4/23/2021

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05/12/2021

Creative Minds Think Alike

How to Streamline Processes Through Technology &

Improvement

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Presenters

Brian KuhlDirector of Tax

Services

Ruijun WanAccountant II

Controller’s Office

Dennis Nguyen

Accountant III

General Accounting &

Financial Reporting

Learning Objectives

Identify financial transactions with opportunities for improvement

Assess potential technology solutions based on each process

Determine key factors for successful implementation

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01Technology

Tools

a. OnBaseb. Microsoft Teamsc. Microsoft Formsd. Microsoft Excel Macros

Tips for Success

Reasons for Continuous

Improvement

02 03

Agenda

01REASONS FOR CONTINUOUS

IMPROVEMENT

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The Struggle is Real

• Overload of Paper• Breakdowns in

Communication• Too Many Excel

Spreadsheets

FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING

Strategic Planning

• Representatives from all departments

• Shared Vision

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FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING

OUR VISION

To be the most knowledgeable and transformativeFinance and Accounting Division in the nation.

Our culture of continuous improvement will enable our trusted professionals to set the standard for employee excellence and customer service.

FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING

OUR CORE VALUES

● Go the Extra Mile – We commit to collaborating with customers and peers. We never settle in anything we do, and we challenge our ideas of what is possible to better serve our customers.

● Challenge the Status Quo – We embrace change as a catalyst for continuous improvement by seeking innovative opportunities to become more effective and efficient in all that we do.

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How did we build our culture?

Communicate: “Living the Values”

Remove Barriers: Open Mind and

Manager SupportCelebrate Success!

Change is everyone’s responsibility

Benefits of Continuous Improvement

Reduces Errors

Automates Workflow

Improves Accuracy

Increased Timeliness

Relieves Stress

More Flexibility

Fosters Development Remote Work

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Where do we start?

Where can we potentially do

things better for our customers and

for ourselves?

Envision: How would this process

look in a perfect world, and what

can we do to start moving in that

direction?

Remember: Create Change Agents, not Change Survivors!

Current State

Map Out Processes

Other areas/offices

involved?

How often?

List data sources used

List software used

Document the timing

Document obstacles

List redundancies

List unnecessary

steps

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Small Changes

Add up to

BIGImprovements

02TECHNOLOGY

TOOLS

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Tools for Improvement

Poll

Which of the following tools are you regularly using?

• OnBase• Microsoft Teams (non-chat functions)• Microsoft Forms • Microsoft Excel

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ONBASE

Centralizes business content and processes in one secure location and delivers relevant information when and where you need it.

OnBase

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OnBase Capabilities

OnBase – As Document Storage Solution

Disbursement Vouchers Travel P-Cards

Departmental Deposits

HR Records and ePAF

Bursar: Student Tuition

Statement

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In Action!OnBase Utilized by

Auxiliary Accounting for UBI Certification

OnBase – Annual UnrelatedBusiness Income (UBI) Certification

Annually, our department received hundreds of

paper or Excel forms from departments

Departments had to obtain physical

signatures

There was a lack of process transparency

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In Action! OnBase Process Flow

Email Received by Primary UBI

Contact

Primary Contact

completes the Questionnaire

Highest Administrator certifies the

Questionnaire

EBA/Auxiliary Office Reviews Questionnaire

Determination is issued on

Revenue Taxability

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3Step 4

Step 5UBI

Certification Process

In Action! UBI Questionnaire on the Web

https://www.fa.ufl.edu/directives/ubi-questionnaire-and-certification/

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In Action! UBI Questionnaire and Certification

In Action! UBI Questionnaire and Certification

Select UBI # and Activity Category from a drop-down menu.The UBI name will auto-populate based on your selection

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In Action! UBI Questionnaire and Certification

Time savings: Drop-down menus are connected to an Excel File or PeopleSoft/MyUFL.

Logic: Some questions are filtered based on responses to previous questions on the form.

In Action! UBI Questionnaire and Certification

Time Savings: Once you enter the person's UFID, the rest of their information will auto-populate.

Logic: Assign a primary financial contact and certifier based solely on UFID.

