University of Wisconsin - Madison

Routing

  • Overview
  • WISPER for PIs
  • WISPER for Administrators
  • Forms & Documents

Overview

The Wisconsin Proposal Electronic Routing (WISPER) system is a electronic routing form for applications and agreements. WISPER is a web-enabled award set-up form that can:

  • create, route, and sign forms electronically
  • share attachments and documents
  • request and respond to document related approvals
  • monitor negotiation and award set-up progress
  • collect award data for posting to the Shared Financial System


Note: WISPER has replaced the Transmittal form (T-form); all new forms should be created in WISPER.


WISPER Helpful Hints

  1. Recommended Routing: When routing your WISPER record for proposal/application review/approval/submission to staff in the CALS Research Division, select the Route to 07-COLLEGE OF AG & LIFE SCIENCE button which will route to the Division. Do not route to a specific person in the Division. Upon Division receipt, the record is logged and assigned to the appropriate individual to facilitate review/submission.
  2. Route ASAP -- do not delay: Please route your WISPER record for proposal/application review/approval/submission to CALS Research Division as soon as possible. The WISPER record is an interactive file to which participants have access. Additions and edits can be made during the preparation period, prior to submission to RSP. Routing the record to CALS Research Division as soon as possible is recommended, to get the official record into the Division cue for action. It is recommended that the record route to the Division as soon as possible, but at the very latest, one week prior to deadline which is consistent with the College lead time policy on proposals.
    NOTE: We are receiving many records the day they are due -- and find some records which are being created, but never routed. To assure review, approval, and submission, please be sure to route and route well in advance.
  3. PIs -- Signing the WISPER record: Please be sure to SIGN the WISPER record. When an approval request is generated, asking you to approve and sign, two separate actions are required. Rather than just approving the approval request, you also need to SIGN the record. All WISPER records must be SIGNED by the PI prior to Division approval and submission.
  4. Individuals using both WISPER and ISIS please note: A "problem" has been reported with WISPER and ISIS (the student system). Both of these are Oracle PeopleSoft programs. The issue is that if one is logged into one of these applications and then goes to the other, the user is logged out of the first. This is a technical problem that DoIT, SFS, and ISIS need to work out. Until such is resolved, it is recommended that users access WISPER and ISIS in separate browers. DoIT is working on the problem, but it is expected to take several weeks to resolve.
  5. Locating Project IDs not in WISPER: Projects which started or were pending after 07/01/07 were converted into WISPER. What that means is that if you are searching for a project to relate to the WISPER record you are creating, you may not find such in the pull-down Related Records listing. During the conversion process, it is possible that something with an Award ID, its related proposal never made it into WISPER. Individuals may be able to use the RSP "Search Form for Award" page at http://www.rsp.wisc.edu/services/admin/awards.cfm -- if you have the "old" project ID, you may be able to find the new MSN number through this query tool. This will not work in all cases, but is one trick you can try. If you don't know what to list as the related record, just include any information you do have in the "Comments" section on the "General" information page -- CALS Research Division will clarify and record appropriate information.

WISPER Key Definitions

  • Routing: Routing a record in WISPER allows the user to transfer ownership to another person, which emulates the previous physical hand-off of the T-form. You can route the record to a specific person or to an administering division. Click here to watch a webcast on routing a record.
  • Request an Approval: Requesting an approval in WISPER asks for a review of a record by another user without transferring ownership of the record to them. When an approval is requested, an email notification is sent to the approver and the record will appear in the approver's My WISPER worklist in the "Approvals I Need to Complete" section. Click here to watch a webcast on requesting an approval.
  • Respond to Approval: Responding to an approval in WISPER entails receiving an email notifying you of the inclusion of the record in your "Approvals I Need to Complete" section in My WISPER, indicating that someone has requested an approval of you. Responses available include "Approve," "Deny," and "Submit Comments Only." Click here to view the webcast of responding to an approval.
  • Signing for Proposal: PIs are required to verify the information provided in the record prior to routing the document to RSP. Electronically sign the proposal using WISPER, making sure you verify that the PI name along with the date and time is stamped. Click here to view the webcast of signing for a proposal.
  • Signing for Award: PIs must read the award terms and conditions and electronically sign the award using WISPER. In order for the PI to sign the Award signature, the Proposal signature must have previously been signed. After signing each statement (proposal and award), the PI name along with signature date and time will be stamped on the page as well as on the History page. Click here to view the webcast of signing for an award.

