Microsoft 2006 Pinnacle Awards Excellence in Innovation

Transcription

1 Microsoft 2006 Pinnacle Awards Excellence in Innovation The Excellence in Innovation Award recognizes customers whose innovative use of technology in their business management system delivers measurable benefits to their organization. Candidates for this award are judged on creativity, vision, and the overall results and benefits of their implementation. Completed nomination forms should be submitted to by 5 p.m. CST on Friday, January 27 th, Nominator Information Name: Ron Budreau, President Company Name: Diamond Municipal Solutions Phone Number: Address: ron.budreau@diamondmunicipal.com Company Being Nominated Company: County of Lanark, Ontario Contact Name: Tammy Wolters, Treasurer Authorized Phone: Address: twolters@county.lanark.on.ca Business Address: 99 Christie Lake Road City: Perth State/Province: ON Country: Canada Postal Code: K7H 3E2 General Customer Information Number of Employees: Estimated Annual Revenue: n/a Industry: Local Government Number of North American Sites: n/a Number of International Sites: n/a Microsoft Partner (VAR): Diamond Municipal Solutions Company Web Site: Microsoft Solution(s): Is someone representing the company attending Convergence: Yes No_X I don t know Microsoft occasionally produces case studies used within marketing and sales opportunities that evangelize customer success stories. Is this customer willing to be profiled: Yes_X No

2 Company Description Please describe the company: what it does, what products and/or services it provides, the company's mission or vision statement, company history, etc.: Lanark County Long before the arrival of European settlers to this area, at least two of the First Nations, the Iroquois and Algonquins, are known to have hunted, fished and travelled on the waterways of Lanark County. Today, the County proudly boasts a healthy population of over 62,500, a geographically large and diverse region and a reputation as the Maple Syrup Capital of Ontario. Located on the Western boundary of Ottawa, the County is comprised of eight municipalities, including the towns of Carleton Place, Perth and Mississippi Mills and the townships of Beckwith, Montague, Drummond/North Elmsley, Lanark Highlands and Tay Valley. Playing a vital role in delivering services to its citizens, the County Finance department is responsible for the treasury, insurance and risk management, as well as financial services such as records, payroll, accounts payable and accounts receivable. The mandate of the Finance Department is to provide financial information, advice and planning to County Council, management, staff and the public and ensure the requirements of the Municipal Act and provincial programs are met in the context of financial management and tax policies. It manages all financial resources with prudence and probity and monitors and analyses financial performance of departments and the County as a whole. System Description Please describe the business management solution: current modules implemented, number of users, hardware configuration, customizations, integrated solutions, future plans, etc.: The County of Lanark is a leader in technology innovation among Canadian municipalities. The County uses a complete Financial, Revenue and Work Management solution from Diamond/Microsoft. However the County does more than use the leading municipal solution. Lead by Tammy Wolters, Treasurer, the Finance & IT departments, in collaboration with Diamond Municipal Solutions, consistently push the envelope with their solution, coming up with innovative and creative new ways of using technology to deliver superior services to their citizens. From their use of the Microsoft Dynamics-GP Fixed Asset module to meet new requirements of the Public Sector Accounting Board (section PS 3150) to the use of Microsoft Dynamics-GP Inventory and Invoicing modules to meet the Provincial Government requirements for funding of the County s Long Term Care Facility, the County of Lanark has a proven record of Excellence in Innovation. Modules Currently owned: Microsoft Dyanmics-GP Account Level Security Bank Reconciliation Canadian Payroll Cash Flow Management Electronic Bank Reconcile EFT for Payables Management EFT for Receivables Management Fixed Asset Management General Ledger Human Resources Inventory Control Invoicing Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Modifier with VBA Payables Management Purchase Order Processing/Receivings Receivables Management Safe Pay Seagates Crystal Reports Professional System Manager Diamond Municipal Applications Permitting Centralized Receipting Tax Rebate for Payables Management Work Management AnyView Creator/Browser

