CAPSACAPSA

University of Cambridge

Commitment Accounting System

Target date: 1st August 1999.

04/19/23 CAPSA open meeting 2

Project OverviewProject Overview

CAPSA Aims

Improve efficiency.

Provide better information at all levels:• Individual projects and sub-projects• Groups / grants / sections• Departmental• University

Ultimate goal is to change the way the University handles all administrative information. Immediate goal is to modernise our accounting systems.

04/19/23 CAPSA open meeting 3

Purpose of this meetingPurpose of this meeting

… is to establish two-way communication with everyone who will be affected.

Present current status of project.

Provide information (as much as we can)

Request your assistance.

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What is CAPSA?What is CAPSA?

True on-line real-time commitment accounting with committed cost shown throughout all processes.

• Enter purchase invoices and maintain creditors

• Raise cheques and full bank reconciliation• Raise orders• Stock movements and balances• Raise sales invoices and maintain debtors• Electronic internal trading (IDNs)• General ledger with full reporting• Equipment data base.

In other words, integrates most of our non-personnel financial activity into a single system, and provides all authorised users with an immediate overview of each budget heading.

Will replace individual group systems

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How will CAPSA work?How will CAPSA work?

Read-only access available to all authorised users via standard browsers (Netscape, Explorer etc).

One or two dedicated workstations (good PCs) in each section for placing orders, booking goods in etc.

Each group/section/grant etc can have its own authorisation matrix to control spending authorities (i.e., who can spend what on which heading?).

Information available instantly - there should be no further need for monthly and quarterly statements from Accounts.

04/19/23 CAPSA open meeting 6

StatusStatus

Oracle selected as referred supplier.

Contract to be signed 14th Feb - £4.3M approx.

Oracle post-sales team installed at old RGO building…

… working with University team of 13 to adapt workflow modules to our needs.

Target installation date for 10 largest departments (including Physics) is 1st August!

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……status...status...

Departmental Status

Project team in place:• Professor Longair (Head of Dep’t)• Rachael Padman (Project manager)• Simon Jones (Project Secretary)• Derek Reeds (accounts)• Kath Burton (accounts)• Wendy Pettifor (accounts)• Keith Franklin (stores)• Meg Staff (P&C)• Patty Blench (OE)• David Odell (AP)• Anton King (SP)• James Talbut (Computing)

Links with groups and sections established(this meeting).

04/19/23 CAPSA open meeting 8

……statusstatus

Current Activity

Department has notified project that we require all main workflow modules.

Workflows currently being assessed in detail:• Purchase Order Processing (Meg)• Purchase Ledger (Wendy)• Sales Order Processing (Kath)• Sales Ledger (Kath)• Research Grants (Simon, Rachael)• General Ledger (Derek)• Fixed Assets (Derek)• Stock (Keith)

Next major project will be to define training needs in individual sections:

• standard users.• superusers.

04/19/23 CAPSA open meeting 9

Final commentsFinal comments

Commitment accounting provides huge benefits to the whole department.

Different groups and sections in the Cavendish have a great diversity of practices.

The system we are purchasing is very flexible and can be adapted to almost all needs...

… but it can’t work if orders are not placed through the system, or not booked in and checked when they arrive, or not authorized promptly for payment.

CAPSA should spur us to introduce good management practice across the whole department.

As the project develops we will be trying to define what good practice is, and to encourage its adoption.