Because of the university accounting system, I can never determine how much money is in that category for me to spend. Yes, allow for flexibility for training budget accounting. The computer outputs, often the only indication of expenditures, come out late and are complex. I usually cannot figure out why my balances are different than yours. Our department provides reports many months late and sometimes not at all.
Suggestion Improve departmental administration.
It might help to have some evaluation of departmental administrative performance by PIs so the school can try and address problems. Seems like if the chairman's needs are taken care of, nothing else matters. F Problem see above Suggestion F Problem Balance sheets typically become available too late. At times things get charged to our budgets so late that it is hard to recover from errors. With the regular turnover in budget coordinators at the department level this is not done easily.