Before you start planning...

Read through this entire page before you start planning! The requirements for entering a Plan in NOVA aren't always clear, so this page will give you an overview of things to look out for during the planning process. It's a lot easier to plan with these requirements in mind than to make a square peg fit in a circle hole the day before Plans are due!

For a more thorough look at all Plan sections in their entirety, check out the Plan Template page.

Getting Started with 'Details', 'Partner Institutions', and 'Contacts'

• Most information in these sections is straightforward. However, there may be additional required information that you won't know you need until you get there.

• Details tab

  • Does this plan include short-term credit, noncredit, and not-for-credit workforce training?

    • If you answer "Yes" to this question, you will be required to complete the 'Employer Partners' tab which is otherwise hidden.

    • Completing this tab requires additional information for each Employer Partner that you should plan to collect in advance.

• Partner Institutions tab

  • If you're budgeting for multiple colleges, they will each need to be added as a Partner Institution.

• Contacts tab

  • You'll need to identify a few contacts for every plan you create.

    • Project Lead Contact: At least one person must be assigned to this role, but multiple can be added. A project lead contact is able to un-submit plans, make edits, and re-submit for certification. 

    • Fiscal Approver: At least one person must be assigned to this role, but multiple can be added. The fiscal approver will be the first to approve a plan when it's certified. Ideally, this is someone at your institution involved with managing the budget for this plan within your institution's financial system.

    • Institution Project Fiscal Reporter: For any institutions you have entered a budget for, you will be required to assign this role. This person will be able to edit and submit fiscal reports for that institution. Note that you will not be required to provide this contact until you have entered a budget for an institution.

Employer Partners additional requirements

• If your plan includes short-term workforce training, then you must provide at least one employer partner.

• Each employer partner record needs the following:

  • A brief description why this plan would be valuable to that business and the community.

  • A signed verification letter.

• You must ensure that all information provided in support of these efforts meets the requirements outlined in Ed. Code section 88821(g).

Planning your Plan's Workplan with 'Objectives' and 'Activities'

• You'll describe most of what you plan to "do" in these sections.

• Objectives, Activities, and your Plan's Budget are all inter-connected, so careful planning is necessary.

  • Workplan: Objectives tab

    • You can only select one "Objective Type" per Objective that you create.

    • Each Activity you create will need to be tied to an existing Objective.

  • Workplan: Activities tab

    • The Activities you create should drive your individual budget items. For each budget item you enter in the Budget section, you will be required to select at least one Activity.

    • You can only assign a single Objective to each Activity that you create. 

    • Responsible person(s)

      • You need to identify at least one person responsible for each activity. However, they must first be added as a Contact in order to select them from the dropdown list.

      • If the responsible person does not need any special access to the project in NOVA, they can be added as an 'Additional Contact'.