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DESCRIPTION

This article is for anyone who needs to understand their Annual Operating Plan (AOP) landscape. It helps you navigate the system, understand what information is available to you, and why it's important for tracking your projects and making informed decisions.

STEP 1: Understand AOP Visibility by Role

  • If you're an Office User: You will see AOPs and projects specific to your office. This keeps your view focused on what's directly relevant to your team's work.
  • If you're an Associate Lab Director: You will only see projects within your specific lab. This ensures you're reviewing plans that directly impact your lab's operations.
  • If you're a Lab Relationship Manager or POC: Your access is customized to your assigned office and lab combinations. This empowers you to manage the AOPs you're directly responsible for.

pushpin The AOP process requires both the Department of Energy (DOE) and the labs to review and approve projects annually. Knowing your access upfront helps streamline this critical review process, saving you time and preventing frustration.

STEP 2: View Annual Operating Plans

  • Access the Annual Operating Plans: From the Lab Planning Home page, navigate to the Management menu and select Annual Operating Plans.

 STEP 3: Filter Options

  • To quickly locate the projects that are important to you, use these filters:
    • Lab: Select your specific DOE National Laboratory.
    • Office: Choose your EERE Program Office.
    • Fiscal Year: Specify the relevant fiscal year.  

STEP 4: Understand the Project Table

  • The table provides a comprehensive overview of each AOP. 

      • Lab/Office: This tells you which lab and office the project belongs to.

      • Status: This indicates where your AOP stands in the approval process:

        • Approved: Your entire AOP has received full approval, and you can proceed.

        • Pending Approval: The AOP approval workflow has started, and it's currently awaiting review and approval from the next person in sequence. You might need to follow up if this status persists.

        • Not Started: This status applies if the AOP's total dollar amount is over $5M for the fiscal year, or if at least one project has a planned budget exceeding $2M, and the approval workflow hasn't begun yet.

          • Action needed: You'll need to initiate the workflow to get things moving.

        • Not Required: No additional approval is needed if the AOP's total dollar amount is $5M or less for the fiscal year, and no individual projects have a planned budget of $2M or more. No action is needed from you for approval workflow in this case.

      • FY Planned Costs: This is the total planned budget for all projects within the AOP for the fiscal year. 

      • New Projects Total: This is the combined count of all projects starting in the first fiscal year (excluding canceled, discontinued, closed, or completed projects). 

      • New Projects Approved/Mod Approved: This is the count of new projects that have achieved an "Approved" or "Mod Approved" status. 

      • New Projects Pending Approval: This count highlights new projects that are currently waiting for approval. 

      • New Projects in Planning/Mod: This shows the count of new projects currently in various planning stages. 

      • Continuing Projects Total: This is the combined count of all projects continuing from the second fiscal year or later (again, excluding canceled, discontinued, closed, or completed projects).

      • Continuing Projects Approved/Mod Approved: This is the count of continuing projects that have achieved "Approved" or "Mod Approved" status. 

      • Continuing Projects Pending Approval: This count highlights ongoing projects that are awaiting approval. 

      • Continuing Projects in Planning/Mod: This shows the count of continuing projects currently in various planning stages. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why would an AOP status be "Not Required"?
An AOP is marked "Not Required" if its total dollar amount is $5M or less for the fiscal year, and no individual projects have a planned budget of $2M or more. In these cases, no additional approval is needed, saving you time.

2. What should I do if my AOP is "Not Started" but requires approval?
If your AOP's total dollar amount is over $5M, or if at least one project has a planned budget exceeding $2M, and the status is "Not Started," you need to initiate the approval workflow. Check your system's specific instructions for starting the workflow.

3. I'm an Office User, but I can't find a specific project. What could be wrong?
As an Office User, you only see AOPs and projects specific to your office and lab combination. Double-check that the project you're looking for falls within your assigned scope. If you believe it should be visible to you, contact your system administrator.

4. How often should I check the "Pending Approval" statuses?
It's a good practice to regularly monitor projects with "Pending Approval" status, both for new and continuing projects. This allows you to proactively follow up with approvers and ensure there are no bottlenecks in your project timelines.



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