Project Success * Lessons Learned from Norfolk County

Transcription

1 Project Success * Lessons Learned from Norfolk County * TBD - WIP John Ford, CPA, CGA General Manager Financial Services, Treasurer / CFO James Johnson, CPA, CGA Deputy Treasurer, Manager Accounting Services Amy Fanning Senior Accountant, Financial Systems Coordinator Project Manager Back-up Project Manager Project Implementation Lead

2 Norfolk County Single Tier Municipal Structure All Municipal Services & CMSM 50/50 Urban/Rural Mix Population: 63,200 31,000 Tax Rolls, 16,000 Water Accounts 1,000 Employees, 1,500 T-4 s in ,000 A/P Invoices Annually Annual Spending $175 Million

3 Name The Project Contest

4 Scope of Project Not an OUT WITH THE OLD --- IN WITH THE NEW Project Replace Vailtech Core Financial System, Re-Install WorkTech PEARL Implement Asset Management System Re-Engineer All Business Processes Across Municipality Cultural Shift From Decentralized to Centralized Financial/Business Processes Huge Change Management Effort

5 Guidelines & Principles Re-Engineer Business Processes Across Municipality Eliminate Non Value-Added Processes Continually Ask: Why Do We Do It That Way? Nothing is Sacred Data Should Only be Handled Once & Captured at The Earliest Point in Process End-to-End Electronic Processes Eliminate Paper Shuffle Key is to Provide Right Information, Right Form Right Place and Right Time No Staff Will Lose Job Due to Implementing Changes

6 Systems & Operating Environment Where We Were Decentralized Business Processes Many Manual, Paper-Based Transactions Limited Use of Project Costing File in the drawer / Phantom Systems Vailtech A/P, GL, Tax, A/R Worktech Job Costing, Time Entry, Equipment List Maintenance FMW Budget, FIR Stargarden Payroll, Minor HRIS Applications TCA Extensive Excel-Based Application Class Recreation Registration, C/R Externally Produced Financial Statements / FIR General Business Operating Environment Systems Environment Where We Are & Vision Business Processes Centralized, Automated and Re-engineered Moving to Full Electronic, Paperless Processes Comprehensive Project & Management Reporting GP Dynamics A/P, GL, Tax, C/R, A/R, Payroll, HR, Financial Reporting, FIR, Drains & Utility Billing Pearl Complete GL Functionality, Work Orders, Equipment, Asset Manager, Fixed Asset Accounting FMW Budget In-House Production of Financial Statements / FIR Paramount Work Place, Diamond on Demand Productivity Tools E-solutions, PaperSave, etc.

7 Systems & Operating Environment Where We Were 57% of Invoices Processed Outside of Finance Bi-weekly Payment Runs Paper Cheques, Mailed Out Data Entered Separately in Vailtech and WorkTech WorkTech Batches Manually Imported into Vailtech A/P Weekly Huge Effort Cash Received in Variety of Systems and Locations Often JE s Required to Post Cash Receipts to GL Cash Receipts Not Posted in WorkTech Manual/Paper A/R Requisitions to A/R clerk Invoices Prepared Manually in Vailtech Invoice Amounts Not Posted in WorkTech Accounts Payable Payments Processing Cash Receipts & Accounts Receivable Where We Are & Vision 100% Invoices Processed in Finance Weekly Payment Runs 75% EFT Payments Fewer Staff Involved in Overall Process Data entered in GP Dynamics is Automatically Imported into Pearl Cash Receipts Posted Through GP to the Proper GL and Pearl JAO s Cash Receipt Batches Sent Electronically to Pearl Substantial Reduction of JE s for Posting CR to GL Moving to A/R Tracked Electronically, Invoices Processed from GP Pearl Updated Automatically

8 Systems & Operating Environment Where We Were Staff Entered Time into Excel Time Sheet, Printed then Signed by Supervisor and Delivered to Payroll Manual Timesheet Entry into Payroll System Stargarden Batches and Paper Back-up Sent to Finance for Manually Imported into Vailtech GL Limited Capabilities for HR Information Decentralized Purchasing, House Accounts, 300 Staff Doing Purchasing, 150 P-cards P-Card Transactions Entered Manually by A/P Staff Manual PO Process, No Encumbrance Accounting Tender & Procurement Process Managed Manually Using Internally Built SharePoint System Payroll & Human Resources Information Purchasing & Procurement Where We Are & Vision Staff Complete Timesheets Electronically in Pearl, Routed to Supervisor for Approval and Imported Electronically into Canadian Payroll by Payroll Staff Payroll Data Updated Electronically in Pearl and GP Full Suite of HR Information Features to be Implemented Centralizing Purchasing Dedicated Purchasing Agents, No House Accounts, 300+ P-Cards P-Card Transactions Imported Directly into GP and Available in All Systems Implementing Paramount WorkPlace Electronic Purchase Orders, Full Encumbrance Accounting

9 Systems & Operating Environment Where We Were Limited Self-Service Capabilities for Access to Transaction Detail No Transaction Detail Available in FMW Overnight Updating Between Vailtech and FMW New Accounts Had to be Manually Created in Vailtech and FMW Separately No System Integration Between WorkTech and Vailtech Limited Management Reporting Available in Financial Systems Vailtech GL Chart of accounts 30,000+ Internal / External Financial Reporting Where We Are & Vision Transaction Detail Available From GP, Pearl and FMW Timely, Fully Automated Integration JAO s Automatically Created from FMW to Pearl Extensive Management Reporting Options in All Systems Corporate-Wide, Full Activity Based Cost Accounting System in Pearl, Including Work Orders GP GL Chart of accounts Over 130,000 JAO Combinations in Pearl Totally Mapped to GP GL Accounts Multiple Systems Provide Infinite Flexibility for Financial and Management Reporting

10 Where Do We Go From Here When Implementation of Core is Done we Will be Looking at Productivity Improvements E-Commerce Tracking Bid Awards, Tenders Integrated Customer Service System Papersave to Enhance Handling of A/P Invoices Diamond on Demand for Recreation Booking, Scheduling Caseware to Facilitate Production of Financial Statements Utility & Municipal Drains Billing The List of Productivity Tools is Endless

11 What We Learned & What Worked Things Can Fall off the Rails - Quickly Key Project Team Players Need to Stay Positive Created a Dedicated Training Facility Minimal History was Brought Forward into New Systems Impossible To Do Regular Job and Implement New Systems One Will Suffer Surprised at Level of Resistance Structural Inertia in the Change Management Process Senior Staff Level Engagement has been Key to Success Timely Decisions, Morale Finance Staff Assigned Responsibilities of Implementation Lead

12 Words of Wisdom Stay Positive It s a Long Process Keep Your Sense of Humour Keep Your Eye on the End Objective Don t Sweat the Small Stuff Remember Murphy s Law: Anything that Can go Wrong Will & at the most Inopportune Time Celebrate Successes Regardless of How Small You Think They Are Communicate, Communicate, Communicate Be Prepared for Resistance at Every Level in Your Organization Maintain Professional Relationship with Vendors and Their Consultants Be Patient New Processes Take Time to Install and Time to Mature

13 Questions