Enhancing Administrative Productivity with Parallel Systems

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Enhancing Administrative Productivity with
Parallel Systems
Jim Wrenn IT Works, Inc. AIRI 46th Annual
Meeting September 2007
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What is a Parallel System
A locally controlled financial management system
that enhances your general ledger, human
resources, and other centrally controlled
systems. Sometimes referred to as Shadow
Systems Sunshine Systems Middleware Data
Warehouses Spreadsheets
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Primary Benefits of a Parallel System

• Target Audience
• Local Control of Information
• Improved Financial Reporting
• Improved Office Efficiency

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Benefits Target Audience

• Financial Decision Makers including
• Research Administrators
• Grant Principal Investigators and Senior Staff

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Benefits Target Audience

• Differences in Financial Management
• Macro vs. Micro
• Project vs. Regulatory
• President vs. Principal Investigator
• Satisfying all the players

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Benefits Local Control of Information

• Information Availability
• Information Distribution
• Electronic Interface vs. Manual Data Entry
• It's not enough that we do our
• best sometimes we have to do
• what's required.
• - Winston Churchill

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Benefits Improved Financial Reporting

• Provide Information in a Timely Manner
• Improve Information Accuracy
• Easier to Read Formats
• Project Future Expenditures
• Consolidate Information from Multiple Entities /
  
• Systems
• Quantify PI Evaluations

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Benefits Improved Financial Reporting

• Reports for Administrators
• Reports for Principal Investigators
• (The End User)

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Benefits Improved Financial Reporting

• Reports for Individual Awards
• Reports for Multiple Awards
• (Management Reports)

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Benefits Improved Financial Reporting

• Reports for Individual Employees
• Reports for Multiple Employees
• (Management Reports)

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Post-Award Summary Report
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Post-Award Summary Report
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Post-Award Summary Report
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Post-Award Summary Report
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Monthly Burn Rate Report
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Personnel Report - Actual or Projected Expenses
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Personnel Report - Actual or Projected Expenses
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Sample Salary Coverage by Month Report
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Post-Award Summary Report
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All Funds Summary Report
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All Funds Salary Report
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Grant Management Improved Office Efficiency

• Day to Day Activities
• Annual Reports and Procedures
• One-Time Special Requests
• For where your treasure is, there
• your heart will be also.
• - Jesus from the Bible

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Implementing Tracking Management Systems

• Providers
• Costs
• Planning

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Providers of Tracking Management Systems

• Internal Administrators
• Internal Programmers
• Students
• Local Consultants
• Providers of Off-the-Shelf Products

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Evaluating Tracking Management Systems

• Architecture
• User Interface
• Functionality
• Electronic Interfaces
• Availability of Customizations
• Stability

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Evaluating Tracking Management Systems

• Experience
• With Your Information
• Technical
• Years of Experience
• Number of Installations
• Support
• Training
• Commitment

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Implementation Costs

• Initial
• Recurring
• Implementation Time
• Will you own the software?

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Planning for a Successful Implementation

• Project Manager
• Identification of Internal Needs
• Designing Coding Systems
• Customizations
• Scheduling

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Scheduling Issues

• Initial Installation
• Customizations
• Training
• Go Live Date