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Team # 273 -- C&IS Process Improvement through Technology, Part II
Computer and Information Systems

February 1998

Objective

To simplify and streamline financial business processes using information technology.

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Team Membership

• Jeff Kuhns, Sponsor
• Karen Schultz, Sponsor
• Steve Updegrove, Sponsor
• Robin Anderson, Leader

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Results Achieved to Date

• Re-designed process by moving data entry from accounting to the source at Inventory section
• Simplify and streamlined financial business processes using information technology
• Recommended revising the process to incorporate new financial tools
• Examining the possibility of integrating imaging technology
• Investigating the adequacy of current electronic invoices
• Advocated having all vendors supply the Office of Telecommunications (OTC) with electronic invoices
• Recommendations will significantly reduce paper flow and filing efforts will be drastically reduced
• Recommendations will decrease the time to turnaround invoices
• Recommendations will improve customer service
• Advocates the need to replace reports generated formerly in Rbase with Access to generate reports in order to increase the ability to manage OTC by using up-to-the-minute financial data
• The new system will provide managers with readily available information in pre-formatted reports while increasing flexibility in reporting
• The team has learned how to use Access software so reports can be generated with data warehouse data
• The time to process FIT reports with monthly constraints will be reduced from 7.8 hours to 1 hours allowing a faster, more streamlined report available for electronic access
• The two AT&T billing edge reporting times will be reduced from 3 days per month to 1 day per month and 3 hours per month to 30 minutes per month, respectively
  1 of 2 AT&T billings - 2 days saved
• The two AT&T billing edge reporting times will be reduced from 3 days per month to 1 day per month and 3 hours per month to 30 minutes per month, respectively
  2 of 2 AT&T billings - 2.5 hours saved
• All of the reduced cycle times have yielded a labor avoidance of over $4,858 per year.
• June 2000: Recommendations:
  --Revise process to incorporate new financial tools.
  --Examine possibility of integrating imaging technology.
  --Advocate having all vendors supply OTC with electronic rather than paper invoices
  --Investigate adequacy of current electronic invoices.
  --Review how to use ICAG, ISTR, and other mainframe financial functions. (competed)
  --Review how to use FIT and create reports . (completed)
  --Create job aids/checklists:
  how to use purchasing system functions (completed)
  when to use mainframe functions. (completed)
  --Learn how to use Access software so reports can be generated with data warehouse data. (completed)
  --Use Access report templates or modify as needed.

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