Assessing Automation Opportunities August 2017

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Welcome to “Assessing Automation Opportunities”

August 16, 2017

Sponsored by TeamNFP & Your MIP Business Partner Host: Q Johnson, Managing Member, TeamNFP Software

Moderator: Jan Triplett, Marketing Director, TeamNFP Software

Housekeeping Items

  Please mute yourself

  Use the “Chat” window if you have a question or technical issue

  CPE attendance Certificates — please provide your info

  Recording & Slides will be available — send request

  Short demos after the session

The term “Automation Opportunity”

  A task whose cost to the organization could be lowered by the application of some automation technique   It could be one you already perform or one you anticipate as a result of new compliance requirements from a funder or your board, for example.

Automation Opportunities: Categories

Custom Output: getting something out of MIP that it won’t produce “out of the box”

Custom Input: getting data into MIP from some other source

Interfaces that play one or both roles

  So let’s look at some examples of each

Automation Opportunities: Examples

  Custom Output   Custom Reports, Checks, Stubs, ACH, Wires, Positive Pay   Cash Basis rendering of accrual transactions   PR Benefit/Deduction info for Government Retirement System

  Custom Input   Timesheets, Employees, Vendors   Distribution Codes, Transactions

  Interfaces   Data transfer between MIP and Medical Billing, External Payroll, Expense Trackers (Concur), Timesheets (Kronos)

Available Automation Tools

  For custom output   MIP’s Export

•  might be sufficient alone, or •  combined with a ‘post-processor’

  Direct Extraction with SQL •  ODBC (authentication required)

–  SafeKey –  ‘sa’ account

•  OLE DB •  SQL Bootstrapping – https://www.w3schools.com/SQL •  Custom objects in MIP Org DB (tables, stored procs, views, triggers)

–  Name them “SIP…”

Available Automation Tools

  For custom input   MIP’s Import Feature

•  provides validation protection for MIP and for YOU •  manually or via API •  if you pre-validate the data, you can ensure success

  Direct Data Manipulation •  SQL Server, Access, Excel, custom program •  requires write-capable authorization credentials (not available

with SafeKey)

Assessment Principles

  Know the dollar value of the desired outcome   Know the present cost of achieving it   Know the time horizon   Anticipate Workflow consequences   Identify as many risks as possible and quantify their cost

  Let’s apply these principles …

Developing Cost Data

  The cost mantra   “How much effort and how often is it done?”

  Manual Costs   Setup/Design of ‘system’ (e.g., Excel)   Time required for each use   Potential for errors and needed correction   Technical complexity burden (can an employee become ‘too critical’?)

Developing Cost Data

  Automated Solution Costs   Setup/Design (more costly than manual)   Each use cost (practically free?)   Will it be fragile with respect to MIP upgrades or changes in output requirements?   Might it make more revenue opportunities available?   Think big!

Developing Cost Data

 How to compare those costs   Identify the relevant time horizon  Manual cost over that time period?  Cost of automated solution for same time?   Include all costs (support? maintenance?)

 Harder question: Is the output worth as much as the cheapest alternative? (i.e., Is it worth doing at all?)

Developing Cost Data

  Automated Solution’s Special Risk:   How likely are there to be changes in the output requirements?   How flexible will it be to meeting those changes?   Will it be more cost effective to deal with such changes with a manual system?

Custom Interfaces – Design Issues

  Who’s a target and who’s a source?   MIP – to – Other Program (OP)   OP – to – MIP   MIP and OP both targets of third program   MIP and OP both sources for third program

  How do we provide ‘missing data’?   Improve source data, e.g. User Defined Fields   Old fashioned data entry in the User Interface of our tool

Custom Interfaces – Design Issues

  How do we avoid omission and duplication?   How will we catch it when it happens?

  MIP’s ‘include unposted’ entries is useful here!   Can we intentionally duplicate?   Who’s responsible for keeping it running when source or target change?   Know the risk   Figure out how to handle its cost   Will the bad news come after an update or before?

