Project Purpose - Leeds School of Businessleeds-faculty.colorado.edu/marlattj/acct45405540/Fall200… · Web viewEstablish a Balanced Scorecard (BSC) that evaluates the specific

Accounting Information SystemsACCT 4540/5540

Improving Efficiency of the State of Colorado Department of Revenue

Final Deliverable

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Contact Information

Team Contact Information:

Adam PashaProject [email protected]

Josh PakImplementation [email protected]

Max SarloScorecard [email protected]

Tim MilleaTraining Industry Knowledge [email protected]

Client Contact Information:

Tammy L. SorensenSenior Revenue AgentState of Colorado Department of [email protected]

Professor Contact Information:

James MarlattAccounting Information Systems ProfessorUniversity of Colorado at [email protected]

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mailto:[email protected]






Table of Contents

How Final Deliverable Differs…………………………………………………...…..….5

Project Purpose…………………………………………………………………………..6

Objectives……………………………………………………………...……………....…6

Project In-Scope……………………………………………………...………………….8

Project Out-of-Scope………………………………………………………………….…9

Deliverables………………………………………………………………………….…...9

Project Manager Authority……………………………………………………………..9

Work Breakdown Structure………………………………………………………...…10

Project Schedule………………………………………………………………………...15

Assumptions…………………………………………………………………………….17

Project Cost Analysis…………………………………………………………………..18

Identifying Project Risks………………………………………………………………20

Stakeholder Analysis…………………………………………………………………...25

Project Quality………………………………………………………………………….27

Project Change Management……………………………………………………….…27

Project Closing……………………………………………………………………….…28

Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………….29

Status Reports……………………………………………………………………..……31

Meeting Minutes……………………………………………………………………...…31

Risk Management Updates………………………………………………………….…43

Quality Assurance………………………………………………………………………43

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Lessons Learned……………………………………………………………………...…43Peer Evaluations………………………………………………………………………...43

Appendix

Slideshow Presentation

Research

First Draft

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How Final Deliverable Differs

This project has been a series of tests, hardships, and rewards every step of the way. Along each internal or external due-date, we as a team had to respond to changes and were constantly updating and revising our project. This was no truer for us when we turned in our ‘First Deliverable’ and received Professor Jim Marlatt’s responses back. While he believed we were on the right track and had done a lot of good work, he directed us in a few ways and gave some ideas of how to focus our attention better. With that said, we followed his recommendations, as well as the feedback we got from Statera and implemented the following changes from our ‘First Deliverable’ to our ‘Final Deliverable:’

Most importantly, we narrowed down our paper and our topic, and completely focused on Yellow Book Audit Standards. In our ‘First Deliverable,’ introducing Yellow Book accounted for 1/3 of the changes we sought to bring to the Department. The other three changes included an increase of basic training and how training is done, as well as establishing a generalized Balanced Scorecard that would score, rate, and rank all employees based off of their every day jobs. We focused in on Yellow Book Audit Standards as they were the most realistic of changes, the standards could bring the biggest benefits to the Department, and the adoption of the standards offered a more detailed plan that we could write up and give to Tammy. This change completely effected every sub-heading and idea in our paper; however, by focusing in on this stronger topic we were able to make our paper and our presentation much stronger.

Based off of our communications with Statera, we scaled down the timeline for our proposal from two years to one. We agreed with Statera that two years was too long of a project timeline and that adoption and employee buy-in could be difficult for such a long plan.

We switched a general Balanced Scorecard to a Balanced Scorecard that would rate employees on their adherence and knowledge of Yellow Book.

Our plans in dealing with possible change reluctance became much more informal for our ‘Final Deliverable’ than it was in our ‘First Deliverable.’ Our first plans called for having surveys and emails sent continuously in a very structured, formal setting. It completely ignored the fact that concerns and comments from crowds are often very sensitive issues and are preferred to be handled in more sensitive methods. As such, we have developed a few methods that keep the complainer’s identity anonymous.

Again, these changes to our project brought more work and thought to the project, but have definitely added to make the paper and the presentation stronger.

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Project Purpose

The purpose of our project is to increase efficiency and motivation amongst the auditors to ensure more accurate work that leads way to full tax revenue recognition. We plan on achieving this goal by persuading the Department of Revenue to adopt a standardized audit methodology, as well as setting a schedule for training and implementation, and incorporating a system to measure performance and progress of the utilization of the new methodology.

Objectives

To accomplish our ultimate objective of recognizing full tax revenue, we have set multiple “small picture” objectives that will path the way. The “small picture” objectives include recommending and persuading the Department of Revenue to adopt the standardized audit methodology known as Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS), more commonly known as Yellow Book. With respect to Yellow Book our timetable specific objectives include the following:

Communicate to the Department the positives of adopting Yellow Book Standards in a comprehensive, detailed manner.

Establish schedule for adoption and training. o Schedule to set up an in-depth training plan includes the following:

The Department should first look internally for a knowledgeable leader in GAGAS who can teach the rest of the Department the audit methodology. If the Department deems there is no one suitable, the Department should look for an external consultant that will be compensated to produce lectures on GAGAS that will be filmed and posted on the Department’s intranet site.

Within the first three months of 2010, have the internal or external “Yellow Book Expert” film detailed lectures covering all sections of the Yellow Book.

Use the video from the lectures and have IT or if necessary external IT consultants to post the video on the Department’s intranet site. This will be a one-time monetary cost, as the lecture material will be used until it becomes outdated (Note: Yellow Book has not gone through any drastic changes since 1999). This process will be a slow and gradual transition that does not look to overwhelm everyone. Preliminary goal is to have ½ of the Yellow Book lecture material implemented into the system and easily accessed by any and all employees on May 1st, 2010.

In addition to posting the training videos on-line, IT will have a discussion link as well as a link for mandated quizzes for the Department to use. The discussion link will be used for auditors to ask other auditors questions and allow for a more open, relaxed

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environment which perfectly fits in with the Department’s culture. This too will allow auditors to not bother or utilize their senior’s time with regards to questions. The quiz link will be used for when the Department mandates their auditors to take quizzes upon completion of a lesson.

o Schedule for adoption of Yellow Book Standards: For all employees, the Department will require two-week training

in Yellow Book Standards in May of 2010. Those employees will access the training videos on-line and be forced to take quizzes.

