This page provides a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) for RIMS users. The questions have been divided into two sections: Researcher questions and Budget Holder/ Supervisor questions.
Certain questions apply to both the Researcher and the Budget Holder/ Supervisor; In these instances, the question has been duplicated in both sections.
Note: If you have any questions that are not addressed in this list, feel free to email your question to: rims_support@uq.edu.au.
I am a researcher
A. This allows the user to identify which facility holds instruments that they may wish to use before logging in to RIMS. Doing so avoids creating an account in RIMS if they determine that they do not need to access a RIMS facility first.
Q. How do I know whether to use a Project Chartstring or an Operational Chartstring when selecting an account type – What is the difference?
A. You should use the chartstring provided to you by your supervisor or Budget Holder. Generally, a researcher will use a Project chartstring for their research purposes. In some exceptional circumstances an Operational chartstring may be provided to you for non-project specific work and is typically associated with instrument maintenance and other facility management tasks. It is recommended that you discuss this with your facility manager or Budget Holder/ supervisor if you are unsure.
Q. Why can't I see or find my instrument in my Booking tab?
A. All users of RIMS must be authorised to use certain instruments. If you cannot see the instrument you wish to use under your Booking tab, it is likely that you do not have the user rights (authorisation) to use that particular instrument. Check with Facility Admin as to the requirements to use the instrument you wish to book. Your access may have expired and/or you may need to organise training to use that instrument.
Note: You may have logged in with a different account (e.g. Staff versus Student); Please ensure you log in with the correct account details. If in doubt, contact RIMS Support.
Q. Can I cancel an instrument booking before its start time, and will I incur a cost?
A. Yes, generally you can cancel a booking prior to your booking time. Where charges will apply to the cancellation of a booking, they are displayed in the cancellation confirmation screen. Cancellation policies will vary between facilities. For additional information in relation to specific instruments and associated charges please contact the relevant facility.
Q. If I finish my session early, am I still charged for the use of the full time booked? If so, how can avoid this?
A. Subject to facility policy on cancellations you may be able to cancel the remaining portion of a session if you finish early. Go to the session in the Book tab and follow the 'Cancel a booking' guide to complete the cancellation process. For additional information in relation to specific instruments and associated charges please contact the relevant facility.
Q. Where is the charge rate for an instrument displayed?
A. The session charge rate is displayed on the booking page for the instrument (top right corner in a grey tile). Charge rates or costs will vary between instruments. Refer to the 'Book an instrument' guide for more information.
Q. Can I request a notification if someone cancels a booked timeslot that I wish to use?
A. Yes. In your RIMS Dashboard go to the 'Sessions Recently Cancelled' area and click on the 'Receive email notifications for new cancellations'. Alternatively, go to the booking page for the instrument you wish to receive a notification for and at the bottom of that page click on the 'send me a notification if someone cancels a booking' link.
Complete the form and submit to be notified if the instrument becomes available during the timeframe selected. For additional information refer to the 'Book an instrument' guide in the Systems Training Hub.
Q. Will the system notify the user/ researcher once the project has been approved? [DUPLICATE]
A. Yes. A system notification will be sent by email to advise the researcher when their project request has been approved and is available for use. Additionally, their request in the ‘My Project Requests’ area disappears and the project is added to the 'My Projects' tab on their dashboard.
Q. Will Budget Holder approval be required every time an instrument is booked? [DUPLICATE]
A. Once the project has been approved, bookings associated with it will not require further approval by the Budget Holder.
Q. Where can I see sessions that I have booked to use an instrument?
A. Your existing bookings can be found in your RIMS dashboard under the 'My Sessions' section.
Q. As a researcher, how and when am I notified that my project request has been approved?
A. A system notification will be sent by email to advise the researcher when their project request has been approved and is available for use.
Additionally, their request in the ‘My Project Requests’ area disappears, and the project is added to the 'My Projects' tab on their dashboard.
Q. Having all of the chartstrings listed available to me when lodging a project request seems a bit excessive… Why are they all displayed?
A. All chartstrings currently available to the user will still appear as this is a feature of the software. Due to RIMS integration with UQ Finance, this includes all chartstrings that you and your supervisor have access to. To find a chartstring - or a portion of one - use the web browser "find" search facility to assist you to find a particular chartstring.
Q. If I can’t see any chartstrings in my profile, what do I do?
A. You need to request a chartstring authorisation. Obtain the chartstring to be used from your supervisor, then advise Facility Admin of the chartstring. They will complete a User Account Creation Request within RIMS. You will be notified via email when the chartstring is available for use. Please refer to the 'Request access to chartstring' guide in the Systems Training Hub which explains this process. Contact your financial professional services team (PST) if you still cannot add the relevant chartstring to your profile after following the steps in the guide.
Q. If we already have projects linked to chartstrings, etc. in the current system (PPMS), will they be carried over into the new system? ...or will we have to resubmit them?
A. Yes. Active projects are being migrated and the projects which have correct/ valid chartstrings will be migrated over. However, if the chartstring provided earlier has expired or is invalid, then the project will have no chartstring and the project cannot be used to book instruments. In such instances, you will have to contact the Supervisor/ Budget Holder and provide a new chartstring.
I am a supervisor/budget holder
Q. If you want to change the chartstring for a project at some point after you initially approved one, what do you need to do?
A. Generally the project chartstring can be changed after initial approval, however policies will vary between UQ facilities. Please contact the facility direct to arrange this.
Q. Can a project be split between two or more chartstrings? If so, how do I do it?
A. Yes. A facility administrator can configure a project to use more than one chartstring. Contact the facility admin and provide them with your chartstring requirements.
When submitting a project request enter one of the required chartstrings and add a comment to the request asking for the combination of chartstrings required to be used.
Note: Budget Holders can also post a comment requesting this on the project creation request page when completing their review of the project chartstring request.
Q. Why isn’t there simply a ‘Reject’ button (versus the ‘Approve’ button)? I find using the comment feature to reject a project somewhat unintuitive..
A. In order to reject a project, reasoning must be provided which is why a simple “reject” option is not available.
The decision to approve or reject a project rests with the facility. The Budget Holder saving the approval, and/ or commenting to the researcher and facility regarding there decision provides a history of events and decisions in the project for future reference.
Information provided by the Budget Holder by adding comments to the request can assist the facility with there review of the request and allow it to proceed, whereas a simple rejection of the project would have resulted in a new project request being required.
Q. Will the system notify the user/ researcher once the project has been approved? [DUPLICATE]
A. Yes. A system notification will be sent by email to advise the researcher when their project request has been approved and is available for use. Additionally, their request in the ‘My Project Requests’ area disappears and the project is added to the 'My Projects' tab on their dashboard.
Q. Can I change details on a submitted project request?
A. Once the project request is submitted, changes cannot be made to it. However, some aspects of the project request may be changed by the Facility Admin, including items such as;
- Project name/ title
- Project Type
- Chartstring
- Affiliation
- Main Group
- Abstract/ description.
Please ask your facility for assistance with this.
Q. Will Budget Holder approval be required every time an instrument is booked? [DUPLICATE]
A. Once the project has been approved, bookings associated with it will not require further approval by the Budget Holder.
Q. Will facilities still email spreadsheets for Budget Holders/ supervisors to check?
A. Please check with your facility for information on their invoicing practices in RIMS. RIMS provides an account management tab and several reports to assist Budget Holders/ supervisors with monitoring projects and chartstring usage.
Q. Can expenditure limits be set on a project to avoid an overspend?
A. Financial limits cannot be assigned to RIMS projects. Budget Holders should continue to review and maintain their chartstring balances in MyBalance.