Bryn Samuelson and MelissaWait implemented an electronic filing system to replace the paper filing system in use in their Boulder campus org unit. Since both the purchasing and expense systems had moved to electronic receipts/invoicing, Bryn and Melissa decided to follow suit. They created secure files, and made sure that all authorized employees within the Accounting department could access those files. Each fiscal year was assigned a folder, and each speedtype had its own folder. Within the speedtype folder was an outstanding folder for documents that had not been reconciled, and then a folder for each month where the document would be moved once that month’s reconciliation had been processed. To name the files, they used the account code of the expense first, then the amount, and then a description. This made it convenient for reconciling as the files were in the same order as the detailed statement. They also used a PDF for their department’s monthly financial statements, and highlighted the charge on the PDF when the documentation was found.
HOW DOES THIS IMPACT THE UNIVERSITY?
This saved on printing costs as many Procurement Card receipts and invoices were received electronically. Most importantly, it saved time. If someone needed to check the documentation for a receipt, they could recall it within seconds, versus having to dig through the paper files. If they were reviewing their Procurement Card holders’ monthly reports and noticed a receipt hadn’t been uploaded into the system, it could be uploaded with a few clicks, versus searching for the document and then scanning and uploading it. This also reduced the amount of misfiled and misplaced documents.
IMPLEMENTATION STATUS: This process was implemented in July 2011.
Submitted by: Bryn Samuelson and Melissa Wait