In the summer of 2010, the Department will send one Senior at a time to a Wyoming state audit where Yellow Book standards are currently being followed. This will give Seniors and above a great real world feel for how the standards are utilized.

Test employees on Yellow Book standards in the late summer/early fall of 2010 to ensure that the Department and its employees can handle properly and effectively, tax audits using the Yellow Book Standards.

For all employees, the Department will require a second training session that will last one-week in July of 2010. Those employees will access the training videos on-line and be forced to take quizzes.

By the beginning of the 3rd Quarter of 2010, the Department will fully adopt Yellow Book Standards as well as adhere to its requirements. Those requirements being following the exact rules and methodology that the Yellow Book calls for on all occasions, as well as meeting the 80 hour training requirement for every two years for every auditor with at least 20 hours of training per year.

Institute a quarterly training for first two years of Yellow Book implementation for all employees to ensure the subject resonates with them.

Institute a training annually thereafter to update all employees on any changes or additions to Yellow Book Standards.

Implement internal performance audits on auditors to gauge the effectiveness and results of adherence to Yellow Book standards

o Establish a Balanced Scorecard (BSC) that evaluates the specific employee’s adoption and usage of Yellow Book standards. Specific ideas that they will be graded and ranked upon include the following: he/she’s knowledge and understanding of the standards (as seen by quiz results and feedback from Senior) as well as the ability to teach them to fellow auditors on the job. The latter notion will be most important for Seniors as they will be primarily teaching their subordinates the majority of the time.

o The BSC will be used for the Department to see what needs to occur to make the Yellow Book adoption more efficient and effective, as well as be a basis that determines raises at the Department, and as an influential factor to promotions in May of 2010.

o Implement the following system which shows the relation of scores on the Balanced Scorecards to amount of raise received:

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Tier in Which Employee Scored on BSC Compared to Employees of Same Position

(5 Tiers consisting of equal amount of employees in each)

% of Money Available from the Department to be Distributed Through

Raises (each tier splits this amount)1st Tier (Highest) 30%

2nd Tier 25%3rd Tier 20%4th Tier 15%

5th Tier (Lowest) 10%

o If the BSC idea works and is well utilized with respect to Yellow Book adoption, the Department may want to in the future adopt a generalized, complete picture BSC that grades and ranks each employee based on all aspects of their job.

o With regards to easing the progression of adoption of Yellow Book standards, it will be important to maintain constant communication and have the Seniors really push for feedback and comments from their subordinates. In addition, at the end of each of audit, each auditor will be required to have a formal sit down with their Senior where they can voice their comments, suggestions, recommendations, and complaints regarding how the audit went and what he/she had a difficult time on.

Project In-Scope

With our objectives in mind, as well as being aware of resources, it is important that we define what is “in-scope” and “out-of-scope” of our project. Items in both lists are very important to us, and would be very beneficial to the Department, but due to various constraints our project will only focus on those that are “in scope.” Again, they will be defined in the four categories we plan to target through our changes.

Project In-Scope includes: Instituting schedules to guide timetable on the following:

o Setting up websites with training videos posted on them.o Setting up time in everyone schedules to train (block it out in

advance).o Setting up quizzes that are indicative of the lessons learned in training,

and that are the determining factor of an employee “passing” a training session or not.

o Identifying the essentials needed for someone from the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) or someone internal who is knowledgeable and certified to teach, be the trainer with regards to both in-house trainings, and the video trainings.

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o Institute Yellow Book standards to company and establish timetable for when each position needs to be proficient with standards in real world audits.

o Establish and define important criteria that are integral to the efficiency and success of Yellow Book adoption by way of a tailored BSC and have each criterion weighted for its importance on the final score of the BSC.

Project Out-of-Scope:

Items and ideas that are potentially important to the success of our project but are not necessarily goals or a possibility for our team are the following:

Providing external factors for employees to utilize in learning and adopting Yellow Book Standards.

Setting up a hot-site to mitigate the risk of the internal site crashing. Analyzing and/or challenging specific proclamations from the Yellow Book

itself.

Deliverables Analysis of what is to be expected with adopting Yellow Book Standards;

including monetary costs, time related costs, and tangible and intangible benefits, and real world evidence of an increase in production and efficiency directly related to adoption.

Precise plan for how training will occur and be implemented within the Department.

Balanced Scorecard that gauges employees on criteria that is believed to be important for a successful adoption and utilization of Yellow Book Standards (See Appendix A).

The introduction of a Balanced Scorecard that gauges employees on all aspects of their jobs (See Appendix B).

A sample of a quiz that would be given to entry level revenue agents after taking one of the training sessions that will be required (See Appendix C).

An informative card that can be handed out to all employees that generally defines what Yellow Book is (See Appendix D).

Project Manager Authority:

As Project Manager, Adam Pasha has the authority to do the following:

Determine the project approach, including milestones; deliverables; and scope.

Determine which of our objectives is of highest priority. Determine from our scope, what is “in” and “out” of scope. Identify and recruit project team. Determine project resource requirements, including funding, people and

equipment.

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Determine how to allocate/reallocate project resources throughout the project. Fire project team members if any problem that cannot be fixed arises. Identify and communicate directly with all project stakeholders as the project

manager sees fit. Determine which recommendations to implement if the project

sponsor/project stakeholders do not provide this feedback within three business days of it being requested.

Ensure team meets overall goal of project by the deadline.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

While Myers Briggs is a very useful tool that can be used to understand how one works with and relates to others, for the purposes of our project and team formation we found it more beneficial to use another method for team formation. On the day teams were formed in class, Adam Pasha, the Project Manager, asked each prospective member what their end personal goal was with this project, and how much work he or she was willing to put into the project. The project manager and the members that joined all answered those questions in a very similar form, and thus it was a perfect fit from the start. The end personal goal for all the members was to learn a lot, get real world business experience, and achieve the highest grade for the team. With regards to work loads, the team members all agreed that they were willing to put in as much time and energy as possible. With that, the team was formed and we have not looked back since.

Once our team was formed and we had our project idea down, it was important for us to identify the unique skills specific to the project and to the subject matter that would be needed to produce a high-quality finished product. With that in mind, we identified our one main goal of successful Yellow Book adoption into four sub-sections. Those sub-sections include training, audit methodology, balanced scorecards and change management. Once those were established, we discussed as a team who would be best suited for each objective. In completing the ‘Skills Matrix’ (shown below) we were able to decide who would work on what, and who would help out others on what. With that said, it was determined that Tim would work on attaining our objectives with regards to training, Adam would work on attaining our objectives with regards to audit methodology, Max would work on attaining our objectives with regards to promotions and raises, and Josh would work on attaining our objectives with regards to change management.

