Early process map

 

University of Chicago // Overhaul of financial processes

How do you make sure you're getting paid?

Skills used: process mapping, project management and small business development, along with my penchant for whimsy.

NSIT Web Services began formally recording time spent on web projects in 2004. Department reporting and billing processes were in their infancy: invoices were issued erratically and routinely paid with paper forms. I was charged with the implication and standardization of accounts receivable, which in 2008, averaged $1.2 M. I analyzed, designed and documented processes that

• caught misreported time on a weekly basis
• motivated clients to pay electronically
• clarified the role of a part-time billing assistant
• winnowed down departmental bad debt
• established a calendar of fiscal events and
• communicated clearly our payment expectations

Any employees that track their time seldom enjoy slipping their hours. To bring about some lightheartedness at the end of the fiscal year, I sponsored a timeslips awareness week, complete with ribbon, magnetic car ribbon, awareness walk, and flyering.