3 1. How is the company using innovation within their business management solution? The County of Lanark is in a unique situation in that it fully owns and operates a Long Term Care facility. The County receives provincial funding for this facility, as long as it ensures it meets certain specific Provincial requirements, such as a 97% occupancy rate each year. The onus is placed on the County to accurately report to the province and ensure these requirements are met. Therefore the challenge for Lanark was to ensure they had a financial management solution that not only met the needs of their County but also incorporate the functionality to allow them to accurately track and report on their Long Term Care facility. Together with Diamond Municipal Solutions, Lanark County collaboratively came up with a solution that allowed them to do just that. By implementing the Microsoft Dynamics GP- Inventory and Invoicing modules, Tammy and her team were given the flexibility and functionality they needed to track and report occupancy levels for the number of beds in the LTC facility back to the Provincial Government of Ontario and invoice their patients in an efficient manner. By developing a resident billing solution using the MS Dynamics-GP Invoicing module, the County was able to identify each bed in the Long Term Care facility as an inventory item. Each room in the facility was identified as a site within the system and could be configured as a private room, semi-private, or basic, depending on how the set up changed. Finally, each wing within the facility became a class of inventory item depending on the level of care, ranging from chronic to intermittent. With this structure, the County can easily track their occupancy through these inventory levels, which meets their provincial funding requirements and at the same time create an invoice for each of their residents based on any changes in bed status. PSAB 3150 (Public Sector Accounting Board) The Public Sector Accounting Board sets accounting standards for the Canadian public sector. Recently it was announced by PSAB that in 2009, all Canadian municipalities will be required to report their nonfinancial assets. Non-financial assets include tangible capital assets, inventories of supplies and prepaid expenses such as insurance. While this accounting practice is common in the private sector, it is not for Canadian public sector organizations. This proposal will require nearly all municipalities to track and report their assets differently then they historically have, forcing them to move from their current cashbased accounting environment to recognizing the depreciation expense of using assets. The implications of this new requirement and the amount of effort required by municipalities to modify their financial reporting solution, is considerable. Few municipalities across Canada fully understand the enormous implications of this proposed standard and fewer still have a clear road map of how to prepare and make the appropriate changes to meet the standard. Tammy Wolters, Treasurer at the County of Lanark, is a major supporter of Microsoft and Diamond, and she is championing a strategy at her county to proactively meet the new requirements outlined in PSAB s proposed standard, Section PS Tammy has already convinced her council about the importance and impact of the PSAB legislation, she is taking the steps required to meet the proposed standard s requirements, she is making allocations of resources, and she is putting her plan into action. She is confident that when the standard takes affect, the County of Lanark will be fully prepared to meet its requirements. Tammy is adamant that the Dynamics GP Fixed Asset module is mandatory for all Canadian municipalities in order to meet the PSAB Section PS 3150 requirements and is using the system today to do just that.

4 2. Describe how this innovative use of technology has created an advantage over the competition. Lanark County does not directly compete with other municipalities the way companies generally do. However the County does strive to deliver services to its businesses and citizens using the most advanced technology solutions available. It is by remaining a leader that the County of Lanark continues to grow and draw residents, businesses and important investments into its community. PSAB 3150 (Public Sector Accounting Board) In regards to the new requirements from PSAB, the County of Lanark s innovative use of the Microsoft Dynamics-GP Fixed Asset module to track their Tangible Fixed Assets means the County can help other municipalities across Canada use the solution to meet these requirements. With so many municipalities not knowing how to even begin, Lanark can provide much needed guidance in terms of best practices. 3. What business problems has the application of these technologies solved? How has it positively impacted business processes? This integrated system continues to ensure that Lanark receives constant funding for a vital service they provide their citizens. They also receive better reporting for internal purposes. PSAB 3150 The innovative use of this Microsoft Dynamics-GP Fixed Asset module allows Lanark and other municipalities to meet the requirements of the new accounting standards set out by PSAB by the 2009 deadline. 4. How has the implementation or personalization of these technologies benefited customers, suppliers, employees, etc.? Through its ownership and administration of Lanark s Long Term Care facility, the County ensures a vital and constant service is provided to its citizens in a reliable and effective manner. PSAB 3150 Proactively developing a solution to meet the requirements of PS 3150 means the County of Lanark will be fully prepared well before 2009 and will help other Canadian municipalities do the same with their best practices. 5. What is the organization's philosophy on technology adoption and what future innovative technology is planned? The County of Lanark has a long history of innovation and pushing the envelope when it comes to technology and consistently jumps to be the first in line to develop new ideas and new ways of solving problems. Lanark is already investigating new ways of rolling out their inventory management solution into the Kitchen of their Long Term Care facility in order to track food consumption and shrinkage. Another clear example of Lanark s Excellence in Innovation relates to their use of Microsoft Dynamics-GP Fixed Asset module to track assets and meet new requirements of the Public Sector Accounting Board (Section 3150) that will drastically impact every Canadian municipality by The County of Lanark is one of the first local organizations in Canada that has proactively come up with a new solution using Microsoft and Diamond modules, paving the way to meet these important requirements, a solution that can be replicated across the country. I see technology as providing synergy between creative ideas and reality. The strength of Great Plains is that it has become a tool for us to evaluate everything we do. It is the catalyst for change and fuels the mind to think bigger, better and beyond what has been done in the past to what is possible. For us at the County of Lanark, technology and in particular, Great Plains, has allowed Finance and other departments

5 to move away from concentrating on inputs to focusing on outcomes. This is what is expected by taxpayers and I believe we are seeing the results we have been working towards. Tammy Wolters, Treasurer Lanark County Microsoft requests the privilege of using the information contained in this nomination form for future marketing and/or promotional purposes. Submitting your nomination constitutes consent to do so.