Take time with your Functions

Contributed by Danielle Hancock

The function worktag is easy to overlook. It often auto-populates, but you do still need to review it, because it describes the "why" of an expense. Function describes the mission or purpose of an expense, which is key for reporting for NACUBO, GASB, state reporting, and a host of other types of reporting. So that's pretty important!

Let's take a look at how you may encounter function and some resources that can help:

Function is required on all expenditure transactions. In most cases, it will auto-populate based on the driver worktag (Gift, Grant, Designated, or Project) you selected. In the case of a grant, you won't change the function. When using the project worktag, the multi-funding source will run and replace the auto-populated function, so you can leave it as is. If you're using a gift or designated worktag, you do need to do a quick double-check to make sure things look OK with your function.

You may not be very familiar with your functions, but you can check to see if it's correct by referring to the Function Worktag & Descriptions spreadsheet. It's easy to access this sheet right from Workday by clicking on the blue question mark next to the function box if you have Workday Digital Assist (WDA). If you don't have WDA, you can view the spreadsheet here: https://uvafinance.virginia.edu/resources/function-worktags-and-descriptionsFunction (This link is on the Workday Finance Training page under Workday General Training).

Another great resource about function is the Workday Function Overview, available in the Online Community. This gives great examples and practical scenarios of how the functions work in business situations.

Not only is it important that employees review and validate function prior to the completion of each business process, but also, preparers and approvers should review and validate (and fix, if necessary) function during the account certification process. And, of course, centrally, a review and validation cycle where transactions are reviewed at a high level for accuracy and consistency with NACUBO definitions is in process.

If you're not sure about which function to use, please always contact askfinance@virginia.edu.