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Skills Matrix

Team Member/Time

AvailableTraining Industry

Implementation of

Promotions and Raises

Audit Methodology

Change Management

Adam: 85% A A A NETim: 85% A A NE NEMax: 85% NE A NE LEJosh: 85% NE A NE A

Key:E ExpertA Acquired

LE Limited ExperienceNE No Experience

The ‘Skills Matrix’ set us each off in our own direction initially, as we used it to have us each emphasize on a specific objective. Before we could go off in our initial directions however, we decided it best to develop a plan that would agree to the ‘Skills Matrix’ as well as the time available for each member. With that in mind, we formed a ‘Project Team Organization Chart’ that would be used to help define the work every individual would do, as well as influence how we would set up our ‘Work Breakdown Structure’ and ‘Project Schedule.’ Below is our ‘Project Team Organization Chart:’

Project Team Organization Chart

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Steering Committee:Jim, Professor

Key Stakeholder:Tammy Sorenson,

Senior Revenue Agent

Training Industry Knowledge Leader:

Tim Millea

Implementation Consultant:

Josh Pak

Scorecard Analyst:

Max Sarlo

Project Manager:

Adam Pasha

Once we set up our organization chart, we decided it best to define each person’s responsibilities based off of their skills (identified in the ‘Skills Matrix’) and based off of their role in the team (identified in the organization chart). The following identities the key players of our project, and identifies each person’s responsibilities with respect to the project:

Responsibility MatrixRole Responsibility

Project Sponsor – Tammy

Approve project charter and provide project resources necessary to complete project as planned.

Review and comment on project requests within 3 business days of the request being made.

Help project team resolve any problems encountered during the project. Communicate any changes in company strategy or focus that may impact

the project in a timely manner. To the best of her ability, help the team out with regards to any questions

or comments they have. To notify the team if the team is going in the wrong direction. To give the team honest feedback and keep in mind that the purpose of

this project is to benefit her and her employees.

Instructor – Jim Provide feedback on our report that will be utilized to create a better project.

Introduce team to key knowledge holders (i.e. Statera, Tammy, etc). Provide direction and guidance if team requires additional help.

Project Manager – Adam

Develop and get approval on the project plan. Communicate project issues to the project sponsor as soon as they are

identified. Communicate project status to Jim as well as Tammy when need be. Communicate project information as appropriate to the project team on a

daily basis. Provide support to the project team so they are clear about their

responsibilities and make sure they have the resources they need to accomplish their tasks.

Maintain the project schedule, budget and other planning documents to be clear about actual project progress compared to budget.

Implement schedule and guidelines for bringing Yellow Book Standards to the Department. Research and plan for schedule and timetable that it will take Department to adopt standards.

Training Industry Expert – Tim

Develop template of what training website should look like for the Department.

Develop goals, objectives, and standards of what we project training to look like at the Department.

Continue research of other states and what they recommend for training.

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Role ResponsibilityScorecard Analyst – Max

Develop a scorecard that implements a point system. Anticipate and plan for negative and positive reactions with regards to a

Balanced Scorecard system. Consider internal controls with regards to safekeeping BSC’s. Develop an implementation schedule with regards to when, what, and

who the BSC will affect.Implementation Consultant - Josh

Develop system that helps promote change with optimism, and one that works well with feedback.

Anticipate responses from employees to changes and plan for how Department will respond to them.

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After defining everyone’s responsibilities, we were finally able to set up a ‘Work Breakdown Structure’ that would combine everyone’s respective role, responsibilities, and skills into a detailed visual outline that shows all the work that needs to be done to accomplish the project’s objectives. The ‘Work Breakdown Structure’ is also a great visual tool that illustrates individual efforts in the grand scheme of things, and shows how those individual efforts make up the completed finished product. The following is the ‘Work Breakdown Structure’ for our team:

Work Breakdown Structure

-Suggest adoption -Produce a BSC -Establish of Yellow Book -Establish criteria relationships -Institute training BSC will contain w/ influential -Get user feedback -Implement point people -Update prototype system -Get stake-

-Outline how BSC holder feed-will affect backdistribution of -Update asfunds for raises needed

-Draft require- -Broadcasting -Develop pro- ments software on totype -Review with intranet -Test system key stake- -Develop -Update system holders specific & intranet as -Update intranet site needed requirements -Update web- -Convert data -Get sign-off site -Develop training

-Design materials quizzes -Train users

-Go live

Finally, with the creation of the ‘Work Breakdown Structure’ we were finally able to do the last step in planning for our project, the ‘Project Schedule.’

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4.0 Change Implementation

1.0 Training System

3.0 Scorecard System

2.0 Audit Methodology

Project Under-Utilized

1.1 Requirement Analysis

1.2 Design

1.3 Implementation

Project Schedule

The ‘Project Schedule’ is a great tool that has helped our team focus on what is important for our final deliverable, and when important due dates exist. We identified and mandated certain due dates for certain deliverables and tasks and we put a specific timeline on when they were supposed to be done. As we work as an integrated, cohesive team, all due dates are ‘team due dates,’ and thus if a deadline is missed, the team as a whole fails. It puts an importance on every task and places a significance on teamwork and working together. The ‘Project Schedule’ is very important as well because it shows the relationship of specific deliverables to the final product, and shows that every task we do is important in the grand scheme of things. Our detailed ‘Project Schedule’ is as follows:

Project Schedule

Activity Time Table to Accomplish Task (By Week) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Project Planning Analysis Discuss and choose topic Approve topic with James Marlatt and Tammy Sorensen

Read material prepared by Tammy Sorensen Read "The Seven Slides Solution" Prepare Premise Prepare Conflict and Tension Prepare Turning Point Prepare Resolution Meet with Tammy Sorensen and ask specific questions

Meet with Statera and ask specific questions

Meet with GenTax and ask specific questions

Contact other states in the US to determine how they handle issues at hand Research through other means (i.e. Knowledgeleader)

Correspond with Tammy Sorensen with questions and comments regarding project

Correspond with Jim Marlatt with questions and comments regarding project

Activity Time Table to Accomplish Task (By Week)

