Volume 3 Issue 8 - July 2020

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5..4..3..2..1  We are starting our descent....

Yeah, we're half-way there!  It's hard to believe we are starting Wave 6 and on the downhill slide!  Wave 6 is our highest number of migrating districts... 144... and we are super excited about it!  We had some 'growing pains' in Wave 5 with some of the largest districts thus far coming on board but we listened to your feedback and greatly improved performance in many of the reports and grids in both USAS-R & USPS-R.  Much of the feedback comes from the SSDT's bi-weekly touch base meetings we conduct with ITC staff on their on-going migration efforts.  It's great to hear how quickly districts are adapting and the smooth transition they are making to the redesigned software. This new wave is going to be bigger and better than ever and we appreciate the support and hard work that everyone is putting into this project. 


Accounts Receivable beta version released

We have released a beta version of the new Accounts Receivable module in USAS-R.  The beta version will be available through August 3rd, which is when we officially release the production version of the new module.  For those of you currently on the Redesign and using Classic ARF, your ITC will be assisting you with importing your Classic ARF data into your existing Redesign instance.  For those migrating after the AR production release in Wave 6 or subsequent waves, your ARF data from Classic will be imported in along with the rest of your USAS data. 

For the past several months, we have met with an AR Focus Group consisting of ITC and district personnel who currently use Classic ARF.   The group was formed to provide feedback as we demonstrated the software and gave updates on the status of the project.  We would like to thank everyone involved in the focus group.  Some of the focus group members have volunteered to test the beta version and let me just tell you.... hands down... there is no comparison to Classic.  The AR module options are grid-based, so easy to use and way more forgiving when you make a mistake. If you're interested in seeing a sneak-peak of the new module, please click here for a short video demonstration. 


Payroll Items Configuration - Selecting the Right Payee

The Payee option is used to create Payee records that can be used for Single or Multiple Vendors with the same address using a single Vendor Number.  The Payroll Item Configuration is connected with a payee. The Vendor Number is stored in the Payee. The Payee holds the address information and Vendor Number while the Payroll Item Configuration option allows you to add, change, delete, or view Payroll Item company's information.  A Payee must be created first before a Payroll Item Configuration can be added.

A Payee selection is for the name of the company to which the Payroll Item is to be paid.

When selecting a Payee for a Payroll Item Configuration, this information will be used as the Payee and address for the check/electronic transfer.  This Payee address can be used if wanting to send one check for multiple child support agencies when running Outstanding Payables.   The Payee has to be same for each child support payroll item configuration. 

Selecting the Payment Cycle coincide's with the Outstanding Payable's.  Payroll Items can be paid through Processing/Process Outstanding Payables according to what Payment cycle is entered. Payment cycle choices are as follows:

  • None - Payable will show in grid if 'None' was selected
  • Every Payroll - Payables that need paid every payroll
  • Monthly - Payables that need paid only once a month
  • Quarterly - Payables that need paid every quarter
  • Annually - Payables that need paid only once a year
  • 1 thru 9 - User Defined Cycles

If Payment Cycle was selected as Every Payroll in the Payroll Item Configuration:

 

Then when paying Outstanding payable and selecting 'Every Payroll', this will only pull up those selected Payroll Items in the gird:

By leaving the Selected blank, it will pull in all Outstanding Payables into the grid:


Using Payroll Item Templates when Hiring New Employees

Creating Payroll Item Templates can save time when adding a new employee's payroll Items. It stores each payroll item information for future use:

Creating a Payroll Item Template Record

A Payroll Item template record can be created by clicking on the  key. You will then populate any recurring field that may be needed on the record. You can setup multiple template records for different types of payroll items.  Once these fields have been populated, you can then click on the  key. You will then receive a prompt to . Type in the name of your template and then click 

Utilization of a Payroll Item Template Record   

To create a new Payroll Item record using the Payroll Item Templates, click Select the employee and the Payroll Item you are creating this record for.  Next click on   which will allow you to select from the template(s) you created. The data that was previously stored when you created this template will populate on the Payroll Item record you are creating. You can then add the remaining Payroll Item data needed and click  to complete the creation of this record. If you do not want this record saved you can click the  key.

Useful links:


SSDT Software Updates

USAS-R and USPS-R Releases are available every two weeks. The SSDT development teams have structured a plan for updates to be included on releases through December 2020. This plan is called the “Roadmap.” Updates included on the current Roadmap are organized into a Core project of Jira Issues. (Click here to navigate to the Jira webpage.) Items scheduled on the current Roadmaps include:

  • finishing the A/R Module
  • beginning work for Inventory and Workflow enhancements
  • adding the ability to Mass Load and Merge vendors in USAS-R
  • USPS-R Report enhancements

During this time, the SSDT team will also address any major bugs, if they arise. Updates of this kind may be included on a “hotfix” release that is implemented ASAP instead of on the regular two-week release schedule.

We want your feedback! SSDT also collects all user suggestions for future enhancements. These requests are organized into the Feedback project and will be considered for inclusion on a future year’s Roadmap. SSDT works with the Prioritization Committee, a group made up of district and ITC users, to assess the priority of feedback issues and when they should be scheduled for a release. Generally, feedback issues that expand on the Classic functionality or have a work around will be considered for a future year’s roadmap. In some situations, the Prioritization Committee helps to evaluate requests to determine if there is an issue of a high enough priority that it would warrant replacing another issue on the current schedule. Please submit any enhancement requests through your ITC.




REDESIGN STATUS

216

Sites Live on Redesign

144

Total Wave 6 Sites

17

Participating ITCs

369

Total Districts Participating



Please view the Current List of Districts & Status to see a comprehensive list of school districts along with their ITC, implementation status and the wave they are scheduled to migrate from Classic to Redesign.

The following terminology is used to determine where in the implementation process the entity is currently at:

  • Implementing: The ITC is running test imports and balancing reports on the entity.  The district and ITC are working to schedule dates to begin dual processing and go live.

  • Paralleling: The entity is inputting all production transactions into both Classic and Redesign.

  • Live: The entity is using Redesign for production processing; no parallel processing is being performed;  Classic is available in 'read-only' mode.



A Tip for the New Fiscal Year

Mass Add your New Grant Accounts

When you are setting up new special cost centers within the same fund, the Mass Add feature allows you to copy all Appropriation, Expenditure and Revenue accounts found under an existing Cash Account to a new Special Cost Center within that same fund. The process even sets up the new Cash Account !

  • Navigate to Core>Accounts>Cash to find the cash account you want to Mass Add from
  • Click on the View icon next to the existing Cash account
  • Click on
  • Enter the New Special Cost Center (SCC) number
  • Click Submit
  • A pop-up window will appear with all the accounts that were added

  That was easy!  Now it is time to get outside in the sunshine!