MU Departmental & Student Org Deposit Reporting Gets Lean

Most Departments and Student Organizations deposit cash into their PNC bank accounts at least several times a year. Each deposit needs to be reported to Treasury Services so that it can be appropriately processed in Banner. The online platform previously used for reporting bank deposits was cumbersome and inefficient for both the individual entering the deposit information as well as those who had to process it in Banner. Additionally, if a particular deposit was related to a gift, grant, or agreement, the old process was not appropriately collecting the information needed to make a determination about how those funds should be processed and by which office. Significant time was spent following the deposit to gather the information needed to complete the deposit. With well over 1,000 deposits submitted for review and processing each year, something needed to be done to improve this process.

In early 2019, a Lean Team was assembled to evaluate the current process, identify its weaknesses, and develop a new and improved process that would address the many flaws in the system. The Team consisted of Anne Shauer (OARS), Ben Taylor (Treasury), Kerin Banfield (Budget), Qi Zhang (Internal Audit), Joy Seick (Advancement) and Judy Hannon (Advancement). After mapping out the current state for the deposit reporting process and identifying the gaps in information and "pain points," the Lean Team began exploring ways to improve the reporting experience for those entering the information as well as the end users. After some research and deliberation, the Lean Team decided to utilize Formstack as the platform for capturing the deposit information. Formstack enabled the Lean Team to create a form that addresses all of the gaps and pain points of the previous system while providing a user-friendly, streamlined and efficient way to collect, process and report deposit data.

It took the team five months to iron out the processes and build the new form. The form was Beta tested with a few heavy users and the feedback was used to further improve the form. The outcome is a simple, easy to understand form with clear requirements for the department or student organization to complete so Treasury Services and other users can finalize the deposit. The new deposit reporting process went live July 1^st and has greatly improved the entire deposit process.

Certification News- Fall 2019 Cohort

The fall 2019 cohort for the Lean Leader Certification program has been selected. We would like to welcome the following into the program: Luejack Baker (HR), Kelly Burden (HR), Christy Whalen (Accounting), Irena Chushak (Accounting), Gary Cornett (Accounting), Adam Sizemore (PFD), Ryan Dye (Global Initiatives), Crissy Edwards (UE), Josh Havlin (Campus Services), Jazzminn Hembree (CAS), Nate Houser (EMSS), Austin Jutte (Academic Personnel), Betsy Kregar (OEEO), Brent Leishman (Procurement), Becca Mauller (HR), Melissa Burke (EMSS), Shelli Minton (University Communications), Zach Moore (Campus Services), Daniel Olthaus (PFD), Richard Smith (EMSS), Scott Smith (Procurement), Bill Sparks (PFD), Denny Sundermeier (Budget) and Erin Von Bergen (College of Arts and Science).

Certification News- Service Opportunities Expanded

The service component of the continuing education requirements for those in the Lean Leader Certification program has often been met by volunteering at the Lean Fair. This year, the service opportunities have been expanded to offer more options for meeting this requirement. All of the service opportunities can be found on our website.