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Design Write a specified, detailed "five story" problem Design a specific Balanced Scorecard that would be easily utilized by the Department of Revenue

Put together the First Deliverable. Include purpose, objectives, project in and out-of-scope, deliverables, project manager authority, work breakdown structure, project schedule, assumptions, project cost analysis, project risks, stakeholder analysis, project quality, project change management, and project closing

Design a mock quiz that would be an example of what employees have to take after training sessions Design measurable timetable for each of our changes and objectives Create informational card that defines what Yellow Book is on a general basis for employees. Develop seven slide slideshow to be presented to client and class Implementation Develop resolutions, answers, and end-points for our project Get substantial evidence for prospective resolutions

Write prospective resolutions into final write-up and presentation Prepare final presentation Prepare final deliverable Practice final presentation

Assumptions

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With our project plan, we realize that our proposed changes will have a large affect on more than just what we are just targeting on. With that in mind, it is very important for us to brainstorm and identity all occurrences that may occur with the adoption of our changes. Our assumptions are listed below and categorized under the main changes we wish to implement.

Assumptions and action points related to the training associated with Yellow book:

o Some employees will be upset with how much training they have to incur.o Employees will give valuable, beneficial feedback that will help ease this

transition process along.o One or two employees might dislike training increases so much that the

Department might see those extreme employees quit.o Time will be lost for employees doing their job duties and responsibilities

(This needs to be planned for and mapped out to identify how said work will be taken care of).

o Cost of training, both in regards to monetary costs and time costs, will be rather significant for the department but will have larger long-term benefits.

o Training, via videos on the intranet, will not represent all forms of training. On the job training will still occur and be extremely vital to employees’ personal growth.

o Video training sessions on the intranet will be the most valuable educational tool as it has the ability to teach numerous people in different locations simultaneously.

o Requiring employees to take quizzes after the training session to decide if employee passes the particular session will mandate people to watch sessions and pay close attention.

o Quizzes after training sessions will highlight employees that need more training or teaching.

Assumptions and action points related to Yellow Book adherence and implementation:

o The process of getting Yellow Book Standards to be integrated in the work of employees will require a lot of time and training for employees.

o The learning curve to fully grasp and be able to apply Yellow Book Standards will be high and the Department will likely see problems with comprehension at first.

o Yellow Book Standards will streamline and make the audit work more efficient/accurate.

o By all auditors working off of the same standards, all audits will become more comparable which is very beneficial to the Department because it ensures for a consistent approach.

o Efficiency and accuracy that the standardized audit methodology will bring will outweigh the actual costs of the training.

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Assumptions and action points related to the proposed Balanced Scorecard (BSC) that will help gauge adoption of Yellow Book:

o Linking scores on a Balanced Scorecard (BSC) will directly illustrate one’s adherence and knowledge to Yellow Book.

o Linking scores on a BSC will directly illustrate one’s work ethic and accuracy.

o The BSC will bring raises and promotions to more deserving people as it quantifies an employee’s work drive and then ranks that quantifiable number with other employees in the same work title.

o Barring a biased evaluator, the BSC system is a fair and objective way in rewarding employees.

o By instituting a more competitive atmosphere with the BSC system, people will work harder and more efficiently.

Project Cost Analysis

Perhaps the most important aspect to consider before project implementation is to analyze the associated costs and benefits. Costs fall into two main categories, ‘development costs’ and ‘operational/maintenance costs.’ Benefits also fall into two main categories, ‘tangible benefits’ and ‘intangible benefits.’ It is important to identify and quantify both costs and benefits before a project is implemented to understand the reality of executing a particular project. As part of our project planning process, we have identified and quantified to the best of our abilities the costs and benefits in regards to the four main changes we hope to bring to the Department.

The following are the presumed costs and benefits: Within the next six months, objective is to have a functional website on

the intranet. In order for this to occur, the Department will see a few development costs. First, the Department will need to find someone from the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) or someone internal who is knowledgeable and certified to teach. If an outsider is chosen to teach, money will be necessary to pay expenses. If someone from the Department is chosen, the particular employee will lose time in which could be utilized doing his or her other job roles. Another development cost will be to have IT post these video training sessions on the intranet. This will not necessarily cost a physical monetary payment to the Department, but again it will eat up precious time for employees that could be utilizing that time doing other job responsibilities.

Operational and maintenance costs for training implementation are defined by more time costs. The time it will take the employees to take the training sessions, the time it will take IT to continue to maintenance the system, and the time that it will take to update the training sessions year-in and year-out all constitute for a heavy time commitment.

The immediate benefits that the training sessions will bring can primarily be defined as intangible benefits, but they will eventually translate to tangible benefits. By having these training sessions, the auditors will

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become more knowledgeable and thus better at their jobs. Their expertise will grow as will their efficiency and accuracy on the audits. This idea of better, more accurate work will translate to full revenue recognition, which is what we mean by intangible benefits turning into tangible benefits. Unfortunately, as our training plan is quite unique, and as we are not experts in tax audits, we cannot define the exact costs or the exact monetary benefits from this plan. Taking a principle’s based approach however, the idea of spending a little money to promote knowledge will translate to a better job and, in the Department’s case, more revenue recognized through tax audits.

Yellow Book audit standards will see training costs (development costs) as well. This includes finding an outside hire to teach standards or choosing someone internal (time loss), as well as the time costs that the employees will incur with taking Yellow Book training courses. Other development costs include updating the training course on Yellow Book every year, as well as the time costs employees will see on the actual job as Yellow Book standards projects to have quite the learning curve.

Benefits for Yellow Book audit standards follow the same idea that the training benefits had: initially are intangible benefits, but eventually they translate to tangible benefits. In short, more defined guidelines, turn into more comparability, efficiency, and accuracy for tax audits across the board. This in turn leads way to getting closer in attaining full revenue recognition, which is of course the Department’s ultimate goal.

Our proposed changes to how the Department handles promotions and raises constitute for very little costs with respect to both time and money. As the BSC’s will be electronic, there will be no paper costs. There will however be some time costs, with regards to both the development and the maintenance of this plan. The development time costs include the time that is needed from upper management to develop the criteria and point system that will go into the BSC. As BSC’s will be comparable and consistent, this will only be a one-time cost. With regards to maintenance time costs, for every BSC prepared, the evaluator will lose precious time in formulating and filling out the BSC.

