© State of South Carolina. All rights reserved. GFOASC Presentation May 4, 2015

2 SCEIS Reporting: From Mechanic to Analyst

3 Reports? What do we mean? Outputs from our systems Financial & Non-financial Important to all operations Necessary part of all of our jobs either as builders or reviewers But Are time consuming to build and maintain Not always correct Not in one place or one system

4 So, How do we get better Reports and Processes?

5 It Starts with the Basics Who, What, Where & How? But even before that, it really starts with the very Basics: WHY?

6 Purpose of Accounting Accounting Provides Information to Users for Decision Making We need to understand this before we address any reports, whether they’re Financial or Non financial – Who are the Users? – What Decisions are they making? What is their purpose? – What Information do they need?

7 Where Do We Fit In? Our responsibility is to figure these things out first. Sometimes the Users don’t know what they want but they do know what they are trying to accomplish Remember: – Reports are the Output of our systems – They are the Information provided to Users “Ask Why 5 times” – (Answer is not because we always have gotten this report)

8 Questions to Ask Before You Start Building Who is our Audience? Who are the Users? What do they need? What Decisions are they trying to make? Where will the data come from? How do we generate the report and deliver it? What type of Report is needed? In What Format? When do the users need the Reports? What is the source of the information? What is SCEIS’ (or any System’s) Role? Do the Users understand the Information they will be receiving (i.e. SCEIS vs. STARS)

9 Users Know Your Users One size does not fit all List of some Users: – Citizens – Politicians – Central Authorities – Regulators – Executive Management – Senior Management – Supervisors – Operational Staff

10 Executive Strategic Standard Reports Transactional Level Graphical Dashboards Balanced Scorecards Multi-Dimensional Analysis Cross Application Reporting Agency Reporting Aging Reports Cash Management Budget Line Item Listings Journals Audits/Change Logs Hierarchies within Reporting

11 Decision = Purpose Why are you even running this Report? What is the User going to do with the information? As you explore this question, avoid: – Don’t replicate what you’ve always done – “Here is this Report we’ve gotten for 30 years, we want it out of the new system” – Too much Information – Redundant Information

12 Decisions: Why? Different Users need different Information, or the same information differently: – State View – Agency View – Organizational Unit View The Users are faced with making different decisions: – verifying a transaction – managing budget or cash – projecting the future – measuring performance are some examples

13 Where is the Decision on the Cycle? Develop Strategy PlanAct Analyze and Control

14 Decision Making Cycle Historical Data Base Projections Budget Requests Review and Adoption Budget Publication Controlling Reporting and Analysis

15 Financial Accounting (GAAP Reporting) Budgetary Accounting & Control Cost Accounting Grant Accounting Control & Billing What is the ruling convention?

16 Managerial Accounting Accurately plan, assign, and aggregate costs along defined cost structures Allocation of Cost distributions Structure the organization using hierarchies for reporting purposes Ensure transparency and clear audit trails Trace all costs from the source event to the final product, segment, or organizational area Complete detailed variance analysis Perform analyses including actual to planned or forecast costs for deeper insights into variances

17 Now What? Once we know the decision to make or problem to solve, we can proceed with the Report Building Other areas to address: – Source of data – Security Roles – Delivery of Report (Automated versus Manual; All versus segments)

18 Objectives of Good Reports Timeliness of delivery and data Accuracy of data Understanding parameters Understanding source system Relevance of information: to the point Secure if necessary Flexible, dynamic when needed Fixed, static when needed Clear and Easy to Understand Easy to generate, distribute and maintain

19 How to Run a Report versus What to Do with the Data One Challenge in Reporting is not just to make sure the User knows how to generate the Report, but also knows what to do with the Information: How do they know? User is not a Thermos

20 SCEIS Overall Reporting Goals Provide: – Vital financial information, fiscal services and policy support that the Governor, Legislature and state agencies need to serve the people of South Carolina – Agencies with the tools to understand and track the performance of their programs against relevant requirements – Program managers and analysts with access to tools which enable them to access timely and accurate data – Provide financial and non-financial information that will support the priorities of government in all areas

21 SCEIS Reporting Objectives Deploy solutions that can deliver value to Users across all agencies Reduce costs, improve services, and support priorities within state government Achieve better organizational continuity Understand initiatives throughout state government Help agencies report more efficiently Provide ways to encourage Knowledge Sharing and Best Practices Reduce Re-work

22 Why SCEIS Using SCEIS for Reporting can Generate value by analyzing, advising, organizing and sharing information Contribute to a knowledge network that allows growth and progress Provide a Single enterprise view of data Allow Efficient use and management of data Optimize use of reporting tools that allow User autonomy Provide Data Integration & Data Quality Integrate Administration Improve Efficiencies & compliance Decrease Reconciliations

23 What is SCEIS Trying to Do? Streamlining Reporting Operations Developing Reports to meet Regulatory Compliance Providing better Access to Information Developing Integration across operational areas where possible (1018 example) Empowering Users to create or modify reports as needed Enabling centralized and decentralized decision making Creating knowledge bases Developing processes as key building blocks Providing the right Tools Training Users

24 Using the Right (Best) Tool Operational Reporting Summary Reporting Scheduled Reports Ad hoc Query Analysis Dashboards and Data Visualization

25 Hammer/Nail-Plumbing Wrench “When all you have is a hammer, every problem is a nail.” Reporting Tools: ECC, BEX, Business Objects (BOBJ), Excel, Others BEX Upgrade BOBJ Upgrade – Loading non SCEIS data into BOBJ: Excel Spreadsheets – Linking Business Objects Reports to PowerPoints – Building Reports from Cubes instead of BEX queries – Building Reports from ECC (Cautious approach to this)

26 SCEIS Report Examples Listing of BEX and BOBJ Reports are on SCEIS Website Operational Reports: Z_AGY_DOCLIST, GAGLL03, ZGLA, KSB1, Vendor Actual, FM Document List, Payment Register Standard Reports: Open Encumbrances, AR Aging, Expenditure Summaries, Available Cash, Statement of Changes in Fund Balances Strategic Reports: Budget versus Actual, Appropriation Balances, Expenditure Comparisons

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28 SCEIS Initiatives & Projects in Reporting Data Cleanup to improve Enterprise Reporting Developing Basic Templates Creating MM Reports Dashboards Establishing Performance Measurement Reports with KPI and Targets (Speedometer example) Switchboards TRAINING!! – ECC, BEX & BOBJ – On-Line and Classroom – Jump Start Users Group and Involvement: Knowledge Sharing – Workshops and Advanced Classes

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37 Scheduled Enterprise Reports

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40 Finance Templates Folder

41 Grants Templates Folder

42 FI Projects Folders (Reports in Development)

43 More Useful Reporting = Trust

44 Contact Info John Taylor – –