Overview

Below is a summary of the setup and configuration tasks that can be completed while your general ledger data is being uploaded and mapped. It also summarizes the tasks that should not be started until after you have approved the mapping of your data and it has been launched within the ClearGov platform.

Admin Center

• Read through our Glossary of Terms to become familiar with ClearGov vocabulary. 
  Note: You will need to be logged into your ClearGov account to access this and other Support Center articles.
• Familiarize yourself with the ClearGov Home Page.
  • This is the home page where you will go to access all of your ClearGov applications, manage users, and more.

• Familiarize yourself with ClearGov’s Learning Resources
  • Get to know ClearGov Academy:

  • Learn how to connect with ClearGov Support:
    • Navigate and Search the Support Center
    • Best Practices for Submitting Support Tickets
• Add users to the User Management application.
• There is no limit to the number of users associated with your ClearGov account. In fact, we encourage you to add team members and key stakeholders. 

Note:  When a user is added, they will receive an email with instructions on how to log into ClearGov. You may want to wait until you are closer to inviting users to contribute to the budget before adding them.

• Learn how to change your password, just in case.

Application-Specific Tasks

Operational Budgeting

Tasks That Can Be Completed While Financial Data is Being Onboarded

• Familiarize yourself with the
  • All Funds Budgeting Dashboard
  • Operational Budgeting Checklist
• Take the ClearGov Academy training course on Operational Budgeting. Here is how to access that course:

1. Log into ClearGov.
2. Select the question mark (Support and Training widget) next to your avatar.
3. Select ClearGov Academy (Note: the first time you log in it will automatically enroll you in courses based on your role).
4. Select Browse Courses and select Operational Budgeting.

Tasks That Should NOT Be Completed while Financial Data is Being Onboarded

• Do not create an Operational Budget.
• Do not assign users as contributors until the Senior Data Advisor advises otherwise.

Capital Budgeting

Tasks That Can Be Completed While Financial Data is Being Onboarded

• Take the ClearGov Academy training course on Capital Budgeting. Here is how to access that course:

• Log in to ClearGov.
• Select the question mark (Support and Training widget) next to your avatar.
• Select ClearGov Academy (Note: the first time you log in it will enroll you in courses automatically based on your role).
• Select Browse Courses and select Capital Budgeting.

• Update your scorecard
  • Update your scorecard settings. Make it easy to budget based on your priorities.
  • Note: This feature requires a paid Capital Budgeting subscription.
• Customize capital request forms.
  • Create or modify capital request forms to collect the information you need to make your budgeting decisions.
    • Note: If your data has not yet been onboarded, you can create a list of your departments in your Department panel, however, when we complete data onboarding, that panel will be auto-populated with your Chart of Accounts, overwriting your custom departments.

Tasks That Should NOT Be Completed while Financial Data is Being Onboarded

• Do not do anything else in the Capital Budget besides customize your forms.
• We do not recommend inviting requesters, creating requests, or importing existing requests until your data is fully onboarded.
  • Note: Although you can begin to take those actions if you’d like to later attach requests or users to your chart of accounts or collect account IDs affiliated with requests, you will need to manually edit each of those requests or users.

Personnel Budgeting

Tasks That Can Be Completed While Financial Data is Being Onboarded

• Take the ClearGov Academy training course on Personnel Budgeting. Here is how to access that course:

1. Log into ClearGov.
2. Select the question mark (Support and Training widget) next to your avatar.
3. Select ClearGov Academy (Note: the first time you log in it will enroll you in courses automatically based on your role).
4. Select Browse Courses and select Personnel Budgeting.

• Collect all relevant materials in preparation, including collective bargaining units, job titles, wage schedules, benefits, additional pay rules, current employee data, and potential vacancies.
• Create a Personnel Budget and begin configuring your Data Model Manager.
  • Create Units to group your employees. Units are often affiliated with a union or collective bargaining unit. Pro Tip: Even if your organization has no unionized employees, you must create at least one Unit.
  • Create Wage Schedules to account for all job types, their unit affiliation, and their salaries. Wage schedules allow you to dictate whether roles are hourly or salaried if promotion is merit- or tenure-based, and how steps and pay increases impact salaries.
  • Create Additional Pay and Benefits details. Additional Pay and Benefits are indirect, non-cash, or cash compensation paid to an employee above and beyond regular salary or wages.

Tasks That Should NOT Be Completed while Financial Data is Being Onboarded 

• Do not allocate wages, additional pay, and benefits to individual Account IDs at the job level until your data is fully onboarded.
• Do not import anything into the Positions tab.
• Do not assign users as contributors.

Digital Budget Book

Tasks That Can Be Completed While Financial Data is Being Onboarded

• Take the ClearGov Academy training course on ClearDocs. Here is how to access that course:
  • Log into ClearGov.
  • Select the question mark (Support and Training widget) next to your avatar.
  • Select ClearGov Academy (Note: the first time you log in it will enroll you in courses automatically based on your role and subscriptions).
  • Select Browse Courses and select ClearDocs.
• Collect all relevant materials in preparation, including budget books from prior years and the names, email addresses, and departments of any contributors.