Custom Interfaces – Back to Costs

  ‘How much and how often?’   Cost comparison is same as before

  collect as many hard and soft costs as you can find of each method over relevant time

  Extra feature appeal for automation!   Although the interfaces are often expensive, incremental feature additions are usually a bargain, rather than multiples of cost.

  Let’s look at cost issues of different types of Interfaces

Interfaces – OP to MIP Type

  Characteristics that make them less attractive   Is the source system a good subledger?

•  provides excellent reporting •  detail history is maintained •  if so, there is little reason to bring duplicated, detailed

transaction info to MIP   Revenue-side systems might be poor candidates if these are true

Interfaces – OP to MIP Type

  Characteristics that make them more attractive   Expense-side systems   High-volume and/or performed frequently   Complex allocations   Not repetitive in nature (so memorized transactions aren’t a good solution)   Out-of-house Payroll to MIP GL is a good example

Interfaces – OP to MIP Type

  Characteristics that make them more attractive (cont’d)   Expense-side systems are even more valuable in environments with expense-based reimbursement billing   Your ability to process large volumes of data with increased precision or accuracy might win you more funding of this type (and earn you MUCH more than the interface actually costs!)

Interfaces – Does Yours Already Exist?

  How to research existing interfaces   Ask your Business Partner   Abila’s Marketplace (http://marketplace.abila.com)

•  TeamNFP (www.TeamNFP.com) •  Microix (www.microix.net)

  Abila’s Professional Services

TeamNFP

  Payroll TM8 – interface between external Payroll provider and MIP GL   Positive Pay TM8 – produce a file for the bank  Check Clearing TM8 – read the bank’s file  Draw Down Mgt TM8 – get paid and not fined  AR TM8 E-Mailer – get paid faster and easier  Multi-Lingual Checks TM8 – use foreign banks   International Wire TM8 – faster than checks

Microix

  Requisition/Purchase Order Module   Budget Preparation Module   Electronic Timesheet Module (great workflow features!)   Microix Integrator   Inventory

Outside the MIP Community

  General Purpose Consultants   Pros

•  Lots of them •  Local References for their past work

  Cons •  Nonprofit expertise? MIP expertise? •  Does their experience match your need? •  Cost of their learning curve?

It’s just too expensive!

  The project really makes sense, but at a lower cost.   Are you really the lone ranger?   Build a consortium of similar users to share risks and costs!   Get in the software business!

Audience Exercise – Evaluate These

  Auditors want a highly-detailed, special fixed asset listing for the annual audit

  OIG has the authority to exclude individuals and entities from Federally funded health care programs and maintains the List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE). Anyone who hires an individual or entity on the LEIE may be subject to civil monetary penalties. Your auditors want to know how you’re going to demonstrate compliance for your 450 employees by checking against each monthly update of the LEIE database.

How About Your Examples?

  Question and Answer Session

“Q” Johnson www.TeamNFP.com (512) 255-7566

  Provide your information if you want an attendance certification for CPE credit

  Ask your TeamNFP Business Partner about our specially priced bank fraud prevention software bundle (Positive Pay & Check Clearing TM8)

  Remember, any 2 TeamNFP software products bought together ALWAYS earn you a 10% discount!

3 Action Items

  Thanks to our TeamNFP Business Partners who helped get the word out. They sell and work hard to help you make the most of Abila’s MIP and TeamNFP software.

  Next Webinar: “Culture Over Skill: Getting & Keeping the Right People”, http://bit.ly/culturehiring

  Tuesday, Oct 17, 2017 3 p.m. CDT

  Presenter Dr. Jan Triplett, former Asst. Dir, Staff Dev, TX agency

Thanks & Next TeamNFP/Partner Webinar

Fraud Prevention & Productivity Improvement Software for MIP from Abila

Web: www.TeamNFP.com Toll-Free: 866-748-2933

Thank you for joining us!