FAQs: "Smarter" PRF Parallel Routing

1. How is parallel routing different than “old” PRF routing?

Prior to October 18, 2007, PRFs were routed sequentially for approval. For example, when a Principal Investigator (PI) submitted a PRF, EGMS e-mailed the first approver requesting her to login to EGMS FormsNirvana and approve the PRF. EGMS repeated this process of notifying the necessary approvers in order, until each one had signed off on the PRF.

Starting October 18, 2007, EGMS will use parallel routing for PRF approvals by sending an e-mail to each individual on the ‘Approver’ list simultaneously after the PI(s) approves the original PRF. After receiving this e- mail, any approver can login, review, and approve the PRF in any sequence.

2. Do Co-Investigators have to sign the PRF?

No. EGMS will no longer require the Co-Investigator (investigators listed in section eight of the PRF – not marked as PI) be added to the Approver List.

EGMS will send an e-mail notification to the Investigator alerting her of being included on a PRF. For example:

Email notification to Investigators (Co-I’s):

Subject: EGMS forms: (PRF Short Title here)
From: EGMS (help@egms.umn.edu)
Request 561XXX - 'PRF - Proposal Routing Form' by 'chaff001' has you listed as an investigator. You are not required to Approve this PRF. However, you may review the PRF at http://egmsent.oit.umn.edu:80
Click the 'EGMS Forms' link, then go to 'View Requests' to review this document.

If you feel you have been added to this proposal in error please contact the PI listed in section seven or the University Contact in Section six of this PRF.

Please contact the EGMS Helpline (612) 624-1600 if you have questions.

3. How will the dean or department head know when others have

    approved the PRF?

Approvers can see who has approved the PRF when they login to EGMS FormsNirvana. The X.500 identification of individuals who have approved the PRF will be listed.

4. Will EGMS notify the PRF creator when individuals in the

    Approver list have signed off on the PRF?

No. EGMS will not e-mail notifications to the PRF creator when everyone has approved the PRF. However, the PRF creator can login to EGMS FormsNirvana to see who has signed off on the PRF.

5. Can we still add the X.500 of the Investigator(s) listed in section

    eight of the PRF to the list of approvers if our department or

    dean’s office requires the Co-Investigator sign off on the PRF?

Yes. The X.500 of the Investigator(s) in section eight of the PRF may be added to the Approver List. Those X.500’s added to the Approver List will receive an e-mail notification after the PI(s) approve(s) the PRF. The X.500’s in the list of approvers will also need to login and approve the PRF before it will route to SPA.

6. Will alternate approvers receive e-mail notifications?

Alternate approvers do not receive e-mail notifications. Only “primary” approvers or those X.500’s in the Approver List will receive the e-mail notification to review and approve the PRF.

Alternate approvers may not approve the PRF for the PI(s).

Many primary approvers already use an informal process to notify alternate approvers. However, if you know you will be listed as a primary approver on a PRF and expect to be unavailable, we suggest you contact one of your alternate approvers to alert them to the situation. The alternate approver will then check his Alternate Approver Ok/Deny Requests menu for pending PRF’s. An e-mail filter could be temporarily set-up by the primary approver to forward EGMS PRF notification e-mails to her alternate approver(s).

Alternate approvers need to be added to your User Preferences prior to the PRF being routed (i.e. Pending Status).

7. What is the “MN DOT” link next to the Sponsor Name: field in

    section one of the PRF?

When the “MN DOT” link is clicked it will populate the Sponsor Name with “MNDOT - Minnesota Department of Transportation”.

This very specific sponsor name will trigger the PRF to be routed to the Center for Transportation Studies (CTS) for review and approval before the PRF continues to SPA.

You might recognize this routing functionality from the EGMS Proposal Preparation system. Currently, any PRF generated from a MNDOT proposal type in Proposal Prep is routed to CTS for review and approval prior to being routed to SPA. This functionality has now been added to the Stand-Alone PRF.

8. Should I use the “Lookup X.500 ID” button in the Approval Chain

    section of the PRF (next to the list of approvers)?

Yes. When you enter an X.500 into the list of approvers the look-up button is activated and the list of search results may be used, most importantly, to select an accurate and properly formatted X.500. In the past, typing errors and even a space after the X.500 prevented the PRF from passing audit.

This simple step will help reduce calls to the EGMS Helpline and ensure the PRF routes to the intended recipient.

Most permanent employees’ X.500 identifications can be found in the X.500 Look-ups on the PRF. There are some exceptions; such as temporary or department sponsored X.500 identifications (often used for faculty without an official Human Resources (HR) appointment) and Departmental Group X.500 identifications are not available in the X.500 look-ups on the PRF. Students without an HR appointment will not be found in the search. In the future, we hope to incorporate a full, dynamic listing of valid University X.500 identifications so all individuals entered in the approver list will be validated prior to submitting the PRF.

PRF approval access should be set up using the Forms Nirvana Access (FNA) functionality in FNA in EGMS FormsNirvana. If this is not possible, the creator or approver of the PRF may call or write to the EGMS Helpline (eResearch Systems Support) at 612-624-1600 or help@egms.umn.edu to request the approval access be set up.