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Grants 2.0 Processing Delays (Nov 9, 2009) - Grants 2.0, the PeopleSoft based, integrated end-to-end system solution for the creation, tracking and processing of research grants and contracts at the University of Alberta, has been in operation for just over four months. During the blackout period preceding the launch of Grants 2.0 in June, and in the weeks immediately following launch, a backlog developed of research projects awaiting processing in the system. The backlog had many causes – staff resources were required to undertake user acceptance testing, training and procedures development; a two week blackout on data entry was imposed to enable the conversion of approximately 12,000 existing projects to the new system and the transition to the production environment; some technical glitches were found in the system that required fixing; and, staff needed time to gain confidence and proficiency in using the new system. In order to keep a close eye on progress related to the clearing of the backlog, it was decided to formally track the backlog of projects commencing 21 September. To be included on the initial backlog list, a project had to have either:
On 21 September, 1,762 pending research projects met these criteria. Of that total, 412 had full documentation and were awaiting final data entry in Grants 2.0, activation and (where applicable) issuance of a speed code. The remaining 1,350 pending projects were incomplete (eg, terms and conditions were still under negotiation, certifications and ethics approvals were outstanding) and Since 21 September, the Research Services Office has made it a priority to reduce the backlog and get research accounts set-up. Additional temporary resources, including some from other offices in the University, have been brought in to assist in this activity and significant progress has been made. Projects requiring formal amendments to previously set-up projects are largely current and all files are being actively worked on. As of 1 November, 354 (or 86%) of the 412 projects on the backlog list that initially had full documentation have been finalized. Of the initial 1350 pending projects requiring more documentation, 756 now have full documentation and of those 531 (or 70%) have been finalized. The remaining 594 pending projects are still being negotiated or are awaiting certifications and/or approvals which may involve work being completed by other offices on campus or by off campus partners. During the time that RSO has been focusing on the projects that were on the backlog list as of 21 September, new research projects continue to receive notifications of award or enter into formal negotiations. Between 21 September and 1 November, an additional 336 new projects achieved complete documentation status and moved to final processing. Of those 336 projects, 273 (or 81%) have been finalized and issued speed codes where appropriate. In total, 1,158 research projects were finalized between 21 September and 1 November. At this rate, the RSO expects to have the backlog reduced to only those projects still involved in complex negotiations by the end of November. Once the backlog situation has been brought under control, the RSO will then be targeting a 5 to 8 working day turnaround on the finalization of projects once all I would like to thank the entire research community for the considerable patience it has shown as the Research Services Office has dealt with this backlog situation. While it has taken longer than expected to achieve proficiency in the system and to bring the backlog under control, significant progress has been made and will continue to be made in the coming weeks. I am confident that once operational equilibrium has been reached, Grants 2.0 will prove to be a tremendous asset for research administrators and researchers alike. Sincerely, * The preceding text was sent as a memo by Dr Lorne Babiuk, Vice-President (Research), to Deans, Directors and Chairs on November 4, 2009. |
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