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PIPER: Forecasting

Last Updated: May 7, 2026 9:58:32 AM PDT
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Learn about the Forecasting section of PIPER, UCSD's research portfolio management tool, including what each page does and how Fund Managers can use them to project personnel costs, non-payroll expenses, and cost transfers for more accurate portfolio forecasts.

Forecasting pages allow Fund Managers to enter and manage projected expenses and revenue that are not yet reflected in the ledger. Entries made in this section flow directly into Portfolio Reports, updating the forecasted balances visible to PIs and Fund Managers throughout PIPER.

PIPER is accessed at anaplan.ucsd.edu using your UCSD Single Sign-On. If you are a Fund Manager and currently do not have access to PIPER, reach out to piperteam@ucsd.edu to request access.

The Forecasting section of PIPER is comprised of three pages:

  • 3.01 Payroll Forecast — A tool for projecting personnel costs for all positions funded on a PI's tasks, including overrides to effort distribution, salary rates, and non-effort-based payments.
  • 3.02 Non-Payroll Forecast — A tool for forecasting one-time expenses, recurring non-payroll costs, anticipated revenue, and non-payroll cost transfers.
  • 3.03 Payroll Cost Transfers — A manual log for recording anticipated payroll cost transfers that have not yet posted to the ledger.

3.01 Payroll Forecast

A tool for projecting personnel costs for all positions funded on tasks where the PI is the PIPER Task Manager. It pulls current effort and salary data from UCPath and allows Fund Managers to enter overrides for planning purposes.

  • Displays each position's current effort distribution, salary, and benefit costs by month, and allows Fund Managers to override effort percentages, update salary rates, add new positions (including TBN), and forecast non-effort-based payments such as Cap Gap, Stipends, Z Payments, STAR Awards, and Additional Pay.
  • Forecasted costs include salary (with an assumed 3% annual cost-of-living increase each July 1), benefits (CBR, Leave Assessments), and other costs (NGN, HS-TSC, GAEL, Tuition Remission). Changes made here flow directly into 1.01 Portfolio Summary (Card F), 1.02 PI Runway Analysis (Card A), 1.03 Personnel Effort by Position, and 1.04 Personnel Effort by Task.

Important: Forecast overrides entered in PIPER are for planning purposes only. Changes to actual payroll must still be processed in UCPath.

For Researchers: Your Fund Manager uses this page to keep your payroll forecast accurate and up to date. If you are planning a change in someone's effort, a new hire, or a salary adjustment, let your Fund Manager know so they can reflect it in the forecast — and initiate the corresponding change in UCPath.

3.02 Non-Payroll Forecast

A tool for entering forecasted non-payroll expenses and revenue that are expected but not yet posted to the ledger. Entries flow into 1.01 Portfolio Summary (Card F) and 1.02 PI Runway Analysis (Card A).

  • Allows Fund Managers to forecast one-time expenses (equipment, travel, events), anticipated revenue (budget increments, resource transfers), and non-payroll cost transfers, with each entry tied to a specific Project-Task and expected accounting period.
  • Also supports common recurring expense forecasting, which automatically applies a monthly non-payroll cost estimate based on the prior 6 months of actuals — with the option to override the calculated amount.

For Researchers: Your Fund Manager uses this page to account for large or irregular expenses and expected revenue in your runway forecast. If you are planning a significant purchase, anticipating a budget increment, or expecting a cost transfer, share that information with your Fund Manager so it can be reflected in your forecasted balance.

3.03 Payroll Cost Transfers

A manual log for recording payroll-related cost transfers that have been initiated but have not yet posted to Oracle. Entries are reflected as forecasted expenses in 1.01 Portfolio Summary (Card F) to prevent double-counting once the transfer posts.

  • Allows Fund Managers to record the From and To Project-Tasks, earnings period, and direct cost amounts (Salary, Benefits, Other, Tuition Remission) for pending cost transfers. Indirect costs auto-calculate based on the task's burden schedule and IDC rate.
  • Once a transfer posts to Oracle, it should be marked as posted or deleted from this page to avoid duplicating the expense in the forecast.

For Researchers: If a payroll cost transfer has been submitted but has not yet appeared in your reports, your Fund Manager may have logged it here as a pending transfer so it is reflected in your current forecast.

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