The primary benefits attained from a BSC system are again, intangible benefits that will eventually translate to tangible benefits. A comparable and consistent system that the BSC brings will make things more structured at the Department and better correlate a strong work ethic with reward as well as healthy competition. Those two things will bring make the employee work harder and more efficiently, thus translating to coming closer in attaining full revenue recognition.

It is important to realize that our plan has a lot of monetary costs, but more importantly time costs. It is our belief however that these time and monetary costs will not be wasted expenses, but investments. Investments that will have a huge payoff in both helping the employee grow and becoming more knowledgeable, as well as helping to lead the Department to the ultimate goal: not leaving any tax revenue on the table. Our plan, while

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perhaps a little radical, could bring great things to the Department. It is important to note that while we do not have exact numbers on costs and benefits, we believe and strongly support the idea of “you have to spend money, to make money.”

Identifying Project Risks

Our project is very aggressive and has multiple objectives with regards to our “end-all objective:” ensuring full tax revenue recognition. With such a large plan, and so many areas of development being focused on, risks and unknowns are numerous. Risks, unknowns, and “what-ifs” exist in every aspect of our plan. While risks can be defined into three categories, scope, resource, and schedule, for the sake of our project and defining and mitigating for risks in the most efficient way, we have defined risks by which category from our development plan that they fall into. Below is a table of risks that are applied to our proposed changes to either: training, audit methodology, promotions and raises, or change management. Ideas for risk mitigating are also dissected into those that mitigate risk via detecting risks early, and those that mitigate risk by responding to situations that did not have the best or most optimistic outcome.

Project Risks

Risk Likelihood ImpactRisk MitigationEarly Detection

Risk MitigationContingency Plans

Responsible Person

Training Intranet website that houses training videos crashes

Medium High Have IT consistently and routinely monitor the intranet site.

If crash delays translate to people missing their deadlines, push back deadlines for employees. Make it a priority action item for IT to get intranet site up and running again upon any crash or delay.

Training Industry Knowledge Leader

Intranet website that houses training videos is hacked by an outside party and possibly tampered with

Low High By instituting a secured site on the intranet, we feel that the likelihood of a hack is quite low. A secured intranet site is one of the best precautions to have in this situation.

As this data would most likely not be what an outside, third party would seek to hack, it is still important that the Department have a plan in case there is a security breach. As to follow company strategy, it’s recommended to handle a security breach here, like the Department does for other security breaches.




Responsible Person

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Employees do not meet required hours of training or refuse to go to training

Medium High Write requirements to go into company policy and have all employees sign a contract to ensure that they do attend training.

As contracts have been set in place and the employees will have been aware of requirements, if an employee does not meet requirements the department will terminate employee. This will set an example and show to the employees how important training is to the Department


Employees cannot pass quiz (scoring 75% or higher) after taking training session

Medium Medium In contract between employees and specify the importance of the quizzes and the importance of passing them. Have all employees acknowledge and agree via signature that one must pass the quizzes to be a continual employee.

If an employee does fail, he/she is given a second chance at the same quiz. If he/she fails again, they are forced to take the training session over again. After that they will have a 'Pre-Quiz' that will count for no credit but will be a tool to drive the point home. Then they will have a 3rd and last quiz. If they fail that one, they must be terminated to show the importance of passing quizzes to the other employees.


The teacher on the video training sessions is inaccurate in his/her lesson plans.

Low High Require teacher to take a certified quiz before teaching to ensure he/she is qualified. Also ensure that teacher has correct credentials and qualifications.

Terminate teacher, throw out quiz scores that were low due to the teacher's inabilities, and go through hiring process for new training leader.


The employees interpret what the teacher is teaching inaccurately.

Low High Have upper management view video training sessions before they are posted on the intranet to ensure that the sessions can be easily understood and interpreted.

If there are low scores on quizzes due to interpretation and communication problems, the quiz and the scores will be scraped, and the course and the teacher will be reevaluated.




Responsible Person

Employees waste company

High High Have intranet site require authorization

With our preventive measures this should not be an issue of

Training Industry

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time by watching training video on content that is not applicable to them.

from immediate boss of the employee to watch particular training video sessions. Seniors will need to aware of what training is required for their employees.

actual occurrence. It will be a primary goal to mitigate and decrease the chances of this occurring as company time is very important.

Knowledge Leader

A particular training session is redundant and not beneficial for the company or the employee.

Medium Low For training sessions that very closely resemble training sessions from previous, employees will be exempt from taking if their senior determines based off of their work, as well as their past quiz score for that particular training session (score of over 85% represent exemption from training).

Past quiz scores to applicable training sessions will be the prime basis for exemption of a particular training session. If an employee feels that training session is a waste of time, he/she must score high enough on their quiz to be exempt next time.


Audit Methodology

Learning curve for Yellow Book Standards is too high, and retention rate is too low.

High Medium Ensure that there is at least one week of introductory training in the first year for Revenue Agents I and II, and two weeks for all those higher.

If the employees are having a hard time using the new methodology, implement more in class or on the job training for all positions. Amount of training will be dependent upon situation and how much training is needed.

Audit Methodology Expert

People become too dependent on Yellow Book Standards and do not use common sense or situational cues.

Low Low Address this issue in training and make clear the value of the auditor's knowledge and expertise.

If common sense is continuously not being utilized, work that idea into training and call for another training session.

Audit Methodology Expert



Responsible Person

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Balanced Scorecard (BSC)

Employees see other employees' BSC.

Low High Internal Controls. BSCs will be electronic and can only be viewed by selected people (upper management or those writing the BSCs) via a password.

If a certain employee accesses someone else's BSC intentionally, he/she will be fired.

Scorecard Analyst

Collusion exists between evaluator and evaluatee.

Low High Every BSC will need a manager to sign off on each BSC. The manager needs to be aware of the individuals' work and will thus need to agree with the individuals' score on the BSC.

If there is any intentional collusion or conspiracy between the evaluator and evaluatee (i.e. evaluator is getting bribed to give evaluatee good scores), all guilty parties will be terminated.

Scorecard Analyst

A bias exists between evaluator and evaluatee.

Medium High Every BSC will need a manager to sign off on each BSC. The manager needs to be aware of the individuals' work and will thus need to agree with the individuals' score on the BSC.

The evaluator will lose the privilege of evaluating subordinates. Another employee in position to evaluate employees, will be given privilege to do so.

