- Related
- FMS Knowledge Hub - Deadlines
- FMS Knowledge Hub - Standing Data
- FMS Knowledge Hub - Transactional Data
- FMS Knowledge Hub - Interim Processing Arrangements
- FMS - Support
- FMS - Currency
- FMS - Access Log-on
- FMS - Browsers
- FMS - Customers
- FMS - Expenses
- FMS - FIS
- FMS - Journals and Budget Transfers/Virements
- FMS - Pecos
- FMS - Petty Cash
- FMS - Products
- FMS - Purchase Cards
- FMS - Purchase Orders
- FMS - Purchase Invoices
- FMS - Goods Receipting
- FMS - Projects
- FMS - Reporting
- FMS - Requisitions
- FMS - Sales Orders
- FMS - Suppliers
- FMS - Users and Roles
- FMS - Alerts
- FMS - Student Placements
- FMS - Request for Payment
- FMS - PO Commitment Documents
- FMS - A to Z
- FMS - Guidance for Staff
- FMS - Updates
- FMS - Hints and Tips
- FMS - Common Error Messages
- Guidelines on FMS Hard Copy Document Retention
- FMS - Approver Guidance
- FMS - Mobile App for Tasks
- FMS - Substitutes
- FMS - Funds Check
- FMS - GL Posting String
- FMS - 900 Income
HR Policies
A full list of HR policies and procedures is kept on the Staff section of the University's website.
Applications are now welcome for the Cycle to Work Scheme.
GENERAL GUIDANCE
One of the advantages of the Financial Management System is the facility for a greater number of staff to create transactions, approve these through online workflows and manage budget accounts directly.
Access to the system is managed on a number of levels and the sections below describe the different types of access that can be requested.
In all cases
- the appropriate form should be completed this should be sent to financial-systems@strath.ac.uk
- the request should come either directly from the Head of Department or the Head of Department should be copied in on the email request
- Any queries about this process should also be directed to financial-systems@strath.ac.uk
BASIC AND ADDITIONAL (NON-APPROVER)ROLES
At the moment there is no automatic access allocated to FMS.
Departments must raise a request that access be granted to staff and/or postgraduate research students.
There is a ‘basic’ role on FMS which allows users to raise requisitions and expenses.
Additional roles can be requested for users where necessary:
- Raise Sales Orders
- Raise Journals and Virements
- Request New Suppliers
- Goods Receipting - this is not available to individuals with Fast Track (see below)
- View detailed salary costs
- Create new Sub Projects
- View Masterfile Details for Projects and SubProjects
- Allow user to report on all Sub Projects within Cost Centres to which they have access
- Restrict the user's reporting access to Sub Projects for which they are Sub Project Manager
- Allow the user to access to all Cost Centres within the Department or restrict access to specific Cost Centre(s)
The FMS Request for Basic and Additional Access form form can be used to request access for an individual or for multiple users where they all require the same access.
APPROVAL ROLES
Most transactions require an Approver. This is often the SubProject Manager of the subproject being charged (i.e. effectively the budget holder) but others may be involved in the approval workflow depending on the type and value of the transaction.
The approval levels are summarised below:
Approval Level | Description | Optional / Mandatory | Role/Individual |
1. Fast Track (Up to and including £1k) | Staff identified by HoD to be given Fast Track Approval status | Optional | Individual |
2. Up to and including £10k | Staff identified by HoD to be given delegated authority up to £10k | Optional (Held against cost Centre | Roles |
3. Greater than £10k (if levels 1 & 2 filled) to £25k | Sub-Project Manager | Mandatory (Held against Sub-Project) | Individual |
4. Between £25,000.01 and £50k | Project Manager | Mandatory (Held against Project) | Individual |
5. Between £50,000.01 and £100k | Cost Centre Manager | Mandatory (Held against Cost Centre) | Role |
6. Between £100,000.01 and £250k | Head of Department /PS Director | Mandatory (Held against Cost Centre) | Role |
7. Between £250,000.01 and £500k | Dean / University Secretary and Compliance Officer / Chief Commercial Officer / Director of Finance | Mandatory (Held against Cost Centre) |
Role |
8. Between £500,000.01 and £5M | Chief Financial Officer or Vice Principal | Mandatory | Role |
9. Over £5M | Chief Financial Officer and Vice Principal | Mandatory | Role |
There are additional approval roles which can be set up:
- Delegated Authority
- Fast Track Approval
- Substitutes
- Supervisors
DELEGATED AUTHORITY
Departments may choose to identify individual staff who should have delegated authority to approve certain transactions up to £10,000. This will reduce the volume of transactions requiring approval by Sub Project Managers.
The Request for Delegated Authority can be used for this. A Supervisor must also be identified for each member of staff (see note on Supervisors below).
- this should be sent to financial-systems@strath.ac.uk
- the request should come either directly from the Head of Department, or the Head of Department should be copied in on the email request
FAST TRACK APPROVAL (OPTIONAL, APPLIES TO REQUISITION PROCESS ONLY)
Departments may choose to identify certain staff who should have Fast Track approval. Requisitions under £1,000 raised by staff with Fast Track approval status will not require further approval.
Use the Request for Fast Track Approval to request this.
