Project Management:

MIS Implementation
     My organization selected a new vendor for its management information system. When the project manager from the software company left at the end of two months, many issues and problems remained. After months of struggling, my supervisor asked me to get involved and coordinate the final steps needed for a successful implementation.
     I provided additional training to staff (on modules I had not even been trained to use), and I continued to learn how to use the software to perform basic business processes. Most employees relied on me to resolve the issues.
     None of the operational modules were setup to interface to the general ledger, and none of the managers had been given any instructions about how the system builds their data for the interface file. The project had already gone over budget, so I negotiated two months of free training and support from the software company (around $7,000) to finish the project.

Audit Engagement
     I help select the organization's auditor, and I serve as the primary contact for the annual audit. I work all year long to make sure our financial reporting is in compliance with government regulations and GAAP. This has been a challenge in recent years because the federal government and the Governmental Accounting Standards Board have been making many changes to financial reporting requirements.
    I work with other department heads and the Executive Director to prepare all information requested by the auditor each year. There have been no financial audit findings during my time as Comptroller.

Banking Relationship
     I develop and maintain relationships with local banks, and monitor their collateralization of the government funds we hold at the bank. Federal regulations require banks to use dedicated securities as collateral for funds they hold in my organization's name. Some banks don't offer this service, so it can be a challenge to develop new relationships. However, I recenlty developed a relationship with a new bank in town that provides this service for us.
    
Employee Benefit Administration
     I lead the projects to gather proposals for group health insurance, health plan administration, and property insurance. I must stay up-to-date on laws relating to employee benefits; such as COBRA, health savings accounts HSAs, health reimbursement arrangements, and cafeteria plans.
     I worked with the Executive Director to move from a multi-group traditional benefit plan to a single-employer plan in the market. We implemented a high-deductible health plan with a health saving account, partially funded by the employer. This reduced healthcare expenses for the organization; however, the concept was very new at the time and the implementation required a lot of education and change management.

Work Flow Efficiency:

Implement electronic payment processing
     When I started work at my organization, the previous Comptroller had not implemented any electronic payment processing. Many employees came to me to request direct deposit of their payroll checks. Also, we were encountering some issues with mailed checks arriving late at the state tax department and the state retirement system. Tax payments were called in over the phone.
     Over the years, I have implemented direct deposit of payroll checks, EFT tax payments and employee health savings account payments through the bank Web site, and I have learned the new electronic payment software interface at the state retirement system Web site and trained others to use it. We are now considering using electronic payments for vendors who request it.

Automate accounts payable
     At the beginning of my assignment, the accounts payable software system was used as a check-writing system. There was no true accounts payable system in place. I set up a system that required entry of all invoices everyday, and a cash requirement report each week. Invoices are only paid when due.

Develop month-end balancing procedures for other departments
     It has been necessary for me to develop procedures and to train other department heads and staff about balancing operational data in preparation for interface to the general ledger. Two new department heads started work at the same time we implemented the new information system. Neither department head understands accounting, so it has been my task to pull all the information together and help them understand what needs to be done.