VPVI-81: Create a Complex Workflow for Vision Expense ... · VPVI-81: Create a Complex Workflow for...

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VPVI-81:Create a Complex Workflow for Vision Expense Approvals

Jodi Burke, PMA Consultants

“ It isn’t necessary to imagine the world ending in

fire or ice. There are two other possibilities: one is

paperwork, and the other is nostalgia. ”

“ No more misquoted forms, lost invoices,

redundant entries, missing checks, or delays

caused by incomplete paperwork. ”

— Frank Zappa

— Bill Gates

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BACKGROUND

Construction Management

Consulting Firm

14 Offices

220+ People

Approximately 2,000 expense

reports submitted annually

Rolled out Deltek Expense

Module October 15, 2018

180 employees submitting

expense reports

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PREVIOUS METHOD

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PREVIOUS ACCOUNTING PROCESS

• PMA provided Excel file containing 5 days of expenses, or

employee developed document.

• Receipts taped to paper;

scanned/emailed or hard copies

snail mailed.

Accounting:

• Accounting writes a consolidation sheet.

• Accounting contacts the employee for missing or

incomplete information.5

PREVIOUS ACCOUNTING PROCESS (cont’d)

• Enter each line item in Deltek.

• Photocopy project-related expenses

for billing support.

• File the paper copies.

• 2000+ expense reports!

• 4 banker boxes per year sent to storage!

Accounting:

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• Convincing Management

• Initial cost outlay, but savings overall

⁃ Accounting time

⁃ Contracts time

⁃ Space reduction

⁃ Use of mobile app

VISION EXPENSE IMPLEMENTATION

Implementation path:

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• Our implementation team consisted of 2 people, making it very easy to discuss topics and make decisions.

• We developed a new process and presented to upper management prior to beginning the work.

• Main objectives

– Move responsibility to the employee

– Reduce the amount of time Accounting spends chasing documentation

– Implement stricter allocation methods

THOUGHT PROCESS

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• Set up the Expense Module using Deltek Vision 7.0 Implementation Guide (detailed, easy to follow)

• Utilized a test environment to set up the Expense Module and test the workflow.

EXPENSE IMPLEMENTATION

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• Important to correctly set up Expense Group Administrators: they approve expense reports.

CONFIGURATION – EMPLOYEE GROUPS

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• After creating Approval Workflow, select from the drop-down.

CONFIGURATION – SET UP

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CONFIGURATION - MISCELLANEOUS

• Message demonstrates when expense reports are

submitted.

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CONFIGURATION – EXPENSE CATEGORIES

• When setting up expense categories, we opted

for generic terms.

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CREATING THE

APPROVAL

WORKFLOW14

We utilized a test

environment.

Approval workflows

identify

Steps in an approval process The

approvers/employees assigned to each step

Notification alerts to send

for each step to keep approval

process on schedule.

CREATING THE APPROVAL WORKFLOW (CONT’D)

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• Select the Approval Workflow.

• Select New, then select Employee

Expenses as the Application. Give

workflow a meaningful name.

• Select Default Due Date that is in line with your company’s

policy. Use this date to set up reminder notifications.

GENERAL OPTIONS

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• Select Inactive from Status drop-down while the workflow

is under construction; update to Active once completed

GENERAL OPTIONS (CONT’D)

• Select the project routing basis⁃ Top Level: WBS1

⁃ Chargeable Level: WBS1, WBS2, and WBS3

• Select an administrator. Administrator will receive workflow error notifications.

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GENERAL OPTIONS (CONT’D)

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• Select the following as needed.

• Since we have one project per report, we selected Expense Report

Approval Level.

PMA-SPECIFIC WORKFLOW

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• Due to client requirements, we require

employees to submit separate expense

reports for project work (billable or

non-billable) and overhead expenses.

• Each expense report is only for one

project.

WORKFLOW – PMA SPECIFIC (CONT’D)

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• First approval

⁃ Project Lead (project-related expenses) OR

⁃ Expense Group Administrator (overhead expenses).

• Second approval

⁃ Accounting reviews details of the expense report (matching receipts, GSA allocation, proper signature on attachments, etc.).

• Final approval

⁃ Accounting verifies information and approves expense report; processes payment.

GENERAL WORKFLOW

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• If Validate Error at Start conditions are not met,

employee will be required to correct the error

before the expense report can be submitted.

• Each workflow Approval Step can

have multiple actions (e.g., validation, emails, and

alerts).

• The workflow starts when the employee submits

the expense report.

EXPENSE REPORT WORKFLOW EXAMPLE

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VALIDATE ERROR AT START

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• Receipt for $25 and over

VALIDATE ERROR AT START (CONT’D)

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• To/From details

⁃ Required for mileage

VALIDATE ERROR AT START (CONT’D)

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• Business reason

⁃ Required for meetings, meals, etc.

VALIDATE ERROR AT START (CONT’D)

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• List of attendees

⁃ Required for meals, employee entertainment

VALIDATE ERROR AT START (CONT’D)

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• No parentheses when creating Conditions

⁃ Use of ‘Or’ does not work.

⁃ Cannot add line Non-Inv – Client Meals to this condition.

ACTION IF CONDITIONS NOT MET

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Skip to next step

Moves to next step.

Approve stepMarks with unmet

condition approved by the Approval Administrator.

Assign to Administrator

Assigns approval to Approval Administrator.

Final Approval

Marks approval as final.

APPROVAL STEPS

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• Whether project-related or overhead

• Condition

WORKFLOW STATE

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In Approval

• Allows approvers to approve, reject, or reassign but not to edit

In Review

• Allows approvers to edit, review, or reassign

In Progress

• Allows approvers to edit, approve, reject, or reassign

ASSIGNED TO

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• Assigned To

⁃ Person who will approve.

• Project-related reports

⁃ Project Lead indicated in Project Info Center.

• Overhead reports

⁃ Expense Group Administrator assigned to that person.

REJECTION NOTIFICATION

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• Placed on each approval step

FINAL THOUGHTS

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• Initial resistance, but overall very

successful process.

• Reduced amount of paper consumption

and storage.

• Significantly less time spent by

Accounting to process expense reports.

Q&A

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My contact information:

Jodi Burke

JBurke@PMAConsultants.com

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