WISP & Charge Investigation – Key Points

Core Systems & Their Roles

  • Banner (ERP)

    • Quick, high-level view of budgets, YTD expenses, encumbrances.
    • Labor encumbrances auto-generated; rarely need manual edits.
    • Non-labor encumbrances often need analyst cleanup.
    • Limited detail; drill-down (F3) only shows basic invoice data.

  • RealSource (Procurement)

    • Primary source for non-travel purchasing info (POs, invoices, receipts).
    • Use the Banner document number to search and retrieve full PO history.
    • Essential for validating/clearing non-labor encumbrances and answering “What is this charge?” questions.

  • WISP Finance Dashboard

    • Custom Massey tool; fills Banner data gaps.
    • Key report types:
      • Payroll Report – detailed salary/benefit by index.
      • Transaction Report – every charge on an index (filter by period, account, etc.).
      • Expenditure Report – PI-friendly summary (budget vs. actual, drill-down links).
      • Travel Report – intended mirror of Transaction report for travel (needs development).
    • Manage Data tab: update index owners, analysts; drives report accuracy.
    • Highly adaptable—log issues/ideas for IT; sandbox for process improvement.

  • Chrome River (Travel)

    • Travel reimbursement & booking data.
    • Often holds details missing from Banner; Amber expected to dive deep here.

Encumbrance & Charge Investigation

  • Focus on non-labor encumbrances; clear if > ≈ 3–4 months old and already expensed.
  • Three-step investigation workflow:
    1. Identify charge/encumbrance in Banner (amount, date, doc #).
    2. Pull corresponding record in RealSource (or Chrome River for travel) to view PO, item, vendor, receipts.
    3. Use WISP for consolidated reports or deeper transaction lists.
  • Common cleanup actions: close POs in RealSource, manually remove stale commitments, contact PI/vendor/business manager for clarification.

Analyst Best Practices

  • Cross-reference all tools; no single system is complete.
  • Schedule periodic reviews of indices for:
    • Aged non-labor commitments.
    • Unusual/high dollar POs (e.g., 1{,}300{,}000 encumbrance example).
  • Leverage WISP reports for meetings; tailor outputs before sharing to avoid confusion.
  • Document findings in MPS recon notes to support certification.
  • Record issues/gaps to enhance WISP functionality.

Team Logistics

  • Standing training sessions: Wednesdays & Fridays, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
  • Additional ad-hoc working sessions welcome for specific tasks/problems.