Tasks That Should NOT Be Completed while Financial Data is Being Onboarded

• Do not create any pages that contain financial data including:
  • Fund Summary pages
  • Department pages
  • Funding source pages
• Do not assign users as contributors.
• Do not embed dynamic figures (such as Charts).

Transparency

Tasks That Can Be Completed While Financial Data is Being Onboarded

• Take the ClearGov Academy training course on Transparency. Here is how to access that course:
  • Log into ClearGov.
  • Select the question mark (Support and Training widget) next to your avatar.
  • Select ClearGov Academy (note: the first time you log in it will enroll you in courses automatically based on your role).
  • Select Browse Courses and select Transparency.
• Reorder and hide panels.
• Customize your Transparency Center
  • Upload a background image
  • Add a seal or logo
  • Define a subdomain
    • If you prefer a branded website address (URL) for your ClearGov profile, we provide the ability to create a subdomain (http://subdomain.cleargov.com).
  • Add a municipal or school district official

Tasks That Should NOT Be Completed while Financial Data is Being Onboarded

• Do not make changes within the Financial Data settings.

Strategic Planning

Tasks That Can Be Completed While Financial Data is Being Onboarded

• Take the ClearGov Academy training course on Capital Budgeting. Here is how to access that course:

1. Log into ClearGov.
2. Select the question mark (Support and Training widget) next to your avatar.
3. Select ClearGov Academy (note: the first time you log in it will enroll you in courses automatically based on your role).
4. Select Browse Courses and select Capital Budgeting.

• Create your Strategic Plan
  • Set Focus Areas, Goals, and Action Items
• Assign Collaborators to collaborate on Goals and Action Items. 

Tasks That Should NOT Be Completed while Financial Data is Being Onboarded

• Do not assign Budget Allocations until Account IDs have been finished by the Data team. 

Capital Project Tracking

Tasks That Can Be Completed While Financial Data is Being Onboarded

• Take the ClearGov Academy training courses on Capital Project Tracking. Here is how to access those courses:

1. Log in to ClearGov.
2. Select the question mark (Support and Training widget) next to your avatar.
3. Select ClearGov Academy (Note: the first time you log in, it will enroll you in courses automatically based on your role).
4. At the top of the screen, select the Learning Paths tab.
5. Locate the Capital Project Tracking learning path, and select Enroll. Now the learning path will display on your My Courses dashboard under the Learning Paths tile (under Total number of courses).

• Review support articles on Capital Project Tracking.
• Utilize the Capital Project Tracking Settings, found on the Strategic Planning home page, to customize your framework terms, check-in notification settings, and status terms for all of your future Capital Project Trackers.
• Create a Capital Project Tracker
  • Note: If you are using ClearGov’s Capital Budgeting solution, you can create a Capital Project Tracker but do not sync projects with Capital Budgeting. This step can be done later, once the Capital Budget has been completed.
• Add Collaborators to your Capital Project Tracker.
• If you are not using ClearGov’s Capital Budgeting solution, you can create your Capital Project Tracker immediately and begin adding projects using the manual and import options! Just hold off on utilizing the Financials Tab until your data has been fully onboarded.

Tasks That Should NOT Be Completed while Financial Data is Being Onboarded

• If you are using ClearGov’s Capital Budgeting solution, you can create a Capital Project Tracker but do not sync projects with Capital Budgeting. This step can be done later, once the Capital Budget has been completed.
• Do not assign Budget Allocations or Funding Source Allocations in the Financials Tab until data has been onboarded and Account IDs have been finished by the Data team. 

Digital Financial Reporting - ACFR & AFR

Tasks That Can Be Completed While Financial Data is Being Onboarded

• Take the ClearGov Academy training course on ACFR, Statement Builder, and/or AFR. Here is how to access that course:

5. Log into ClearGov.
6. Select the question mark (Support and Training widget) next to your avatar.
7. Select ClearGov Academy (note: the first time you log in it will enroll you in courses automatically based on your role).
8. Select the Learning Journeys tile on your Dashboard and select ACFR, Statement Builder, and/or AFR..

• Review support articles on Digital Financial Reporting.
• Review support articles on the Statement Builder. 

Tasks That Should NOT Be Completed while Financial Data is Being Onboarded

• Do not create a financial statement until the Data Team has launched your data.
• Do not create an ACFR or AFR document until the Data Team has launched your data. 

Miscellaneous

• Read recent release communications from ClearGov - the releases contain descriptions of new features and applications.
  • Release notes are located in the ClearGov Support Center.
• Participate in the ClearGov Community.
  • The Community is a place to submit feature requests and ideas to make ClearGov better for you.
• Check out the ClearGov Resource Center for informative and entertaining articles.