Funding Allocation

Step 1.3 -- Allocation Cycle & Calendar

Determine: budget cycle (fiscal year, academic year, rolling), allocation timing (annual, quarterly, event-driven), carryforward policies by fund type, multi-year commitment tracking, mid-year reallocation triggers, year-end sweep and redistribution.

Step 1.4 -- System Integrations

Map connections to: general ledger and ERP (Banner, PeopleSoft, Workday), sponsored programs (award budgets flowing into allocation), HR (position budgets, FTE tracking), facilities (space assignment, renovation costs), advancement (gift processing, endowment management), institutional research (metrics feeding allocation models).

============================================================ PHASE 2: RESOURCE DISTRIBUTION MODELS

Step 2.1 -- Allocation Methodology

Evaluate the allocation model type: incremental budgeting (base + adjustment), Responsibility Center Management (RCM/revenue attribution), Performance-Based Budgeting (PBB/metric-driven), zero-based budgeting (ZBB), hybrid models. Assess how the model balances revenue generation incentives with institutional priorities.

Step 2.2 -- Formula Components

For formula-driven allocation, examine: student credit hour weighting (by level and discipline), research expenditure credit, F&A recovery distribution (PI share, department share, college share, central share), space cost allocation, enrollment-driven components, subvention (cross-subsidy from high-revenue to mission-critical units).

Step 2.3 -- Strategic Investment Pools

Identify centrally managed strategic pools: provost investment fund, research enhancement fund, diversity and inclusion initiatives, digital transformation fund, deferred maintenance fund, strategic hiring pools (cluster hires, target of opportunity), capital project reserves. Assess how pool priorities are set and evaluated.

Step 2.4 -- Distribution Equity Analysis

Check for: per-faculty resource comparisons across departments, cost-per-student-credit-hour analysis, research infrastructure investment by discipline, administrative cost ratios, cross-subsidy transparency, equity adjustment mechanisms for historically under-resourced units.

============================================================ PHASE 3: FACULTY STARTUP PACKAGE MANAGEMENT

Step 3.1 -- Startup Package Structure

Evaluate: package components (lab renovation, equipment, personnel, supplies, summer salary, reduced teaching load, moving expenses), funding sources (department, college, provost, external matching), package size benchmarking by discipline and rank, negotiation workflows, multi-year commitment schedules.

Step 3.2 -- Startup Expenditure Tracking

Check for: drawdown tracking against committed amounts, spending timeline monitoring (expected ramp-up curves), category-level budget vs. actual, extension request handling, unexpended balance management, clawback provisions for early departure.

Step 3.3 -- Startup Effectiveness Metrics

Assess: time-to-first-external-grant by startup size, publication output during startup period, student recruitment correlated with startup investment, ROI calculation (external funding generated per startup dollar invested), comparison across cohorts and disciplines.

============================================================ PHASE 4: EQUIPMENT SHARING & CORE FACILITIES

Step 4.1 -- Equipment Inventory

Examine: capital equipment registry (>$5K threshold per 2 CFR 200), equipment location and assignment, acquisition funding source tracking, depreciation scheduling, useful life tracking, shared vs. dedicated equipment designation, equipment retirement and disposal.

Step 4.2 -- Core Facility Operations

Evaluate: recharge center / service center rate setting (NACUBO guidelines for break-even pricing), user fee structures (internal vs. external rates), usage tracking and billing, equipment scheduling and reservation systems, training and qualification requirements, capacity utilization reporting.

Step 4.3 -- Equipment Sharing Optimization

Check for: underutilized equipment identification, cross-departmental sharing agreements, equipment access policies, maintenance cost allocation for shared equipment, duplication detection (same capability purchased by multiple units), consortium and multi-institutional sharing arrangements.

============================================================ PHASE 5: SPACE UTILIZATION & FACILITIES

Step 5.1 -- Space Inventory & Classification

Evaluate: space survey data (room-by-room classification per FICM -- Facilities Inventory and Classification Manual), functional use categories (research, instruction, office, clinical, general use), assignable vs. non-assignable square footage, space assignments by department and PI.