Scorecard Analyst

Implementing Change Smoothly

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Responsible Person

The changes overwhelming and discomforting employees, causing employees to leave the Department.

Low High Let employees know of changes in advance and ensure them that they are in the best intentions for the company and for the employees. Let the change policy be very friendly to communication from employees (criticism, praise, etc.)

Worst case scenario, this occurs. If it does, hire replacement workers and set a schedule and a plan to ensure this does not happen again as the Department will not want to lose employees that the Department has invested so much time and money in training.

Implementation Consultant

So much resistance to the changes lead way to a high demand for changes to be scraped.

Low High Our 'Feedback' and open system will ensure that the attitude toward the changes are constantly being evaluated and constantly being answered. Things will not get bad enough to cancel the plan as things will be monitored every day.

This is not an option, this is a vital company goal to get these changes instituted and accepted. Plans for how changes will be introduced may be questioned and substantially altered if nobody is buying into it.

Implementation Consultant

Stakeholder Analysis

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Our project and its accompanied changes will not only affect business functions, but people as well. Our plan will affect a multitude of people in various ways, which include the following:

Name Organization Role Interest Influence

Unique Facts

Expectations (What Success

Means)

Ways to Manage

ExpectationsJim University of

ColoradoProfessor High High Very

interested in details

Expect us to be on top of things, meet deadlines, and cover every angle. Expects high quality of work.

Adhere to deadlines, continuously work, ask questions, and reach out to as many people as possible.

Tammy Sorensen

Department of Revenue

Sr. Revenue Agent and Project Sponsor

High High Very interested in details

A good quality end product that the department can use to make operations more efficient. Product needs to be as detailed as possible, and needs to be feasible.

Cover every angle, research from multiple venues, and stay in contact with Tammy throughout the planning stage. Keep the Department's best interest in mind.

Staff Department of Revenue

All Senior Revenue Agents (Levels I-IV)

High High Medium

Interested in large picture and how it affects them

More interested in how it affects them. They want a system that provides benefits to their career without inconveniencing them.

Plan specifically with them in mind. Look at every change and how it would affect them, and what their responses would be.

Companies Being Audited

Colorado Based Companies

Entities being affected by tax payments

High Low Interested in large picture and how it affects them

Having faster audits and better communication between the auditors and themselves.

Keep efficiency and communication in mind in every aspect of our plans for change.

Name Organization Role Interest Influence

Unique Facts

Expectations (What Success

Means)

Ways to Manage

Expectations

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Community

People of Colorado

Those affected by what the government does with the tax collections from companies

High Low Interested in large picture and how it affects them

Attaining complete revenue recognition from these companies translates to more money the government can use that will benefit the community.

Keep the ultimate objective of full tax revenue recognition in mind in every aspect of our plans for change.

Our Team (Adam, Josh, Max, Tim)

University of Colorado

N/A High High Interested in creating most efficient plan that could be most beneficial to the Department

Want a good end product that can help the department succeed.

Keep in contact with each other, as well as any contacts we have habitually to continue to add strength to the project. Never believe that the project is done and ready to give to the client.



N/A High Low Interested in creating the most beneficial end product to the client

If we do well, word will spread and other companies and agencies will come and ask for help from classes and students at CU-Boulder.

Keep in contact with each other, as well as any contacts we have habitually to continue to add strength to the project. Never believe that the project is done and ready to give to the client.

Any Consultants or 3rd Parties Integral to Our Plan

Any Consultants or 3rd Parties Integral to Our Plan

Those that help the change be successful with the Department

High High Interested in large picture and how it affects them

More interested in how it affects them. They want a system that provides benefits to their career without inconveniencing them.

Plan specifically with them in mind. Look at every change and how it would affect them, and what their responses would be.

Project Quality

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The key to a successful project is to be constantly evaluating the project on its success or troubled areas during all phases, be it the planning process, the implementation process, or the follow-up/analysis period. With that in mind, when work began on the project our team came together and identified ways to verify that our project team was doing a quality job on every task and every deliverable. The methods we used to measure success as well as prevent failure include the following:

The team having open communication lines with each other. Email addresses and phone numbers were exchanged on our first meeting. Team members were encouraged to contact each other for anything or request a meeting at any time for any reason.

The team mandated we had at least one meeting a week to make sure we were all on the same page and that things were going smoothly.

The team had key contacts (Jim Marlatt the Professor, Tammy Sorensen the client contact/Project Sponsor, as well as any contacts we reached out to during our research stage) that we felt comfortable talking to and asking them questions. It was important to stay in contact and be comfortable with the people that had the information we needed.

Project Change Management

It is important to realize and take into consideration that no matter how solid a plan is; there will always be unforeseen occurrences that may completely change where the project or plan is going. These changes could be due to external factors as well as internal as they could be changes we as a team feel would make our project be more successful. With that in mind, even though we as a team have addressed specific risks and their respective plans for risk mitigation, we are painfully aware that some occurrence may happen that could change our project plan completely. With that said, we have brainstormed a few areas that can help us as a team and help the Department if they choose to utilize our plan in response to changes in our project. The two biggest factors we have defined to help us control changes to our project and let those changes be implemented smoothly are the following:

1. A flexible plan is vital as one needs a plan that can respond to whatever is occurring and can help answer any problems that were perhaps unforeseen.

2. Having consistent communication with key contacts is also essential for the success of the project. This will help our team understand how the plan reacts in the real world, and help us get information from an eye witness.

As our project continues for the last half of the semester, it will be very important to identify more factors to help our plan be more flexible and to react better and faster to changes unforeseen. That will be one of the biggest goals for our team in the weeks to come.

Project Closing

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We are very interested in seeing how successful this plan can be and what the Department intends to do with the proposal and information we have provided. As a group, we would be more than willing, and in fact very eager, to provide further help or insight that the Department may need in the future. If anyone from the Department would like to contact us for questions or comments, please do so at any one of the emails or phone numbers we have listed on the “Contact Page.” This project has meant a lot to us, and we would love to be further involved if the Department chooses.

Bibliography

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Alabama Department of Taxation via contact number 334-242-1670.

“Biggest Threat to Implementing Change Remains Overcoming Resistance to it.” Columbia Business Times.Pamela J. Franta. November 4, 2006.

Colorado Department of Revenue via contact Tammy Sorensen at [email protected].

“Cost Management: Strategies for Business Decisions.” 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2006. Print.

