Section D: Reviewing the Status of Your Budget

1. Access to Your Budget Via the Web

As a budget manager, you can review the status of the university budget(s) that you manage by using the Budget Administration Web application (Budget Admin Web). Budget Admin Web is part of Cascade Web, which allows you to conduct business with the University of Puget Sound and get information directly from university databases.

How to Access Cascade Web
You can access Cascade Web from your university desktop computer or your home computer, if you have Internet access. The three primary ways to access Cascade Web are described below:

a. On the university’s home page, select the “Intranet” option in the top right corner. Then select the “Cascade” option on the maroon navigational bar at the top of the Intranet Home Page.

b. Add the Cascade Web URL (address) http://cascade.pugetsound.edu to your Bookmarks (in Netscape) or Favorites (in Internet Explorer) list.

c. Type the Cascade Web URL (address) http://cascade.pugetsound.edu on the address line of your web browser and press enter.

Budget Admin Web – Reviewing the Status of Your Budget
Budget Admin Web provides budget managers with information about the university budgets they manage. Budget Admin Web displays budget, encumbrance, and actual data posted through the previous business day. Encumbrances are the total of open purchase orders or other budget reservations that a budget manager (or his/her designee) has approved for his/her budget index [Purchase Order Tutorial]. The Banner Online Purchase Order (PO) system makes it possible to create, change, liquidate, and track budget encumbrances [Life of a Purchase Order].

Budget Admin Web provides security at the index level to your budget information. Other faculty and staff may not access your budget information, unless authorized (by you) to do so. Department heads and other budget managers may request Budget Admin Web access for other department faculty or staff (for the budgets they manage) by contacting the Accounting Operations Coordinator in Accounting & Budget Services via email.

Budget Admin Web features that help you manage your university budget:

• View and print images (PDF files) of your Purchase Orders (POs) online. To access this feature, when viewing the actual or encumbrance transactions for your index, drill-down into a PO's detail and click on the "View Purchase Order" link.
• See the totals and detail for budget encumbrances and budget variances (remaining budget available or overspent budget amounts).
• Use a variety of options for sorting detail transactions displayed (Examples: sort by date, document type or number, description/vendor, amount, purchase order #, or invoice #).
• Easily determine the purchase order status (open or closed) and the balance and detail for open purchase orders.
• Add your own customized comments in the "Note" field for each detail transaction. This field holds up to 100 characters.
• View PO detail related to POs that were carried forward from the prior fiscal year. These purchase orders will appear in the current fiscal year with a transaction description of "Encumbrance Roll" rather than the vendor's name. Please note that fiscal year 2003 POs that were created in fiscal year 2002 will not be available on-line in PDF format, but you may still review the PO detail through Budget Admin Web.
• Look up FOAPAL elements from within Budget Admin Web, by clicking on the “FOAPAL” link located on the left side of the top navigational bar. This will open a separate window and you can search for Index, Fund, Organization, and Account numbers. When you complete your FOAPAL search, simply close the window and it will return you to Budget Admin Web.
• Use the “Excel” link located on the right side of the top navigational bar, to export information to an Excel spreadsheet. From any summary or detail Budget Admin Web screen, simply click on the “Excel” link and the data you see on the screen will be exported to an Excel spreadsheet. If you wish to save the file as an Excel spreadsheet, use the web browser “File/Save As” command and save the file, selecting a “save as type” of Microsoft Excel Workbook. Use the web browser “Back” command to return to Budget Admin Web.
• Use the “Printable” link located on the right side of the top navigational bar, to print Budget Admin Web screens. The “Printable” option will remove color and graphical images that can slow down printing and use excessive amounts of toner. After using the web browser print command to print the screen, use the web browser “Back” command to return to Budget Admin Web.
• The “Help” link on the far left of the top navigational bar will open a separate window that contains guidance and tips for using Budget Admin Web. When you are done viewing or printing the information, simply close the window to return to Budget Admin Web.
• Banner Tools: The Banner Tools give you easy access to past purchase orders and vendor payment records, the FOAPAL Search tool and a current vendor list.

Note: Budget Administration Web system documentation (a “How to Guide” for Budget Admin Web) may be found on the Budget Administration Resources page.