WISPER Resources

If you have questions regarding WISPER, RSP has resources that can help:


Additionally, the Office of Human Resource Development has training classes for WISPER:

WISPER Information for PIs

Logging into WISPER

In order to create, sign, or route a record, you must first navigate to the WISPER login page. Once you are at the WISPER login page and you click the "Log in to WISPER" button, you will be redirected to page where you must sign in with your UW-Madison NetID and password. Make sure to select "UW-Madison (NetID)" on the "Campus" dropdown menu. Then, enter your NetID and password in the provided fields.

Creating a Record

Once you've logged in, select UW WISPER from the menu on the left. A new page will open, then select My WISPER. Once the My WISPER page has loaded, select the Create New Record button at the top of the page. Enter a Title, Contact PI, Department, and Sponsor. When all the information is entered, select the Create Record Button and this will take you to the General Page that will display all your newly created record.

Attaching Documents

Once you have reached the General Page, at any time you can attach documents to the record. Click on the Attachments tab at the top of the General Page. Examples of attachment documents are:

  • RFP/RFA/Call for Proposals
  • Statement of Work
  • Working budget spreadsheets
  • Protocol approvals
  • Draft Agreements

Select the Upload Attachment Button, then select Browse and find the document you wish to attach. Once you have selected the document, click the Upload button. You will be redirected to the Attachments page where you should enter a File Description to better inform other users about what you have attached. The "Add another attachment" link will add another row, and you should repeat the same process to attach another document.

Signing a Record

PIs must log in with his/her own NetID and sign the record. Please do not provide your NetID to anyone else to complete this step. You can sign the record any time after the record is created and the compliance questions are answered. Select the "Sign the Record" link that is located at the bottom of every page of the WISPER record. Please review the PI Signature for Proposal statement and then select the I Sign button.

Below the Signature for Proposal section, please note that there is another PI Signature for Award section. If you sign the PI Signature for Award statement, you are indicating that you are aware of and you can comply with the terms of your award or agreement. If you are not aware of the terms at this time, RSP or your Division will contact you when the terms are available and ask for your review and concurrence.

Helpful WISPER Resources

WISPER Information for Administrators

Logging into WISPER

In order to create, sign, or route a record, you must first navigate to the WISPER login page. Once you are at the WISPER login page and you click the "Log in to WISPER" button, you will be redirected to page where you must sign in with your UW-Madison NetID and password. Make sure to select "UW-Madison (NetID)" on the "Campus" dropdown menu. Then, enter your NetID and password in the provided fields.

Creating a Record

Once you've logged in, select UW WISPER from the menu on the left. A new page will open, then select My WISPER. Once the My WISPER page has loaded, select the Create New Record button at the top of the page. Enter a Title, Contact PI, Department, and Sponsor. When all the information is entered, select the Create Record Button and this will take you to the General Page that will display all your newly created record.

Routing a Record

Once you have completed all actions on the record and you are ready to send to someone else, you will want to now route this record to another person. Select the "Route to Another Person" link that is located at the bottom of every page of the WISPER record. You can route the record to a specific person or you can route it directly to your division representatives. By routing the record to another person, you will remove the record from your My WISPER inbox and it will be added to another user's My WISPER inbox. An email is also sent to the user to notify him/her of the incoming record. Your division may have a specific approach they wish you to follow. Please check with your division representatives. All routing actions are documented on the Routing History tab.

Approving a Record

An email will be sent to you notifying you that a record has been routed to your My WISPER inbox for approval. In WISPER, click on the Approvals tab. The record that has been sent to you will be listed under the Requested Approvals heading. The type of approval that is being requested will be displayed under the Type heading. Some of the more common approval requests are:

  • Chair Approval
  • Request Advance Award Setup
  • Revised Budget

Click on the "Details" link of the record to review the approval request. Once that page loads, you can make any comments that you wish in the comment box on the bottom half of the page. The responses available to you include "Approve," "Deny," and "Submit Comments Only." Once you designate one of these responses, you will be returned to the Approvals page of the record.

Helpful WISPER Resources

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