“Financial Statement Audit: A Top-Down, Risk Based Audit Approach.” PricewaterhouseCoopers. 1 Oct 2009. http://www.pwc.com/us/en/audit-assurance-services/financial-statement-audit.jhtml

Florida Department of Taxation via contact Marshall Martin at 850-414-9980.

Georgia Department of Taxation via contact number 404-4174293.

“Government Auditing Standards.” United States Government Accountability Office. 13 Aug 1999. 28 Sept 2009. http://www.gao.gov/govaud/ybook.pdf.

“Government Auditing Standards: July 2007 Revisions.” United States Government Accountability Office. July 2007. 28 Sept 2009. http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07731g.pdf.

“Government Auditing Standards (Yellow Book).” Wapedia. 2 Oct 2008. 27 Sept 2009. http://wapedia.mobi/en/Government_Auditing_Standards_%28Yellow_Book%29

“How to Help Employees Buy in to Change.” James Kimberly. October 29, 2008.

Kentucky Department of Taxation via contact number 502-564-3434.

Louisiana Department of Taxation via contact number 225-219-7318.

Maryland Department of Taxation via contact Keith Akers at [email protected]

Ohio Department of Taxation via contact: [email protected].

Oregon Department of Revenue via contact Jared Houser at [email protected].

“Professional Guidance.” The Government Accountability Office. July 2007. 6 Sept 2009.http://leedsfaculty.colorado.edu/marlattj/acct45405540/fall2009/YellowbookRedbook_FINAL.p

Tennessee Department of Taxation via contact Joyce Dove at 502-564-3434.

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http://leedsfaculty.colorado.edu/marlattj/acct45405540/fall2009/YellowbookRedbook_FINAL.p

http://leedsfaculty.colorado.edu/marlattj/acct45405540/fall2009/YellowbookRedbook_FINAL.p




http://wapedia.mobi/en/Government_Auditing_Standards_(Yellow_Book)

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07731g.pdf

http://www.gao.gov/govaud/ybook.pdf

http://www.pwc.com/us/en/audit-assurance-services/financial-statement-audit.jhtml

http://www.pwc.com/us/en/audit-assurance-services/financial-statement-audit.jhtml


United States Government Accountability Office via contact: [email protected].

Wilson, Earl R, Jacqueline L Reck, and Susan C Kattelus. Accounting for Government & Nonprofit Entities. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2009.

Wyoming Department of Revenue via contact Pam Robinson at [email protected].

Status Reports

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Information is comprised in ‘Meeting Minutes’ section below.

Meeting Minutes

Accounting Information Systems GroupMinutes

August 26, 2009

Group Members in Attendance: Adam Pasha, Max Sarlo, Tim Millea

The meeting was called to order at 2:50pm by Adam.

Business Discussed:The group introduced each other as we had just formed our team. We discussed when in the week would be best to meet outside of class to work on the project. It was decided that Monday and Friday afternoons would work best as all group members were free at that time. The group then split up the material the client had given us. Adam took the first third, Maxwell took the second third, and the Timothy took the last third. It was planned to have each member thoroughly read their section and take notes, and then to have the group members switch their sections at the next class so that eventually each member reads every section.

Meeting was adjourned at 3:20 PM.

Respectfully SubmittedAdam Pasha


September 2, 2009

Group Members in Attendance: Adam Pasha, Max Sarlo, Tim Millea, Josh Pak


Approval of MinutesLast meeting minutes approved as submitted.

Business Discussed:The group welcomed our new member, Joshua Pak. Introductions were conducted and then we confirmed that he too could meet on Monday and Friday afternoons for work on the project outside of the classroom. The group exchanged their sections of the client material so that each member now would read another 1/3 it. Again, it was discussed to read the sections thoroughly and take notes.

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It was discussed that next week we would exchange the last third to ensure full readership by every member. As our Premise, Conflict, and Tension were due next week, it was discussed that we create all 3 of those on our own based off of several situations. In short, instead of picking the topic we wished to go with for our project (as we agreed that we wanted to hear from the client next week and pick her brain to ensure that our project idea was a big problem at the Department of Revenue), we decided to circle several ideas that were problems at the Department of Revenue and then from there, brainstorm a premise, conflict tension. It was decided that we all do this on our own, and get together next week and see how far we got.Also discussed was the requirement for each member to create 10 questions for the client, as the client was planned to visit the class next week and we as a group wanted to be prepared for the rare opportunity.




September 9, 2009




Business Discussed:The group opened the meeting by discussing the client visit and what we got out of the Q&A session we had with her. From our analysis, the client visit was very beneficial as it seemed to really open our eyes and gives us an insight into the Department of Revenue. From Tammy’s, the representative of the client, visit and answers to our questions, we were all able to come to the same conclusion as to what our topic would be for our project. That topic that we unanimously decided was targeted towards the employees and the company culture. The four biggest topics we decided to address, and bring together through our project, were the following:

1. Establishing a rating system in order to promote motivation and an importance on efficient and good workers without bringing a feeling of competition and negativity to the office culture.

2. Defining, regulating, and enforcing more training in various areas that helps reduce errors and increase efficiency without being overly costly in terms of money and time.

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3. Instituting exact standards and guidelines for how specific aspects and situations are audited in order to increase efficiency and to obtain proper collection amounts without changing company culture and the beloved attitude of being “free.”

4. With regards to above three tensions, instituting these changes in a flawless manner where there is little to no aggression towards change from the employees.

From establishing our topic for the project, we were now able to finally start working on our project. The first step we did together was formulate our premise, conflict, and tension, which would be the basis for our project and our eventual slideshow. Next we discussed the importance of research. Adam volunteered to question PricewaterhouseCoopers in an effort to address the above topics. He also volunteered to research the book and the notes from his Cost Management class from years previous that would help address the above topics. Max volunteered to contact the Governor and ask how the state goes about training and promoting (he had a contact that was close to the Governor). Tim volunteered to inquire with Management teachers at Leeds to address some of these Human Resources issues. Joshua volunteered to research these issues on KnowledgeLeader. In addition, we split up the United States by region and required that we each contact every state in our region regarding the questions above. Josh took the West US Region, Max took the Northeast US Region, Tim took the South East Region, and Adam took the Mid-West US Region including Texas and Wyoming.