- this should be sent to financial-systems@strath.ac.uk
- the request should come either directly from the Head of Department, or the Head of Department should be copied in on the email request
SUBSTITUTES (MANDATORY, APPLIES TO ALL PROCESSES)
For all staff with an approval role on the FMS it will be necessary to set up substitutes:
- If you have an approval role, your substitute must have equal or greater approval rights than you.
- Generally people will only have one substitute but it is possible to have multiple substitutes.
- Complete the FMS Request for Basic and Additional Access form to request substitutes.
- This form should then be sent to financial-systems@strath.ac.uk by the Head of Department, or the Head of Department should be copied in on the email request.
Activating a Substitute
- Staff can then activate relevant substitutes by selecting from the list of substitutes on an as required basis (e.g. when staff are due to be absent would select relevant substitute from list for relevant period).
- When substitutes are active for a user, task goes to all active substitutes, for any one of them to action.
- More information is available on Substitutes.
SUPERVISORS AND LIMITS (OPTIONAL , APPLIES TO ALL PROCESSES)
For all staff with an approval role it will be necessary to set limits above which they cannot approve their own transactions and a supervisor who transactions above the limit will be directed to. Note, the limit for Expenses will always be zero (i.e. no self-approval)
Where the person raising the requisition etc. is also the person due to approve, the requisition will be directed instead to the supervisor (unless the amount is less than the limit set - see below re proposed limits). Therefore, all staff with an approval role will require a supervisor
Supervisors :
- Your supervisor must have equal or greater approval rights than you.
- As a default, all Approvers have been set up with the Head of Department as the Supervisor.
- It will be important to identify alternative Supervisors to the HoD where possible to reduce volume of transactions to HoD.
- Alternative Supervisors for each Approver can be requested (note only one Supervisor can be set per approver).
Limits:
- All approvers in departments where there are staff with Fast Track will have limits set to £1,000 (so that they have at least the same authorisation options as the staff with Fast Track).
- All approvers in departments where there are no staff with Fast Track will have limits set to £0 (i.e. they will not have the option to approve any of the requisitions etc. that they are raising).
- Limits for approval of expenses will always be zero i.e. an individual cannot approve their own expenses. If no limit is set in the system the system will treat as zero.
Use the FMS Request for Basic and Additional Access form to set-up supervisors.
- Once completed, this should be sent to financial-systems@strath.ac.uk
- The request should come either directly from the Head of Department, or the Head of Department should be copied in on the email request
PROXIES (OPTIONAL, APPLIES ONLY TO EXPENSES)
Proxies will be used only for Expenses. Departments may choose to identify certain staff who can act as a proxy to input (but not approve) their Expense Claims. Proxies are generally be used for Head of Department and above.
Use the FMS Request for Basic and Additional Access form form to request this.
- Once completed, this should be sent to financial-systems@strath.ac.uk
- The request should come either directly from the Head of Department, or the Head of Department should be copied in on the email request
LEAVERS AND/OR REMOVAL OF ACCESS
Leavers
Staff and students lose their access to the system automatically when their DS account is closed.
An email alert is sent to the relevant Cost Centre managers to identify when a leaver has an approval role on FMS (e.g. a Sub Project Manager, Project Manager or Supervisor) leaves the University. These alerts include:
- Leavers who have a Substitute (Tasks will be picked up by the Substitute if active, but Cost Centre Managers are reminded that they should consider the roles that the leaver held).
- Leavers who are a Supervisor. (Cost Centre Manager is asked to identify a new Supervisor for staff)
- Leavers who are a Substitute. (CC Manager asked to identify a new substitute).
- Leavers who have Outstanding Tasks (CC Manager asked to email Help Desk to reassign tasks to named individuals).
- Leavers who have a Workflow Role (CC Manager asked to complete Access Forms for replacements in the role if necessary)
- Leavers who have Fast Track (CC Manager asked to complete Access Forms for replacements in the role if necessary)
- Leavers who are a Project Manager (CC Manager asked to contact the Finance Business Partner/ Management Accountant - Professional Services)
- Leavers who are a Subproject Manager (CC manager advised that the Department can assign a new Subproject Manager)
Removal of Access
If access is to be removed from an individual an email to financial-systems@strath.ac.uk from the Head of Department (or copied to the Head of Department) will suffice.
ACCESS REPORTS
A number of reports have been produced to allow departments to enquire on the access rights that have been allocated to staff.
A Users and Roles - Guidance Notes spreadsheet has also been developed.
The first two tabs on the spreadsheet - ‘Notes’ and ‘Approval Roles’ – provide general information about how access is managed on FMS through the assignment of roles.
The reports are as follows:
Report |
Where to Find it on the FMS Menu |
Purpose |
Users and Roles |
Standard Dept. Reports |
Identifies all users and the roles they have. Allows departments to review users and roles. |
Cost Centre included in Roles |
Your reports |
Identifies all roles related to a Cost Centre and which Cost Centres are included in each role (i.e. provides additional information around some of the roles from 'Users and Roles' report |
Users with Fast track relation |
Standard Dept. Reports |
Identifies all staff in cost centres user has access to with Fast Track |
Project information
|
Your Reports
|
Identifies all Projects in Cost Centres that a user has access including the Project Manager (and other details). |
Sub Project information
|
Your Reports
|
Identifies all Sub Projects in cost centres user has access including the Sub Project Manager (and other details)
|