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In Action! UBI Questionnaire and Certification

Forms have a “Save and Return” option, so you can come back and complete it later

OnBase form allows attachments for supporting documentation

In Action! UBI Questionnaire and Certification

Click on the link to review and certify the questionnaire

Once submitted, an automated email is generated to the approver based on the UFID and established workflow

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Approver Actions

No Revisions Needed

Option 1

Return for Revisions

Option 2 Make

Corrections and Save

Option 3

In Action! UBI Questionnaire and Certification

Options 1 and 3 will certify the questionnaire

In Action! UBI Questionnaire and Certification

Customizable action buttons created in OnBase can match your unique process flow

Use these buttons to easily progress through your workflow

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In Action! UBI Questionnaire and Certification

OnBase shows submitted forms in multiple staging folders.

• Helps categorize and keep track of what has been done and what still needs to be done

• Creates transparency and allows anyone to see a form’s current status is in the process!

In Action! UBI Questionnaire and Certification

From the “Find My UBI Certification” button on the website, UF employees can quickly access any form associated with their UFID

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Other Examples of OnBase In Action!

In Action! OnBase Utilized by Payroll Services for Emergency Check Request Forms

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In Action! OnBase Utilized by Payroll Services for Emergency Check Request Forms

Again, action buttons are used to progress through the workflow, including sending automated email responses

Workflow Queue – Shows where a form is in the process, which anyone can see

In Action! OnBase Utilized by theController’s Office for Student Intern Applications

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In Action! OnBase Utilized by UFHRfor Remote Work Agreements

Advantages of OnBase

Connects with data sources to pull Department,

ChartFields, etc. from MyUFL

Automates approval workflow

Auto-populates fields based on

UFID

Saves paper since processes

used to be heavily paper

driven

Improves turnaround

time

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More Advantages of OnBase

Electronic System with required user

authentication

Easy Updates to Primary Contact or

Dept Approver

Pre-populate from prior year (less data

entry required)

Save or Submit

Form Options

Workflow for Review and Approvals / Return for Edits

Monitoring Certification Status

High-level Department Review

& Approvals

Data Export and Reporting (Activity Types, Department,

Revenue, etc.)

Automated email notifications

between queues and timed completion

reminders

Reporting Dashboards in OnBase

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Small Group Discussion

In what ways is your department utilizing OnBase?

Are there processes in your department where you think an OnBase solution would help?

Time: 5 minutes

MICROSOFT TEAMS

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Microsoft Teams

A business communication platform that allows for chat,

video conferencing, file storage, and application integration

Due to COVID-19, Finance & Accounting, and hundreds of UF departments adapted to using

Microsoft Teams to successfully transition to remote working

Gator Business Administrator Services (GBAS) offers a brief Microsoft Teams orientation through Fiscal Onboarding Training: https://www.fa.ufl.edu/directives/fiscal-onboarding/

Microsoft Teams

Daily Average Users

November 2019 20 million

April 2020 75 million

December 2020 115 million

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Microsoft Teams Feature: TeamsUse Teams to

organize groups of people together!

Microsoft Teams Feature: ChannelsUse channels to

dedicate sections within

a team to specific topics !

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Microsoft Teams Feature: Chat Use chat to stay updated

with your team!

Microsoft Teams Feature: Files

Each application is collaborative and

allows multiple users to work in the same application at once

Can upload Microsoft Office applications

such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint,

OneNote, and Forms

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Collaboration in action!

Advantages of Microsoft Teams

Keep communications

in one place with chat and

channels

Integrates with other Microsoft

apps (Word, Excel, etc.)

Share and work on files

simultaneously

Includes a variety of online productivity tools, data analytics

& graphs

Can host meetings and

have break-out rooms

Skype for Business will be replaced with Microsoft

Teams May 9, 2021

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Let's Chat

What is the most innovative or useful way that your unit utilizes Microsoft Teams?

MICROSOFT FORMS

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Microsoft Forms

Integrated with Office365, Forms is a platform that allows

users to create surveys, quizzes,

and polls to collect responses in real

time with visualizations.

In Action! Finance & Accounting using Microsoft Forms for UF Marketplace Purchase Requests

● The Controller’s Office developed a purchase request form for FY21.

● Helps ensure that protocols are followed and supporting documentation is readily available for purchases

● Provides more visibility into spending patterns

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In Action! Finance & Accounting using Microsoft Forms for Foreign National Info System Requests

● The form recognizes the user via UF Two-Factor Authentication

● Required fields are noted with an asterisk

● Question/Answer format may be multiple choice, ranking, dates, text, etc.

