Getting started with process improvement

[Nandita]

Hello everyone!

At my organization, we are soon going to be implementing SAP Concur (contract has been signed).

Before we get this system set-up though, we also need to improve our processes which are mostly paper-based with lots of redundancies and wastage with no/minimal control. 

In the ideal world, I would like to deisgn the new processes first and then bring the system onboard. Do you think that's the right approach? 

The other thought is to let the product be activated and implemented and then design the processes as we do not know what can Concur do and what it can't. 

I look forward to any suggestions please.

Thanks,

Nandita 

[KevinD]

Nandita,

What size organization are you? I'm asking because we have different configurations of SAP Concur, so knowing which configuration you are on will help me and others give you some guidance.  The two configurations of SAP Concur offer some different things. One of the configuration types allows for a lot more customization options. SAP Concur can do as little as you need or as much (to a point) as you need. If I were doing an implementation, I would probably outline some processes first, then go live. The reason being if you start letting your employees use the system and they get used to certain features or site behaviors, they may give a lot of push back if you were to change things. So, to have some processes in place first, see how these processes would work in the SAP Concur system, then roll it out to your users is what I would recommend. This is just my opinion, so I'll be curious to see what other options people provide to you. 

[DeanR · Accepted solution]

There are a few key areas where you would definitely want to have the business processes agreed and reflected in Concur before you roll it out, e.g.

• Approval processes - will you have multiple approval stages (e.g. Processor, Manager) and, if so, in which order should they be done?
• How will you integrate Concur with your financial/accounting system?
• What are your policies regarding personal expenses on corporate cards (assuming you have a corporate card program)?
• What are your audit rules regarding receipt requirements?
• Do you have business rules regarding entertainment expenses, or do they have taxation rules (e.g. FBT in Australia) that can be configured in Concur?
• Do you have daily spending limits on items such as meals while travelling?

Note: the above is for Concur Expense, as that's the only product we use.  I'm sure there are other key considerations for Travel and Invoice.

[Nandita]

Thanks Dean. This is very insightful. And yes, the reason for my long silence has been 'Process improvement' and finidng answers to many of these questions.

We now have our site configured (well, I guess so as we have not been given a Demo of our site). Anyways, with whatever data has been populated into our site, we are going ahead with a Validation session with my core team. We want to ensure that it is meeting my organization's expense need. And yes, Expense is the only module we are implementing.

Do you have any recommendations on 'Test cases' we should consider prior to the roll out?