2. Requesting a Correction, Transfer or Other Adjustment

To request a correction, transfer or other adjustment, please send an e-mail to the Accounts Payable Specialists.

a. The sender of the e-mail should be the budget manager authorized to sign on the budget index (e.g. for the department). If the person sending the e-mail is not authorized for all budget indexes affected, then all budget managers affected should be copied on the e-mail.

b. Describe the reason for the entry needed and include the “from and to” coding. For example:

“Please reclassify $xxx.xx from department/index name and account name (index # - account #) to department/index name and account name (index # - account #) for the following reason [insert reason]. This correction relates to the original entry posted on xx/xx/xx (provide the date), document # (provide document #).”

Time saving tip: You can copy pertinent index, account, entry date, document #, and additional information from the Budget Admin Web transaction screen and paste it into your e-mail.

Please note: If you use activity codes, be sure to include the appropriate activity code information.

3. Budget Variance Reporting & Projections

University faculty and staff budget managers fulfill their fiscal responsibilities in part, by reporting budget variance projections to the President and Board of Trustees twice a year (fall and spring), and reporting actual budget variances to the President and Board of Trustees after the end of the fiscal year.

The Accounting & Budget Services office coordinates budget variance reporting activities, which may vary by university division. The schedule for reporting budget variance projections and actual for a given fiscal year is as follows:

(1) In October and February, the Accounting Operations Coordinator will send an email to budget managers and their administrative support staff to:

• Notify you of the upcoming budget variance report schedule,
• Request that you take time to review the status of your budget and make sure that all expected transactions are entered,
• Request that you report to Accounting & Budget Services any unusual items or corrections that are needed, and
• Request that you begin to work on your budget variance projection. A budget variance projection is your estimate of whether the budget you manage will be on budget, under budget, or over budget, and by how much, by the end the fiscal year.

(2) Please review your budget at the end of each month and report missed transactions, unusual items, or corrections to Accounting & Budget Services before the third business day of each month, so they can be corrected in a timely manner.

(3) Because of the budget variance report schedule, it is especially important that you report all known additions, changes, or corrections to Accounting & Budget Services by the third business day of November and March, and again at fiscal year end, according to the fiscal year close schedule. The fiscal year close schedule is typically published by April 15th each year and can be found on the Special Notices page of the Accounting & Budget Services web site.

(4) Several members of the Accounting & Budget Services team are involved in collecting budget variance projections from budget managers:

(5) During the first or second week of November and March, the designated member of the Accounting & Budget Services team will contact her/his assigned division or departments within a division to request their budget variance projections. A requested due date will be provided. Thank you for responding with your projections by that date.

(6) At the end of the fiscal year, budget managers will be asked to report on any significant variances from their spring budget variance projection.

(7) The Accounting & Budget Services team member assigned to your division will also work out with the Division Vice President (or her/his designee) the preferred method of submitting budget variance projections. In some divisions, the Division VP or a designee coordinates the process for the entire division and communicates directly with Accounting & Budget Services. In other divisions, departments submit their projections via e-mail to Accounting & Budget Services, with a copy to the Division VP.

(8) The following is an example of a fall or spring budget variance projection that you might submit:

“For department index # and name (provide appropriate index # and name), I am estimating that we will end the year on budget; or over/under budget by $xxx, for the following reason(s):…. ” Please be sure to provide the key reasons for under or over budget situations so Accounting & Budget Services can in turn provide the President and Board of Trustees with meaningful explanations.

Please note that if unexpected budget pressures arise that may cause you to exceed your approved budget, you should inform your Division VP or her/his designee as soon as possible:

Your care in overseeing your budget and assistance with budget variance projections is much appreciated.

Contact information

• Unexpected budget pressures: See table above
• Budget Admin Web content or training: Accounting Operations Coordinator
• To request, change, or terminate Budget Admin Web access: Accounting Operations Coordinator (requests must be via e-mail)
• System difficulties with Cascade Web (Budget Admin Web): Technology Services, x8585 or by ts@pugetsound.edu
• Online purchase order questions or training: Administrative Secretary, Business Services at x2902 or Asst. to the Vice President of Finance and Administration at x3204
• Concerns or ideas for improving services: Associate Vice President for Accounting & Budget Services

Please visit the Accounting & Budget Services department Web site for more information and resources for budget managers.