose. A second site is being planned for placement west of Massachusetts Avenue.
Professor Bacow also discussed recent changes in the Institute’s space change planning process. MIT has allocated approximately $24.5 million for next fiscal year to be awarded through CRSP for space changes put forward by the Deans of the five schools, as well as for infrastructure improvements. The Deans and CRSP are now in the process of reviewing and prioritizing requests for the fiscal year 2000.
The AAC appreciates the opportunity to meet with Professor Bacow, and looks forward to serving as a resource in the future should the need for input from the administrative community arise on any issue at any time.
Apr. 99, Meeting 16, Robert Davine, School Coordinator and member of the Reporting Team
At its meeting on April 22, the AAC met with Robert Davine, School Coordinator and member of the Reporting Team. Members of the Reporting Team are working to provide members of the MIT community with needed reporting tools to replace printed department level reports that are currently provided through the legacy system. Using both SAP and the Data Warehouse, Team members are working to generate key reports by the end of the current fiscal year. These reports include the Account Manager’s Report (AMR), Funds Analysis (old GL53), Profit Center Volume (old GL46), Recapitulation (old GL44) and Research Volume. In addition, they are working to improve the format and presentation of SAP on line and printed Summary Statements and Detailed Transaction Reports. The Team is also working to develop a variety of new reports for delivery next fiscal year. AAC members appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback, and look forward to providing additional input to Team members as the need arises.
Jun. 99, Meeting 17, Meeting with Members of the Administrative Systems and Policies Coordinating Council
At its meeting on June 17, the AAC met with James Morgan, Institute Controller and Patricia Brady, Senior Project Director, Office of the Executive Vice President who represented the Administrative Systems and Policies Coordinating Council. The Council is responsible for analyzing the impact of changes to operations, policies and procedures that effect more that one administrative unit at MIT. Jim Morgan and Patricia Brady requested input on issues currently being addressed by the Coordinating Council.
These issues include a proposal to update the Institute’s policy concerning telephone usage for personal calls, and plans to broaden the area covered by local calls to include 508, 617, 781 and 978 area codes. The AAC responded positively to the proposal to allow necessary personal phone calls without requiring reimbursement, while limiting calls to those which are necessary and brief.
Issues related to electronic commerce with NECX for the purpose of purchasing computer equipment were also discussed. The AAC also responded positively to the Coordinating Council proposal to accomplish review by the Procurement Office and the Office of Sponsored Programs the day after orders are placed on line in order to expedite purchasing.
The AAC appreciates the opportunity to provide input, and looks forward to working with the Administrative Systems and Policies Coordinating Council on issues as they arise in the future.
Jun.99, Meeting 18, Meeting with Members of the Office of Budget and Financial Planning
At its meeting on June 17, the AAC met with members of the Office of Budget and Financial Planning to review progress in developing the NIMBUS budget system. Stefano Falconi, Director of the Office of Budget and Financial Planning, and Vsevolod Petriv, who is working to further develop NIMBUS requested input regarding priorities for enhancing the functionality of the NIMBUS system for end users.
The Office of Budget and Financial Planning plans to develop an electronic form that can be forwarded to Budget Officers requesting budget changes, which can also be electronically uploaded into the NIMBUS system without duplicate data entry. In addition, there are plans to provide online access to transaction detail for Administrators within the Schools, Departments, Centers and Laboratories.
The AAC appreciates that developers recognize the need for input from end users, and Committee members look forward to using the enhanced system.
Jul.99, Meeting 19, Meeting with the Enterprise Print Discovery Team
At its meeting on July 1, the AAC met with representatives of the Enterprise Printing Discovery Team. Timothy McGovern, Mary Ellen Bushnell and Lynne Durland represented the group, which is charged with examining the current and future administrative printing needs of the Institute, and with recommending solutions to solve current difficulties. The current printing model does not fully satisfy the needs of the SAP application, and the central printing server needs to be replaced. The group is interviewing individuals in departments who have large volume printing requirements such as Payroll, and is talking with groups of individuals representing a variety of departments, centers and laboratories who have common administrative tasks and printing needs.
Plans now under discussion include improvements to distributed printing for SAP, creation of a Web site with documentation about a variety of printing scenarios, and establishment of a single point of contact for customer questions and problems related to printing. The Team is evaluating which items are most appropriately printed centrally and distributed through the mail to end users, and which items may be more efficiently printed by the end user as needed.
The AAC appreciates having this opportunity to provide input.
Jul.99, Meeting 20, Meeting with Executive Vice President, John Curry
At its meeting on July 1, the AAC met with MIT’s Executive Vice President, John Curry to discuss the role of the Committee, and how the group can better serve the Institute in the future. At present, the AAC serves three primary roles. The AAC meets with representatives of MIT teams, groups, and organizations to provide input to teams and others that desire feedback on any given topic, issue or process. The Committee also helps to facilitate communication, and works to encourage two way communication between the Community and MIT’s senior officers. In addition, the AAC presents forums on topics of interest to the administrative community at the Institute.
Mr. Curry expressed support for the Committees ongoing activities, and indicated a desire to work closely with the group in the future. John Curry has agreed to continue to sponsor the AAC, and Committee members look forward to working with him.