Step 5.2 -- Space Utilization Metrics

Check for: research space per faculty member, cost per assignable square foot by building, classroom utilization (hours used / hours available), laboratory occupancy rates, space productivity metrics (research expenditures per square foot), growth projections and capacity modeling.

Step 5.3 -- Space Cost Allocation (F&A Impact)

Examine: space survey integration with F&A rate proposal, building depreciation allocation, operations and maintenance cost distribution, utility cost allocation by space type, renovation cost amortization, impact of space classification on F&A rate components (research vs. instruction vs. other institutional activities).

============================================================ PHASE 6: STRATEGIC INVESTMENT MODELING

Step 6.1 -- Investment Decision Framework

Evaluate: proposal intake and evaluation process, scoring criteria (strategic alignment, ROI potential, risk assessment, timeline), competitive review mechanisms, portfolio balancing (short-term vs. long-term, high-risk vs. safe), scenario modeling capabilities, sensitivity analysis tools.

Step 6.2 -- Performance Tracking

Check for: investment outcome measurement against stated goals, milestone-based funding release, annual review of multi-year commitments, sunset provisions and wind-down planning, reallocation triggers when investments underperform, success story documentation.

Step 6.3 -- NACUBO Compliance & Reporting

Assess: NACUBO-compliant financial reporting, endowment spending rate policy (typically 4-5% of trailing average), underwater endowment monitoring (UPMIFA compliance), gift restriction tracking and reporting, campaign counting standards compliance.

============================================================ PHASE 7: WRITE REPORT

Write analysis to docs/funding-allocation-analysis.md (create docs/ if needed).

Include: Executive Summary, Allocation Model Assessment, Faculty Startup Management, Equipment & Core Facility Utilization, Space Allocation Effectiveness, Strategic Investment Portfolio Review, NACUBO Compliance Status, Recommendations.

============================================================ SELF-HEALING VALIDATION (max 2 iterations)

After producing output, validate data quality and completeness:

1. Verify all output sections have substantive content (not just headers).
2. Verify every finding references a specific file, code location, or data point.
3. Verify recommendations are actionable and evidence-based.
4. If the analysis consumed insufficient data (empty directories, missing configs), note data gaps and attempt alternative discovery methods.

IF VALIDATION FAILS:

• Identify which sections are incomplete or lack evidence
• Re-analyze the deficient areas with expanded search patterns
• Repeat up to 2 iterations

IF STILL INCOMPLETE after 2 iterations:

• Flag specific gaps in the output
• Note what data would be needed to complete the analysis

============================================================ OUTPUT

Funding Allocation Analysis Complete

• Report: docs/funding-allocation-analysis.md
• Fund sources analyzed: [count]
• Allocation model type: [type]
• Departments/units evaluated: [count]
• Strategic investment pools reviewed: [count]

Summary Table

NEXT STEPS:

• "Run /grant-management to analyze sponsored research operations feeding allocation."
• "Run /budget-allocation to evaluate departmental budgeting and variance analysis."
• "Run /procurement-analysis to assess equipment procurement efficiency."

DO NOT:

• Modify any allocation formulas, budget figures, or fund balances.
• Recommend allocation changes without modeling downstream impacts on affected units.
• Ignore cross-subsidy flows -- they are often the most politically sensitive element.
• Assume F&A recovery distribution ratios without verifying the negotiated rate agreement.
• Skip equity analysis across departments and disciplines.

============================================================ SELF-EVOLUTION TELEMETRY

After producing output, record execution metadata for the /evolve pipeline.

Check if a project memory directory exists:

• Look for the project path in ~/.claude/projects/
• If found, append to skill-telemetry.md in that memory directory

Entry format:

### /funding-allocation — {{YYYY-MM-DD}}
- Outcome: {{SUCCESS | PARTIAL | FAILED}}
- Self-healed: {{yes — what was healed | no}}
- Iterations used: {{N}} / {{N max}}
- Bottleneck: {{phase that struggled or "none"}}
- Suggestion: {{one-line improvement idea for /evolve, or "none"}}

Only log if the memory directory exists. Skip silently if not found. Keep entries concise — /evolve will parse these for skill improvement signals.