UPlan launched in time for annual resource planning

UB has launched UPlan, a fully integrated, all-funds budgeting, planning and forecasting system, in time for this year’s Annual Resource Planning Process (ARPP).

UPlan integrates directly with the most up-to-date enrollment, HR and financial systems data to enhance budget planning and analysis. It also aligns resources with the university’s academic and research goals, providing a consistent and streamlined approach to budget planning.

The initiative — sponsored by Laura Hubbard, vice president for finance and administration, and A. Scott Weber, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs — initially began in 2016 but was delayed due to initial roadblocks and the pandemic. UPlan resumed in 2022 with a process to identify a formal system.

“Long term, UPlan will significantly improve financial planning and strategy development across the campus by streamlining and synchronizing our business operations including budgetary, HR, and enrollment information and processes,” Weber says. “UPlan is designed to maximize our resources to achieve our academic and research goals.” 

The goals of UPlan are to:

• Enhance current unit-based processes.
• Provide consistent data to support strategic decision-making.
• Create a system to respond to reporting needs and information requests.
• Decrease manual data gathering, verification and formatting.
• Improve forecasting, reporting and scenario planning.

Due to the ambitious nature of the UPlan project, a different approach was taken to achieve success. The project team, with members from central and decanal units, worked full time on the project. This new approach allowed each member of the team to bring their unique experiences and expertise to the project, it and proved to be successful.

The project team formed last fall, uniting a cross-campus team including:

• Peter DiNunzio, senior resource analyst, Resource Planning.
• Nancy Kielar, assistant vice president and director, VPCIO admin operations.
• Debra Lowe, assistant dean and director of finance, School of Management.
• Thomas Okon, assistant vice president, Business Reporting and Systems.
• Beth Rogan, director of finance, Student Life.
• Zachary Root, financial analyst, Financial Management.
• Andrea Roy, project management director, Business Reporting and Systems.
• Heidi Waddy, project admin, Resource Planning.

Over the past year, the project team has developed governance plans, created a project timeline and implemented a training plan with pilot testing and transition plans. Each member met regularly with unit business officers, enabling them to digest decentralized information into a centralized system. These collaborative efforts have allowed the university to learn from pilot users and adjust plans accordingly.

“UPlan represents a significant leap forward in UB’s drive to continuously evolve and improve our planning and budgeting processes,” Hubbard says. “I am grateful to all of our campus partners who have been so engaged and thoughtful in bringing UPlan to fruition. I particularly wish to recognize and thank our project team who devoted significant time, effort and insights to fulfilling our goals for this important initiative.”

As the university continues to improve its systems, future phases of UPlan will further enhance:

• Commitment management and the budget request process..
• Non-operating budgeting for capital and grants.
• The overall ARPP and unit budgeting process.

In addition to regular ARRP resources, ongoing UPlan training can be found on the project website. Users are also encouraged to speak to their unit business officer for any questions they might have regarding using the tool as part of their budget process.