CALS Research Division
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- 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
The Research Division wants to provide you with as much WISPER information as possible, and we have put together the following resources to assist your use of WISPER:
Note: WISPER has replaced the Transmittal form (T-form); all new forms should be created in WISPER.
WISPER Updates
- Look up Funded Commitments: All users should now see an additional menu item in their left menu after logging in to SFS. A screen shot is provided which shows the SFS Extensions menu item and the subsequent link to the “Commitment Inquiry” function. When entering a user’s name to locate commitments, there is no space between the last and first names. The format for the Name field is LAST,FIRST. Again, these commitments are those only on funded projects and only on those projects we have updated in the past 12 months. On projects which were converted from ESIS and for which funding has not yet been updated, there will be no commitments available in this look up tool.
- Commitment Inquiry Tool: A new inquiry tool will be available this week to query information regarding the funded commitments for individuals. When accessing WISPER, on the Menu block, select SFS Extensions (never the bottom of the list of selection options). Then select Commitment Inquiry. From here, you will be able to enter an individual’s name and query for a list of their effort commitments based on commitments which have been entered and are captured in SFS on active projects.
- MTA Document Type: Document Types in WISPER have been modified to now separate incoming and outgoing MTAs. Records previously routed will remain simply MTA. All new records being initiated should select the Document Type to reflect whether the materials are coming to the UW (Incoming MTA) or materials are being sent from the UW to a third party (Outgoing MTA).
- ARRA Requests for Information: The WISPER Approvals Tab has been updated to include an “ARRA Request” indicator. To process ARRA requests for information more quickly, RSP will begin sending these requests by use of the Approvals tab in WISPER. This will follow the same steps as the current JIT (Just-in-Time) request process with the identifier that such is related to ARRA.
- MY WISPER page: An "action date" column has been added to all sections on your MY WISPER page. For the Approvals section, the action date column will display the original date for the approval request. For all other sections, the action date column will reflect the date of the last campus owner change.
- Approvals tab: The “Add Approval” button has become “Initiate New Approval Request.” The Details hyperlink has been changed to Review/Approve.
- Projects tab: A hyperlink to protocol details (formerly accessible only through the compliance module on the General tab) has been added to the Projects tab to facilitate entry.
- WISDM hyperlink: The MY WISPER page now includes a link to the “My Projects” page in WISDM.
- Deletion warning: Now appearing when any attachments are marked for deletion.
WISPER Helpful Hints
- Cross-Campus Proposal Process:
It is campus policy, in the case of cross-campus collaborations, to require the approval of a collaborator’s unit prior to submitting a proposal. Under the auspices of the Administrative Process Redesign (APR) initiative, this process has been reviewed for better efficiency, and tools have been developed to make the approval process easier. The following improvements to this process have been released as part of the APR initiative:
The first improvement is better guidance. The updated information is located on RSP’s Routing and Approvals web page: http://www.rsp.wisc.edu/policies/reqapprovals.html. It provides a clear description of a simplified process for gaining approval to involve other units’ resources in your proposals.
The second improvement is a query to determine a collaborator’s current salary and home unit’s UDDS. This is intended to assist in getting accurate salary information with which to build a proposal budget. See http://www.rsp.wisc.edu/queries.html
The third improvement is intended to take the guesswork out of who should receive your approval request. The tool has been incorporated right into WISPER. After you compose an approval request type of “Other Dept or Div Resource”, you’ll be prompted to select an approver type. You can select an approver type of “Dept Res” and indicate the other unit’s name and UDDS. WISPER will automatically direct your request to the appropriate approver(s). If you need to follow up with the approver(s), their names will be listed on the bottom of the request . The table of approver(s) for each unit is managed by your school/college research office.
For more information on the APR initiative, please go to http://www.vc.wisc.edu/APR/
- 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.
- 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. Follow the CALS lead time policy on proposals to ensure the timely submission of your 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 follow policy. - 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. You must approve the approval request, and you also need to SIGN the record. All WISPER records must be SIGNED by the PI prior to Division approval and submission.
- 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.
- 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.
- Internet Explorer users: For those of you experiencing difficulties launching Microsoft Word & Excel attachments using WISPER in an Internet Explorer browser, RSP has a tip that may help in many of the cases. Please see: http://www.rsp.wisc.edu/WISPER/IE_attach.html for more information. If you have any questions, please contact WISPER@rsp.wisc.edu.
- Naming Attachments: Attachments cannot have file names longer than 64 characters.
- Advance Account Requests: WISPER facilitates this request process. Do not create a new record request in WISPER -- go to the original record and do an approval request. Please see our Advance Account Numbers page. Also, RSP provides an Advance Account Number desk reference that is useful. If you have any further questions/comments, please direct all inquiries to Sandy Fowler, (608)262-3947 or sfowler@cals.wisc.edu.
- Research Protocols in WISPER: There are limitations in WISPER to the number of human subjects, vertebrate animal, bio-safety and stem cell protocols that may be entered in a WISPER record. WISPER’s current protocol capacities are the following: 15 human subjects protocols; 9 vertebrate animals protocols; 5 bio-safety protocols; and 3 stem cell protocols. If you are inputting more than the protocol capacity for any category or have questions about your protocols, please contact CALS Compliance Specialist Cheryl Deering at 262-2536, cdeering@cals.wisc.edu.
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.
Check the WISPER Forms and Documents page for useful WISPER documentation.
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.
Check the WISPER Forms and Documents page for useful WISPER documentation.
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 "Review/Approve" 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.
Check the WISPER Forms and Documents page for useful WISPER documentation.
Forms & Documents
| WISPER | ||
| WISPER Business Processes | ||
| **External Wisper Documents | Source | |
| For PIs: Create and Route a Record Webcast | RSP | HTML |
| For PIs: Create and Route a Record Desk Reference | RSP | |
| Requesting an Approval Webcast | RSP | HTML |
| Requesting an Approval Desk Reference | RSP | |
| Responding to an Approval Webcast | RSP | HTML |
| Responding to an Approval Desk Reference | RSP | |
| Signing a Record Webcast | RSP | HTML |
| Signing a Record Desk Reference | RSP | |
| WISPER Training Manual | RSP | |
| WISPER 101 class | OHRD | HTML |
| WISPER 201 class | OHRD | HTML |