Many local governments found themselves abruptly thrust into the world of online meetings when state-level mandates to prevent the spread of coronavirus forced them to cancel in-person events. After several months' experience, you might be reconsidering your initial choice. We have assembled a list of five things to consider when choosing an online meeting platform.
When it comes to financial transaction approvals, more is better, right? Not necessarily.
When we have a “close call,” such as an invoice approval when there was no budget authority, we often hope we can avoid future problems by putting “one more set of eyes” on the situation.
Over time, the number of signature lines grows. So how many approvals do you actually need?
It starts with asking one question
It sounds simple, but just asking each approver, “When this form comes to you, what do you do?” can tell you a lot.
Processing documents such as vendor invoices and employee timesheets involves frequent approvals. It can be inefficient to pass around paper for these purposes, so electronic options are attractive to many. Some local governments moved to electronic approvals already, using features in their financial software systems, while the pandemic and teleworking has others exploring options now.
We know that moving to paperless processes has been a goal for some local governments. If you were on the fence, the pandemic might be prompting you to explore your options now. Here is some information we frequently share when asked about going paperless.
Where to find guidance
Many of you are attempting to anticipate the length or depth of the financial impacts of the pandemic. This will be difficult to predict, which makes financial planning challenging. One important tool available to help you in these circumstances is scenario planning.
Scenario planning is the purposeful act of preparing forecasts based on different underlying assumptions. It might include a worst case, a best case, and maybe two more possibilities in between.
Why you should use scenario planning
The Center for Government Innovation, a service to local governments provided by the Washington State Auditor's Office, has been working hard to bring some new resources to local governments, including cities. We'd like to tell you about a few new items, plus what's on the near horizon to be published!
Just released: Cash Receipting Guide
COVID-19 has challenged many governments to consider remote work strategies and how their work processes would need to change. Process improvement specialists have started gathering – virtually – to share their experiences and lessons learned during the pandemic. We are calling these sessions “Virtual Lean Coffee.”
From stickies to screens
It is critical to forecast your cash inflows, outflows, and balances into the near-term future to anticipate liquidity shortfalls and remain solvent. Annual budgets tell you your spending authority for a year, whereas a cash forecast will tell you whether you have sufficient cash in the future on a month to month (or even daily) basis.
Why do it?
Cash forecasts:
We've encouraged local governments to step up their documentation practices, and for good reasons. Sometimes documentation is required by law or by the Budgeting, Accounting, and Reporting System (BARS) manuals. In other situations, documentation is a best practice for conducting government business and can help you in so many ways. Preparing your documentation at the time the event or transaction occurs ensures you capture the most accurate and complete information – both for you and for auditors who often review decisions and actions that happened in the past.
As your employees continue to telework, they might be handling, transferring and storing confidential data at home differently than they did at their usual work location. Ideally, you would have a policy in place and trained employees in this area. If you have taken those steps, that is a great start! However, given this period of change and transition, you'll still want to check in with staff to ensure confidential data is safeguarded.