< back

Create an Affirmative Action Plan

BEFORE YOU BEGIN: BalanceAAP Software & Help Overview

KEY TOPICS:

Use the Create Plan tab to:

  1. Select Plan Type
  2. Enter Plan Dates
  3. Enter General Information
  4. Determine if Multiple Plans or Single Plan
  5. Determine Availability Settings
  6. Select Prior Plan as History Source
  7. Turn on Disability/Veteran Status Analysis
  8. Select EEO Schedule
  9. Confirm Audit Status

NEXT STEP:

RELATED TOPIC:

Create a New Affirmative Action Plan in BalanceAAP

From the Plans > Recent Plans tab, which serves as balanceAAP's landing page, the Create Plan tab displays in the tab header as the access point for generating a new Affirmative Action plan.

Once you have made selections in response to the preliminary questions below, click [Create Plan]. The system will then take you to the plan's Home page, where you can continue developing the more comprehensive AAP components. The information entered when creating a plan may be reviewed and edited later on, by accessing: Plan Information, within the plan.

Quick Tip: Once one or more plans are created, up to 10 of the most recent plans will be available for selection on the Recent Plans tab.

1. Select Plan Type

Select whether you are creating an Annual Plan or an interim Update Plan.

2. Enter Plan Dates

Enter Plan Effective Date

The plan date is the effective date for the annual Affirmative Action plan, or the date the Regular Plan begins. Data from the year prior will be used in the plan's calculations (as described below). Contractors must also complete at least a six-month Update Plan to monitor interim progress.

Example: The January 1, 2018 Regular annual Plan will be accompanied by a six-month Update Plan, dated July 1, 2018.

Enter Plan Archive Date

Just below the Plan Effective Date is the date when the AAP will be archived, or removed from client access, typically three years ahead from the Plan Effective Date.

Cross-reference: For more information on records retention (by the user and Berkshire), how archiving works, and related tools, please see: Plan Information / Administering the Plan Archive Date.

Enter Personnel Action Date Range

The personnel action date range for an Regular Plan will be the 12-month period prior to the Regular Plan date.

Example: For a January 1, 2018 plan, the personnel action date range will span from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017.

The personnel action date range for an Update Plan will span the time between the Regular Plan date and the Update Plan date.

Example: For an Annual Plan, effective January 1, 2018, the six-month Update Plan date is July 1, 2018. Therefore, the personnel action date range will go from January 1, 2018 to June 30, 2018.

3. Enter General Information

Type in the following —

  • Company Name: Enter the name as you would like it to appear on plan reports.

  • Plan Name: The Plan Name should include the effective plan date, and indicate Annual or Update.

    • Example: "January 1, 2018 Annual Affirmative Action Plan".

    • Establishment Name: A geographical location may be entered (e.g., "Vienna, VA").

      • Recommended for a Master Plan: The Establishment Name should be entered as "Master Plan". Later in the process, establishments will be associated with sub plans.

    4. Determine if Multiple Plans or Single Plan

    "Will you be creating multiple plans from a master plan data set?"

    If your organization has multiple establishments or locations, sharing a common data set, select: Yes.

    If a single plan will be created for one establishment or location, or if the organization only has one location, select: No.

    5. Determine Availability Settings

    From the Availability menu, answer questions for the following two options:

    Use Zip Code Information to Determine Recruitment Areas

    Zip code data can be efficiently used to create Recruitment Areas, so the system will ask if you have the information available in the incoming AAP data set.

    "Will you be using zip code information to determine recruitment areas for your job groups?"

    Select:

    • Yes

      • OR

    • No

    If Yes: Which zip code would you like to use when calculating External Availability in your plan?

    Select ONE of the following options:

    • Roster Work Code
    • Roster Home Zip Code
    • Applicant Zip Code
    • Plan Code Zip Code — Master plan with sub plans only

    If No, other tools are available in the Availability module.

    Cross-references:

    Select the Census Data Source

    "Do you want to use 2000 census data or EEO 2006-2010 ACS Tabulation data for external availability?"

    Choose between the two provided types of data released by the U.S. Census Bureau to be used when calculating External Availability.

    Cross-reference: The EEO 2006-2010 data source includes four-digit occupation codes, while the earlier 2000 data source relies on three-digits. For plans, dated 2014 or later, the earlier codes can be updated, using the balanceAAP crosswalk or auto census coding. See: Plan Settings > Availability Calculation Settings.

    6. Prior Year Plan

    "Do you have a prior year plan in BALANCEaap or balanceAAP?"

    Select one of the following answers:

    I do not have a prior year plan in balanceAAP.

    Cross-reference: For those creating a first balanceAAP plan, an alternate History Sourcemethod can be determinedchosen later. See: History > Source.

    I want to use a prior year plan from balanceAAP.

    If a prior year plan was created in balanceAAP, then select the plan from the Company, Establishment, and Plan drop-downs.

    Note: An Update Plans uses settings from the associated Annual Plan. Select the correct corresponding Annual Plan from the Company, Establishment, and Plan drop-downs.

    I want to import a prior year plan from a balanceAAP file.

    If the prior year plan that was created using the desktop or client server version of balanceAAP, select this option. Follow the guided menus to locate the file.

    Cross-reference: Please refer to the BalanceAAP Import for more information on related System Tools.

    Again, if you are creating an Update Plan, select the correct corresponding Annual Plan from the Company, Establishment, and Plan drop-downs.

    7. Turn on Disability/Veteran Status Analysis

    Most users should retain the default selection to include analysis on Individuals with Disabilities (IWDs) and Veterans, a setting required as of the 2015 plan year.

    8. Select EEO Schedule

    Select the appropriate EEO Schedule from the following options, based on your company type:

    • 1-Private
    • 4-Governmental
    • 5-Educational (Elementary & Secondary Education)
    • 6-Educational (Postsecondary Education)
    • IPEDS [[Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System] — When working in the plan's Data Tables, "IPEDS Code" will supplant "EEO Code."

    Cross-references: Please find information on related EEO job classifications on these pages —

    Private Organizations

    Government and Educational Institutions

    9. Confirm Audit Status

    This setting "turns on" two display features:

    • A filter option on the Plans > Open Plan tab to show OFCCP-audit versus unaudited AAPs, plus audit-plan highlighting on both the Recent Plans list and the Open Plan tab.
    • An available Dashboard filter by this parameter, applied when creating sub plans.

    For most plans, the box will remain unchecked in answer to: Is this plan under audit?

    For most plans, the box will remain unchecked in answer to: Is this plan under audit?