Overview: PTA Request Process

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PTA Defined

PTA is an acronym used for a Project-Task-Award combination representing an account in the Oracle Financials system.

  • Awards identify the source of funds or pot of money to be used.
  • Projects collect transactions related to a specific purpose (i.e., operations of a department, a specific sponsored project, etc.).
  • Tasks allow these transactions to be grouped in a more specific way if desired. Each Project must have at least one Task, but may have more.

Prior to requesting a new PTA, familiarize yourself with Stanford's Chart of Accounts structure and how it has been implemented in your local school / department. To learn about Stanford's Chart of Accounts, see Overview: About Stanford's Chart of Accounts.

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PTA Attributes

The different segments of a PTA (Project, Task, and Award) are "tagged" or "labeled" using elements known as attributes. Attributes are like descriptive adjectives, providing additional information about each segment. For example, there are "Owning Org" attributes for each Project, Task, and Award, identifying what organization "owns" each segment. Segment attributes are generally set up at the time the P, T, or A is set up.

Attributes are also used in Financial Reporting (to select, sort, or summarize data) and in Oracle Workflow to determine where to route transactions for notification and/or approval.

  • Take FIN-0200: Introduction to Stanford PTA Attributes to learn how attributes specified during account set-up relate to awards, projects, tasks and their importance to financial management at Stanford.
  • Prior to requesting a new PTA, review PTA Attributes & Definitions to understand the information requested on the PTA setup forms and attributes assigned by Central Office staff during PTA setup.
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Requesting New PTAs

Depending upon the nature of the funding and planned use of the money, the PTA request process and forms will vary. PTAs for:

  • Capital Projects requiring a Form 1 are processed by the Department of Capital Planning in Land & Buildings. As a general rule, projects requiring a jurisdictional permit and plan check will require a Form 1.
  • Capital Projects not requiring a Form 1 are processed by the Capital Accounting department within the Controller's Office.
  • Sponsored Projects are processed by the Office of Sponsored Research (OSR).
  • Service Centers are processed by the Research Financial Compliance & Services office.
  • New Expenditure Allocation are processed by the Research Financial Compliance & Services office.
  • Travel Card Clearing are processed by the Fund Accounting department within the Controller's Office.
  • Other Designated, Expendable or Endowment Gifts, or Operating Budget are initiated by schools and departments using the online PTA Manager system and submitted electronically to the Fund Accounting department within the Controller's Office for processing.

For specific instructions on how to request new PTA types outlined above, see How To: Request New PTA.

See Policy Notes: Use of PTAs for policy regarding the authorized use, approved funding source(s), other requirements and PTA close restrictions for different types of PTAs.

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Requesting Changes to Existing PTAs

Depending on the situation, you may need to request setup of just one new element of an existing PTA (e.g., a new Task under an existing Project), or two elements (a new Project and Task(s). You may also wish to change existing attributes on a PTA.

See How To instructions for using PTA Maintenance to update PTA attributes:

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Closing a PTA

Requests to close a PTA should be directed to the central office department responsible for administering the PTA request/change process.

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