Welcome

This guide helps new users get oriented after joining an organization in FTE Tree. Your organization administrator has already set up the structure, permissions, and workflows. This guide walks you through setting up your account and using the key features available to you.

If you are an administrator setting up a new organization, see Getting Started: Organization Setup instead.

Setting Up Your Account

After accepting your organization invitation, take a few minutes to configure your account.

  • Profile: Update your name and manage your email addresses under your account settings.
  • Password: Set a strong, unique password. If your organization uses Single Sign-On (SSO), you can connect your Microsoft or Google account.
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): If your organization requires MFA, you will be prompted to set it up using an authenticator app. Save your backup tokens in a secure location.
  • Preferences: Set your default organization, time zone, theme, and the number of table rows displayed per page.
  • Email Notifications: Configure which events trigger email notifications from your profile settings.

For full details, see User Accounts and Authentication and Security.

Understanding Your Dashboard

The dashboard is your home screen after signing in. It provides quick access to:

  • Pending Approval Requests that need your review.
  • Your Submitted Requests and their current status.
  • Messages sent to you by other users or the system.
  • Task Counts showing items that need your attention.

Positions are the core of FTE Tree. Each position represents a staffing slot with a unique position number, linked to a department and job code.

  • Position List: A searchable table of all positions you have access to. Use filters and search to find specific positions.
  • Position Summary: An aggregated view showing totals for FTE, position cost, incumbent cost, and headcount. Use department filters to focus on specific areas.
  • Org Chart: A visual hierarchy of positions based on parent-child relationships. Navigate through levels and view position details directly from the chart.
  • Position Detail: Click any position to view its full detail, including attributes, adjustments, schedule, funding sources, and comments.

For full details, see Positions.

Working with Departments

Departments form the organizational hierarchy. Your access to departments depends on the permissions and department scoping assigned to you by your administrator.

  • Department Detail: View department settings, assigned role users, job code mappings, and GL strings.
  • Department Workspace: Access summary metrics for a department, including FTE and cost totals across time periods. The workspace also provides access to coverage analysis if schedules are configured.

For full details, see Department Tree.

Managing Employees

Employees are the individuals assigned to positions. If you have employee permissions, you can view and manage employee records.

  • Each employee has a Name, Employee ID, Position assignment, Current Status, and Base Wage Rate.
  • Employee attributes support historical effective dating, so you can track changes over time.
  • Comments on employee records allow collaboration with other users.

For full details, see Employees.

Understanding Adjustments

Adjustments modify FTE, wage rate, or annual wage amounts on positions. They can be applied directly to a position or inherited from job codes.

  • View a position's active adjustments on its detail page.
  • Adjustments are applied in a defined priority order and can include caps (Max Basis Amount, Max Total Amount).
  • Some adjustments may be scenario-only, meaning they exist only within a forecast scenario and are cleared when the scenario is promoted.

For full details, see Position Adjustments.

Using Forecast Scenarios

Scenarios let you model staffing changes without affecting the approved baseline data.

  • The Baseline scenario represents the current approved state and cannot be edited directly.
  • Organization Scenarios are shared across users and support adjustment assumptions.
  • User Scenarios are personal workspaces for drafting changes.
  • Switch between scenarios using the scenario selector. Changes made in a scenario must be submitted for approval before they are promoted to the baseline.

For full details, see Forecast Scenarios.

Submitting and Reviewing Approval Requests

When you make changes to position attributes that have an approval level of 1 or higher, those changes enter a draft state and must be submitted for approval.

  • Submitting a Request: Select the positions with draft changes and submit an approval request. You may need to attach files depending on your workflow configuration.
  • Request Status: Track your requests through five statuses: Pending, In Process, Approved, Denied, and Cancelled.
  • Reviewing Requests: If you are an approver, pending requests appear on your dashboard. Review the proposed changes and approve or deny each step.
  • Delegation: If you will be unavailable, your administrator can delegate your approval responsibilities to another user. Self-service delegation may also be available.

For full details, see Working with Approval Requests.

Running Reports

FTE Tree provides several report types to analyze your organization's staffing data.

  • Position Summary: Detailed position data with configurable columns and filters.
  • Vacancy/Requisition: Tracks open positions and requisition status.
  • Employee Roster: Lists employee assignments and attributes.
  • Approval Workflow: Shows approval request activity and status.
  • Reports can be exported as CSV, Excel, or viewed on-screen as HTML.
  • Summary Reports provide pre-configured aggregated views by department, job code, and time period.

For full details, see Reports.

Messages and Notifications

Stay informed through comments, messages, and email notifications.

  • Comments: Threaded discussions available on positions, employees, approval workflows, and requisitions. Use mentions to notify specific users.
  • Messages: Organization-wide or targeted announcements. Messages with dashboard visibility appear prominently until acknowledged.
  • Email Notifications: Configure which events send you email from your profile preferences.

For full details, see Messages and Notifications.