Planning & Reporting in the eCon Planning Suite

eCon Planning Suite Updates HTF Specific Screens Webinar scheduled on March 20 @ 1 p.m. EST Register on HUD Exchange Quick Guide available at https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/Con-Plan-Quick-Guide-HTF-eCon-Planning-Suite.pdf

eCon Planning Suite Updates Broadband and Resiliency Requirements Required for all new consolidated plans Annual action plans are not impacted. New consultation and citizen participation requirements Broadband: public and private organizations, including broadband internet service providers, and organizations engaged in narrowing the digital divide. Resilience: agencies whose primary responsibilities include the management of flood prone areas, public land, or water resources, and emergency management agencies. New housing market analysis requirements Include a description of broadband needs and vulnerability to natural hazard risks in its housing market analysis.  

Tips & Tricks for Planning & Reporting

Understand When Data Downloads in the eCon Planning Suite

Review Completed Triggers Data Downloads “Review Completed” status tells IDIS to pull data into the next action plan, caper, or amendment. Any plan, amendment, or CAPER not in “Review Completed” status is considered a draft. No data will be pulled. If you start your next plan or CAPER without a prior plan or amendment in “Review Completed”, the information will not download into your newly created document. If a prior document changes its status to “Review Completed”, information will not move into a already created document.

COMPLETE ALL AMENDMENTS FIRST

Amendments First Why? It gets your updates into the next CAPER and Action Plan Best Practice Tip: Save yourself some work & limit the number of plan versions: Follow your citizen participation plan & document your files Update the system with all amendment information at one time. Make sure field office changes status to “Review Completed” BEFORE creating next document.

CHOOSE TO “COPY” OR “ADD” A YEAR 2-5 ACTION PLAN

Copy or Add Options

CORRECTLY ASSOCIATE THE ACTION PLAN TO THE CON PLAN

Must Do’s Make sure your 2018 AAP is correctly associated with the most current (most recently amended) consolidated plan. Quicks Guide on: How to Copy and How to Amend a plan available on HUD Exchange on the consolidated plan page. In Review Completed Status

MAKE SURE ALL COPIED PRIOR YEAR PROJECTS ARE REMOVED

Removing Prior Year Projects

Removing Prior Year Projects

CONSIDER HOW GOALS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH 2018 PROJECTS

Goals Drive CAPER Accomplishment Data CAPER pull accomplishment data based on the goals assigned to the project. The more goals associated with a project, the more data reconciliation will need to occur Best Practice Tip: Save yourself some work & reduce your data reconciliation Select one annual goal for each project. Make sure the project’s goal outcome indicator (GOI) matches the GOI you picked for the annual goal Update the system with all amendment information at one time.

UNDERSTAND HOW PROJECT SET-UP IMPACTS YOUR CAPER

Project Set-up

Project Set-Up in AP-35 Screen Setting up Projects during AAP development (AP-35) creates structure for a successful CAPER Projects Are not required to include activity-level detail Should align with state’s method of distribution Activities Set up after awards made to UGLGs per method of distribution Associate with appropriate project to ensure eCon Planning Suite pulls correct CAPER data

Project Set-Up in AP-35 Screen As soon as the project is created on the AP-35 screen, it is automatically added in IDIS. Best Practice Tip: Avoid duplicated projects in the system. Make sure someone else doesn’t set up the same projects separately in IDIS.

