DFL weekly update - August 11, 2023

Upcoming Deadlines at a Glance

  • Friday, 8/11 - Submit final corrections to class schedule and instructional record data for summer sessions
  • Friday, 8/18 - Submit completed and approved org tree change requests
  • Tuesday, 8/22 - Complete Q4 Key Controls
  • Thursday, 8/31 - Return signed fiscal close certification letters
  • Friday, 9/1 - Queue commitments for Q1 requests

Budget process

Budget process update

We have finalized the budget decisions and budget allocation letters were distributed on Thursday, August 3. CalPlan and HCP will remain unavailable while the FY24 Operating Budget is finalized. Thanks to everyone for the hard work during the budget process.

Action Items

Final corrections to class schedule and instructional record data for summer sessions are due Friday, August 11

The Office of Planning and Analysis (OPA) will be reaching out to your department schedulers and managers and asking them to review their class schedule and instructional record data entry for summer sessions. This information must be finalized in Student Information Systems (SIS) by Friday, August 11. Please contact OPA Research Analyst Kira Blaisdell-Sloan or Beatriz Brando with questions at opa-csir@berkeley.edu.

Submit completed and approved org tree change requests by Friday, August 18

If you would like to submit changes to the Org Tree, please submit your completed, Budget and Financial Operations (BFO) Committee approved request by August 18. We recommend that you submit your change request form for review as soon as possible to allow time for the BFO team to review your request, follow up with you for any necessary clarification, approve your request, and allow you time to obtain all required signatures before the submission deadline. As a reminder, the May 16 submission date was the last day that approved change requests could be submitted for entry to the May Master Org Tree. Allowable changes through May 31 included New DeptIDs, New Org Nodes, and Description Changes. Important: The Org Tree is now closed to all changes through fiscal close.

The time needed to review change requests will vary, depending on the complexity of the request. For more information:

  • A high-level summary of the process to approve org tree changes is available on the DFL concierge webpage.
  • An overview of the org tree change submission deadlines is available in the Org Tree Submission and Processing Timeline. Important: Please review the update on the estimated processing time for journal source configuration of new L4 org node codes. As a reminder, journal source configuration for new L4’s is required if there is a need to prepare and approve journals.
  • Please review the Org Tree Calendar for the timeline of allowable org tree changes throughout the year.
  • Please review the new Org Tree Lookup Tool This new tool replaces the monthly manually produced Master Org Tree and will provide the most current org tree data as of one business day before. Training materials and Job Aids are located on the CFO website.
  • There are updates coming soon to the Department Prefixes, and How to Create Visio files job aids located in the Tools and job aids section of the Organizational Tree web page.
  • Please submit questions and requests for changes to the Org Tree to dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu. Note: If you plan to request an Org Node change or Entity Hierarchy redesign, please contact dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu and explain what you would like to change before completing the request form because these changes are typically more complex and involve longer consultations.

Complete Q4 Key Controls by Tuesday, August 22

Please complete and submit the financial reporting and system access reviews by Tuesday, August 22. You may have noticed some employees incorrectly showing up or missing on your System Access Review report. This is caused by a systems bug in determining ‘home departments’, stemming from updates to address performance issues. New reports will be issued at the beginning of next week with users appearing in the appropriate reports. If you have not done so already, please hold off on approving any reports until the new ones have been sent. Please visit the Controller's website for instructions and more information. Email questions about the financial reporting review controls to the Financial Accounting & Controls team at gao@berkeley.edu and questions about the system access review controls to the BFS System Access team at secbfs@berkeley.edu.

Return signed fiscal close certification letters by Thursday, August 31

The annual fiscal close certification letters will be sent to you and your respective Deans for signatures. Please upload the signed letters into your DFL - division’s box file folder by Thursday, August 31. Information about the fiscal close certification letter is available on the Controller's Office website. Contact the Financial Accounting & Controls team with questions at gao@berkeley.edu.

Queue commitments for Q1 requests by Friday, September 1

Please complete the commitment queue form by Friday, September 1, for commitments to be funded in the first quarter of FY2023-24. Please note that the following commitments do not need to be queued: Budget Decisions; EVCP TAS; Star Awards; Bear Grants; both Productivity Suite and Campus Data Network assessments and endowment payouts for rotating chairs. Commitments are processed on a quarterly basis. You only need to use one commitment queue Google form to submit your commitment requests for both faculty and non-faculty funding commitments. Faculty commitments are defined for this purpose as Start-up; Retention; ASMD; and Chancellor's Professorships. Chancellor’s Professorships are those that are offered via start-up or retention in lieu of an actual chair - until one can be found, and are funded by central resources. For more information about queueing commitments and documentation required, please visit the Commitments page. Please note that if you are working remotely, you must log in through VPN for these forms to work. Please email dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu with questions.

Informational Updates

Systems reminders

  • Cal Answers and CalPlanning will not be available on Sunday, August 13, from 6:00 am to midnight due to system maintenance.

Introducing Lockbox in the Controller’s Office

Lockbox services have been established with Bank of America for Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable and Contracts and Grants Accounting. Check payments may now be mailed directly to specific lockbox addresses for each unit. This makes check processing more efficient by minimizing time delays due to mail float, accelerating funds availability and reducing time spent manually handling checks.

Cal Answers Training

Please review the self-service learning resources on the Cal Answers website, where Cal Answers users will find a complete course in basic navigation as well as short videos, job aids, wiki documentation, and a list of Frequently Asked Questions. Additionally, the two-hour instructor-led classes build on the basic navigation skills covered in the self-study. There are separate courses focusing on financial dashboards and student data dashboards. In the class, a subject matter expert will guide a deep dive into the reports and data available in the dashboards and answer specific questions.

CalPlanning training

The next series of CalPlanning and Smart View training classes begin Thursday, September 14. The curriculum uses a blended learning model. Courses begin with self-study using online “books” divided into chapters supplemented with practice exercises and short videos. Courses culminate with a group session using Zoom in which participants work on case studies in small teams to apply the material covered in the self-study. The self-study materials are available on the website for everyone to use; they can be a helpful resource for those that have already completed the training and are looking for a refresher. Review the CalPlanning Training page for schedules, links to enroll, and to access the self-study materials.

Changes to the DFL in your division?

If the DFL role in your division is changing, email fpa@berkeley.edu to ensure our website, communications, and training plans are updated.

DFL Weekly Updates Page

As a reminder, these updates are regularly posted to the DFL Weekly Updates page so you can reference past updates at any time. Additionally, the Operational Deadlines page provides an overview of deliverables by quarter.

Thank you,

Office of the Vice Chancellor of Finance