2020-10-2 Resource Management Meeting Notes

2020-10-2 Resource Management Meeting Notes

Date

Oct 2, 2020

Attendees

  • @Kristin Martin

  • @Abigail Wickes

  • Norma Flores

  • Dwayne Swigert

  • Anne Campbell

  • @Sabrina Bayer

  • @Sarah Dennis

  • @Martina Schildt

  • @Nancy Pelis

  • @Monica Arnold

  • @Julie Brannon (old account)

  • @Annika Schröer

  • @Ann Crowley

  • @Dennis Bridges

  • @Martina Tumulla

  • @Monica Arnold

  • @william.verner

  • @Sara Colglazier

  • @Virginia Martin

  • @Lloyd Chittenden

  • @Scott Perry

Discussion items

Item

Who

Notes

Item

Who

Notes

Minute taker

@Martina Schildt

 

Announcements/Updates

 @Kristin Martin

ER&L submission open till Nov 12th

Continuation of feature discussion

https://folio-org.atlassian.net/browse/UXPROD-1129 - Ability communicate individual Purchase Order information to vendor with no integration.

(currently scheduled for R1)

https://folio-org.atlassian.net/browse/UXPROD-199 - The ability to import/export fund updates via csv file in order to bulk edit funds

@Dennis Bridges

UXPROD-1129

  • features describes ability to communicate PO information with the vendor, when there is no automated integration

  • this means either via email or mail/fax in paper form

  • Sara could see herself using this for cancelling POs as well and that would be possible according to Dennis

  • the user will be able to choose a contact for the selected org

  • the user can select a template that needs to be created in advance

  • for the messages tokens will be used; those tokens pull information from the PO the user is looking at

  • there is an option to save the form to pdf

  • when sending the message a log entry will be captured by the system

  • when clicking on the log entry the message will be reloaded; 

  • the user can resend the message; edits before resending are possible

  • the resend will create a new log entry

  • Bill: this functionality in current system is used for individualk orders, but more often it is used for bulk orderig

  • Dennis: there is a feature for bulk ordering already

  • Sara: if we have POs with multiple POLs - can the user use the template for only one POL?

  • Dennis: yes, that will be possible; there will be tokens for PO as well as POL information

  • templates will be created in order settings

  • there is a preview function; by this users can see what their template would look like after creating it

  • Sara: would a similar functionality be useeful for ERM troubleshooting as well?

  • needs further discussion; maybe this is rather about email integration and email integration is already possible in other apps (e.g. circulation related apps)

  • same pattern will be used for acq functionality and messaging workflow as well

  • using the template is not required; the form can be filled out manually

  • RM SIG has no questions and further comments at this point

  • if there will be feedback later, people are welcome to let Dennis know

UXPROD-199

  • functionality to export fund information as csv files, make edits and import them again

  • when looking at a ledger, the export/import option will be part of the actions menu

  • there will be a modal that opens and provides help

  • Scott: this functionality is used every year 

  • others agree; this will make live easier for users

  • Scott Perry in chat: Yay. Not a feature I wanted to lose.

  • Dennis: the use case does not describe adding new funds or budgets

  • Bill: we will most likely not use this function for creating new budgets, but to create initial allocations for the upcoming year

  • Annika: could we use this functionality for our use case (will be presented later) to create planned budgets for the next year?

  • Von Scott Perry in chat: You could always create any new funds in FOLIO and then export as well.

  • Dennis: migrating financial data would rather be something for data import

  • Sara: would it simplify things to break out budget updating from fund updating?

  • Dennis: doing that in one upload is not more complicated 

  • but changing the fund information and budget information at the same time my be confusing for the system userr; it could be helpful to separate these into separate actions.

  • Scott Perry in chat: I would also love something like this for POs primarily to change funds, vendors, SNAs, etc.

  • we will continue this discussion at a later point

Encumbrances on Planned Budgets (for future fiscal years)

@Annika Schröer

  • currently in orders users can define a fund for the POL

  • the user cannot select a fiscal year or any other than the current budget

  • FY run from Jan to Dec in Germany

  • in August plans for next FY are done

  • usually libraries already have planned budgets then and money can be encumbered to these

  • existing ideas on workarounds are not ideal

  • Annika's idea: add a date field to the POL: "expected invoice date"

  • if an expected invoice date in the next year is entered (e.g. 2021-05-15), the money will be encumbered to the budget in that FY (e.g. FY 2021)

  • Dennis has a different approach (UXPROD-2713), where the FY can be selected from a drop-down menu in the POL

  • in the use case the order is created early, but not paid early

  • Kristin can see use cases for the expected invoice date for ongoing orders as well

  • there iis a common need to project expected payments for ongoing orders

  • the selection of another FY on the POL would work for a one-time order

  • Scott Perry in chat: Couldn’t you leverage the rollover functionality to obtain this information? (encumber based on most recent payment) For ongoing orders

  • Virginia Martin in chat: if the expected encumbrance is different from what most recent payment would be it won't work to use rollover logic

  • Scott Perry in chat: The rollover allows an increase based on percentage above the most recent payment

  • Virginia Martin in chat: so like, if in one fiscal year we don't pay at all or we pay twice, the rollover amount won't be correct and will have to be manually adjusted; right, i'm talking about manual adjustments that have to be done to standard rollover encumbrances we have dozens every year we have a spreadsheet to keep track of them; it would be nice to be able to manage it in FOLIO

  • Scott Perry in chat: But the rollover can provide the general trend for most. I wonder if something that allows you to specify in the pol exceptional parameters?

  • Virginia Martin in chat: that would be great

  • Kristen. there is another use case:

    • subscription Jan-Dec

    • FY Jul-Jun

    • there could be the need to have 2 different FY on the same POL

  • Annika: we have this for multi-year orders

  • so the need is not only to have it for the next FY, but for as amny upcoming FY as needed

  • Dennis: on the fund record the area for planned budget is already existing; so it might be possible to have more than one planned budget

  • from a technical perspective this is achievable; the task is to make it intuitive in the UI

  • Sara: could it be useful to have the planned budget truly a planned budget

    • have the possibility to add an amount also to the planned budget (as a plan, not a true budget) when ordering against the current budget; the encumbrance would happen actually when rolling over

    • sometimes users have orders where they know, that next year there will be no payment

  • Annika: Sara's idea is an interesting one; we would not really need a "real" encumbrance

  • Lucinda can you pay rears

  • Dennis: this is currently not possible; there is no FY selection option

  • in ACQ Small group some institutions were against having the option to select the FY; some wanted that functionality

  • the invoice is paid against the FY in which it is approved

  • so far there is no resolution reached; discussion is postponed till our meeting in 2 weeks from now (Oct 16th)

  • this functionality is pressing; but feature freeze is happening on Oct 16th

  • Dennis will pick this up with the ACQ Small Group and come up with a proposed solution to revisit in RM SIG as soon as possible