When Projects Are Not Set-Up in Action Plan (AAP) If projects not set-up in AP-35 during AAP development, create projects in IDIS To align activity accomplishments with goals in the CAPER, states must: Create an amendment and add existing projects from IDIS. Make sure amendment is in Review Completed status. Create CAPER as last step. Tells system to send projects into CAPER

Project Details

Project Details

Adding Existing Projects to Action Plan

Adding Existing Projects to Action Plan

Multi-Year Funded Project Use one project that will include funding from all years Create project in Year 1 in AP-35 screen. In subsequent years: Pull same existing Year 1 project from IDIS into action plan Reference project is funded from multiple years in project description Increase funds by amount of that year’s funding For CDBG, click “Yes” on “Will accomplishments be reported at another activity”. ESG projects must be funded in a single year. A single, larger project that is planned to be funded from two or more years of funding (Action Plans) Examples: large public facility or public improvements project Projects started and completed annually are not considered multi-year funded projects Example: food bank, meals on wheels, other public services

CAPER Reconciling Your Data

IDIS Accomplishment Data CAPER Information IDIS Accomplishment Data Prior Year CAPER Data The CAPER is looks to match accomplishment data to goals. Notice the emphasis is not on matching accomplishment data to projects. Consolidated Plan Goals & Priorities (SP Screens) CAPER Action Plan Goals & Priorities (AP Screens)

CAPER Data Data used in the CAPER comes from the following sources: Action Plan (planned #s) Activity Accomplishment Reports (actual #s) HMIS (ESG CAPER)

CAPER Data Reasons your data may not populate correctly: AAP is not marked as “Review Completed” in IDIS AAPs must be marked as Review Completed for your AAP to sync with the CAPER Request that your Field Office marks the AAP as Review Completed in IDIS AAP amendments have not been submitted Prior to creating your CAPER, all AAP amendments must be entered and submitted in IDIS AAP amendments must be marked as Review Completed

CAPER Data Reasons your data may not populate correctly: Duplicative Projects Ensure the projects entered into your AAP are the same projects associated with activities under the project tab Review list of projects on AP-35 screen and under the Projects tab and ensure they align Remember, when you create a project in the AAP, it automatically creates the project in IDIS Option 1: Re-associate activities with projects created in AAP Option 2: Amend AAP to include correct projects

CAPER Data Reasons your data may not populate correctly: Prior Year Projects copied into current year AAP Check projects in AAP to ensure Program Year is current year If not, amend AAP and create new projects with correct program year REMEMBER, WHEN YOU COPY YOUR AAP, YOU WILL NEED TO REMOVE COPIED PROJECTS AND UPDATE WITH PROJECTS WITH THE CURRENT PROGRAM YEAR

CAPER Data Reasons your data may not populate correctly: Accomplishment Data is not entered in IDIS All accomplishment data must be entered in IDIS prior to creating your CAPER Add accomplishments under the Activity tab for all activities completed during Program Year For HOME projects, Activity must be completed for accomplishments to populate in CAPER

CAPER Data If you have already started your CAPER and have data issues, you do not need to create a new template: Use Con Plan Goals and Accomplishments Report Use other MicroStrategy Reports Manually update data fields in template

Con Plan Goals and Accomplishments Report Before creating your CAPER, run the Report to review accomplishment data MicroStrategy Report available in IDIS Reports tab. Lists accomplishment information that is: Associated with one SP/AAP Goal Associated with multiple SP/AAP Goals Not associated with an SP/AAP Goal

Con Plan Goals and Accomplishments Report

Additional IDIS Reports PR03 – CDBG Activity Summary PR22 – Status of HOME Activities PR26 – CDBG Financial Summary PR28 – CDBG State PER PR33 – HOME Matching Liability PR91 – ESG Financial Summary

Completing the CAPER All “Actual” fields can be manually adjusted Review the Con Plan Desk Guide and 24 CFR Part 91 for guidance on what is required in CAPER Grantees can upload up to 5 unique appendices to include reports and other supporting documents

CAPER Must Do’s Complete checklist before creating CAPER: Ensure AAP is marked as “Review Complete” Enter all amendments in IDIS, submit and ensure marked as “Review Complete” Ensure AAP includes correct projects (associated with activities AND correct PY) Enter all accomplishment data in IDIS

CAPER Must Do’s If you have already created your CAPER template: Do not create a new CAPER Template Use Con Plan Goals and Accomplishments Report and other IDIS Reports to gather requisite data Manually enter data into Con Plan template