Project Portfolio Financial Management (PPFM): Service Enhancements & Staffing Updates
Colleagues,
The PPFM team is pleased to announce a series of enhancements designed to improve the experience for the Research Administration community and is announcing important staffing updates.
New Project Request (NPR) Enhancements
The New Project Request (NPR) form has been streamlined, reducing the number of data entry points required on both the Sponsored Project Setup form and the associated New Project Budget form. Please be sure to utilize the most current version of the NPR form available on the Chart of Accounts – Project Only Setup ServiceNOW Catalog page.
Project Modification Enhancements
The PPM Budget Modification Form has been simplified to reduce non value-add data entry points. Please be sure to use the most current version form available on PPM - Project Modification ServiceNOW Catalog Page.
Sponsored Project Closeout Enhancements
Unspent budget balances no longer require adjusting as a part of the closeout process. Additionally, with the retirement of the Projects SmartView Cube, additional validation of Projects Cube Fund and Financial/HR unit values has also been retired. The Account, Fund, and Financial/HR value validation step using the FINR SmartView Cube will continue to be a required component of the closeout process. The Sponsored Project Closeout Checklist has been revised to reflect these changes.
Staffing Updates
PPFM welcomed Zac McAuley to the team on April 1, 2025. Zac brings strong analytical and customer service experience from his previous roles and will support sponsored project billing/reporting, project closeout, and ad-hoc analysis.
Javier Flores-Nunez will be leaving his position as Analyst with the Project Portfolio Financial Management team on Friday, May 16, 2025. We thank Javier for his dedicated contributions to the team and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
Should you have any questions, please reach out to our team at ppfm@ucmerced.edu.
Thank you,
Devan Hinojosa
Director, Project Portfolio Financial Management