● Option: Shuffle questions or drag and drop to modify the order

● Option: Skip questions based on a pre-determined response

Microsoft Forms Feature – Visual Summary

Microsoft Forms provides a visual summary of responses, including charts and graphs

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Microsoft Forms Feature – Excel Log

Advantages of Microsoft Forms

Results visualized as

summaries and Excel export

Real-time submissions and results

User-friendly and very easy

to create

Integrates with other Microsoft

apps (Teams, Excel, etc.)

Simultaneous collaboration

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Let’s Chat

In your group share ways in which your departmentcould benefit by using Microsoft Forms!

MICROSOFT EXCEL MACROS

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Microsoft Excel Macros

An action or a set of actions that can run repeatedly.

Helpful for daily tasks

in Excel

Helpful for repeated

tasks

Example Scenario

STEP 1:REVIEW

ROUTINE TASKS

Pre-Work Data Analysis Revenues, Deposits, Cash Expense

Sponsored Projects Other Expenses and Corrections

Cost Accounting Standards Fund Code Compliance

Effort and LOA EBA and Auxiliary

Payroll PCard Credit Limit

Travel Reconcile Budget to Review Period

Equipment, Rentals, Supplies Reimbursements Checklist

PCard

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Example Scenario Cont'd

STEP 2: OUTLINE THE

PROCESS

STEP 3:BE MINDFUL

OF TIME CONSTRAINTS

STEP 4:IDENTIFY

CHALLENGES

Example Scenario – BEFORE Macros

1. Run reports from PeopleSoft

2. Add a new column to apply formulas & to filter the active projects

3. Add a new column to determine the cost share difference by applying a formula

4. Create another 2 columns to help match projects & PI name

5. Set up a pivot table based on data results

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Example Scenario –AFTER Macros

MANUAL STEP:

MACRO STEPS:

Run reports from Peoplesoft

Replaced with pre-set template that, with the click of a button, preformats the spreadsheet for the Pivot table!

Example Scenario – AFTER Macros (with template)

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Demo: PCard Aging Analysis

Record a Macro Organize Data

Refresh Pivot Table

VBA – Visual Basic for Applications

● WHAT? VBA is the language used in

Excel and other Office programs to

code functions and tasks within Macros.

● WHY? Learning VBA coding enables

you to edit and add additional

functionality to your macros.

● HOW? Open the Visual Basic Editor in

Excel. Read some of the code.

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VBA Language

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HSP Journal Preparation before VBA

Edit & save the downloaded Load Activity Comprehensive Report

Pivot relevant information for journal processing

Use query in myUFL to match each HSP Request ID to the corresponding ChartField string & transfer the

information into the journal spreadsheet

Create Journal Spreadsheet Upload with ChartField strings, load amounts, and HSP Request IDS

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HSP Journal Preparation Tool

Load Activity Report

JournalUpload

HSP_FUNDING_SOURCE_TO_

INVOICE Raw Data

Create Journal Upload

Clear Sheets

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Demo: Human Subject Payments Journal Preparation Tool

Create Journal Upload

ClearSheets

Advantages of Microsoft Excel Macros

Code in VBA/Record Steps

Automates Repetitive Tasks

Reduces Human Error

Efficient

Integrates with Teams

Generates Reports

Creates Emails

Creates Macro-Driven Applications

Saves Files to Various Directories

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Excel Macros - Resources

YouTube : “VBA” and

“Excel Macro”

Google Search

Microsoft Office

Support Guides

Contact Dennis and Ruijun for guidance, too!

LinkedIn Learning:

“Excel Macro”

Let's Chat

What opportunities in your department can potentially become more efficient with the use of technology tools (OnBase, Microsoft Teams/Forms/Excel)?

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03TIPS FOR SUCCESS

TIPS

Seek input from all levels

Document processes

Explore new tools

Use your resources

Teams of all sizes can be successful

Identify areas to improve

Work smarter,

not harder

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TIPS

1. Start small, based on your current skill level.

2. Achieve success with a few small projects or techniques.

3. Continue to build your knowledge as you expand complexity.

4. Share and celebrate success with others.

UF manages many software

licensing agreements for

student, faculty/staff, and departmental use

https://software.ufl.edu/software-listings/

https://irm.ufl.edu/fast-path-solutions/

TIPS

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Questions?

With some simple tools, you can be a Superhero for your Department!

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Contact Information

Brian Kuhl, Director of Tax Servicesbkuhl@ufl.edu

Ruijun Wan, Accountant II wanr543916@ufl.edu

Dennis Nguyen, Accountant III gatorsnguyen@ufl.edu

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THANK YOU

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