MD-80 CREW INADVERTENTLY EXCEEDED THE FUEL BAL LIMITATIONS WHILE ATTEMPTING TO BAL FUEL.

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EXCEEDED ACFT FUEL IMBALANCE LIMITATIONS. DESCRIPTION: AT 5000 FT WE EXPERIENCED A WAKE TURB ENCOUNTER; WHICH PROMPTED THE CAPT (WHO WAS ACTING AS THE PF) TO DISCONNECT THE AUTOPLT. FOLLOWING RECOVERY; THE CAPT BROUGHT TO MY ATTN THAT WE HAD A FUEL IMBALANCE DUE TO AN OVER CORRECTIVE XFEED PROC. I HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY UNAWARE OF THE XFEED CONDITION; AND DID NOT CATCH THE FUEL IMBALANCE AS IT DEVELOPED IN THE DSCNT. POST FLT DISCUSSION REVEALED THAT THE CAPT HAD SELECTED XFEED WHILE I WAS 'OUT OF THE LOOP' TALKING TO OPS JUST PRIOR TO DSCNT. THE XFEED PROC WAS TERMINATED AND WE DISCUSSED OUR OPTIONS. THE DECISION TO CONTINUE WAS MADE AND APCH AND LNDG WAS NORMAL WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ADDITIONAL AILERON TRIM USED TO NEUTRALIZE FLT CTLS. A MAINT LOG ENTRY WAS MADE NOTING THE EXCEEDANCE OF FUEL IMBALANCE LIMITATIONS. 1) CRM! I SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN 'BACK IN THE LOOP' WITH THE CAPT PRIOR TO INITIATION OF THE DSCNT CHKLIST AND KNOWN ABOUT THE XFEED. 2) MONITOR THE AIRPLANE 'INSIDE' WHEN ACTING AS THE PNF EVEN BELOW 10000 FT WHERE MUCH OF OUR ATTN IS FOCUSED OUTSIDE. 3) SOME TYPE OF MEMORY AID FOR THE FUEL XFEED PROC COULD BE STANDARDIZED. (FLT DIRECTOR SWITCH BOTH ON 1; OR A CARD SIMILAR TO THE 'LOGBOOK REMOVED;' WHICH IS CONSPICUOUSLY PLACED DURING FUEL XFEEDING.