September 14, 2009




Business Discussed:This was a rather short meeting but we got together to discuss the research we had accumulated and where to go with said research. Follow up questions were talked about, and subsequently sent out to our contacts. We planned on doing further research for the next week and then finally turning it into the beginnings of a report next week.


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September 21, 2009




Business Discussed:The group got together and discussed what information we had and what research was helping us along. Based off of individual interest, research attained, and specific contacts each member of the group had, we decided to split up the four topics we deemed as most important (written from September 9’s meeting). From there, with each of having a topic, we decided the plans for the following week. Step one would be to wrap up preliminary research. Step two was to turn said research into the beginnings of a report and what will be our first deliverable.Plans to meet as a group again were discussed and it was decided to meet more frequently in the next few weeks as this was an important time in our project and our first deliverable was due in 3 weeks.




September 30, 2009




Business Discussed:Everyone discussed what was needed from each of us in order to have a strong first deliverable, which was due in two weeks. It was decided upon that we would each work separately on everyone’s individual topics and that we would meet on Monday as well as

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to be announced later dates to bring them together for a cohesive, unified project. Everyone was asked to turn their research and ideas into a two page write up covering the following issues:

1. The specific premise, conflict, tension, turning point and resolution for each specified topic (to be unified together when we meet up).

2. Specify objectives and time table each member has for their topic.3. State any assumptions that are applicable to each member for their topic.4. A detailed account of each member’s research, thoughts, ideas and action

plans for their specific topic.5. Any references used (i.e. people, books. etc.)




October 2, 2009


The meeting was called to order at 1:00 pm by Adam.


Business Discussed:The group met to get all of our ideas together and begin an integrated and cohesive approach of our first deliverable. We discussed structure and organization of the project. We decided it best to follow the example Jim Marlatt attached on the internet. From there, we wrote up the general plan and began putting the first deliverable together. We compiled notes, thoughts, and discussions on the following topics: Five Story Problem, Project Purpose, Objectives, Project In-Scope, Project Out-of-Scope, Deliverables, and Project Manager Authority.

We discussed meeting early next week to continue working on the project.




October 5, 2009

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Business Discussed:The group met to continue putting all of our ideas together with an integrated and cohesive approach of our first deliverable. We continued to follow the example Jim Marlatt attached on the internet. We compiled notes, thoughts, and discussions on the following topics: Work Breakdown Structure, Project Schedule, Assumptions, Project Cost Analysis, and Identifying Project Risks.

We discussed meeting later in the week to continue working on the project.




October 9, 2009




Business Discussed:The group met to conclude putting all of our ideas together with an integrated and cohesive approach of our first deliverable. We continued to follow the example Jim Marlatt attached on the internet. We compiled notes, thoughts, and discussions on the following topics: Stakeholder Analysis, Project Quality, Project Change Management, and Project Closing.

We discussed meeting early next week for one last meeting before our first deliverable was due.



Accounting Information Systems Group

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MinutesOctober 14, 2009




Business Discussed:We met to all view our finished product, which we placed into a 3-ring binder. Congratulations and celebrations were exchanged as we had finished our first deliverable.

Meeting was adjourned at 11:20 AM.



October 23, 2009




Business Discussed:

The group reviewed comments, suggestions, and recommendations made by Professor Marlatt on our First Deliverable. We discussed the future of our project by weighing in those comments made. It was decided upon at the meeting to focus on Yellow Book Audit Guidelines, which meant that a lot of work would be needed to get our Final Deliverable ready. As such, we divvied up the prelim work we felt was necessary to get on the right track for our Final Deliverable. More information seeking would be necessary for us to become quasi-experts on Yellow Book.



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October 28, 2009


The meeting was called to order at 11:00 am by Adam.


Business Discussed:

The group discussed the work we had individually done in the past week and what more was needed. We discussed the fact that we had a lot of background information on Yellow Book Audit Standards and that it was now time for us to translate our knowledge into a detailed report, ie our Final Deliverable paper. A tentative schedule was put into place that called for us to write the Final Report in a 4 step phase starting with next week’s meeting.




November 2, 2009




Business Discussed:

The group called the meeting to order and instantly delved into the report. This week our goal was to pick apart and edit our First Deliverable. As we changed the main topic of our report, we went through each part of our First Deliverable and decided what parts would remain and which parts would leave. After doing so we were able to target which areas needed “beefing up” and as such we assigned each other different areas that would require more research and planning for when we began writing next week.

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November 6, 2009




Business Discussed:

The group called the meeting to order prepared for a very busy workday. We methodically and systematically went through our research and our First Deliverable as we re-wrote and re-compiled all information into the beginnings of our Final Deliverable. Today we wrote the first draft to our final to the following sub-headings: Project Outline, Objectives, Project In-Scope, Project Out-of-Scope, Deliverables, Project Manager Authority, and Work Schedule. It was a busy day but a productive one and it was decided that next week we would continue with writing more of the paper.




November 13, 2009




Business Discussed:

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The group called the meeting to order prepared for another very busy workday. Keeping from last week’s work, we methodically and systematically went through our research and our First Deliverable as we re-wrote and re-compiled all information into our Final Deliverable. Today we wrote the first draft to our final to the following sub-headings: Assumptions, Project Cost Analysis, Identifying Project Risks, Stakeholder Analysis, Project Quality, and Project Change Management. It was a busy day but a productive one and it was decided that next week we would continue with writing more of the paper.

We also planned, wrote, and prepared for our mock presentation of our material that would occur next week in front of Statera. The slideshow was 7 slides, following the rules of the “7 Slide Solution” and was evenly spread out amongst the members of the group in terms of material responsible for.




November 18, 2009




Business Discussed:

The group called the meeting to order prepared for another very busy workday. Keeping from last week’s work, we methodically and systematically went through our research and our First Deliverable as we re-wrote and re-compiled all information into our Final Deliverable. Today we wrote the first draft to our final to the following sub-headings: Project Closing, Bibliography, Status Reports, Risk Management Updates, Quality Assurance, and Lessons Learned. It was a busy day but a productive one and it was decided that when we returned from break we would conclude with writing more of the paper.



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November 30, 2009




Business Discussed:

We all welcomed each other back from break and exchanged stories of our Thanksgiving Holidays. After social time was over, we delved back into the project and began where we left off, concluding the paper. Today, we put the finishing touches on the paper as we wrote the one page paper on what was different in the final draft to the first draft, as well as compiled our research, and created our appendices.

When the paper was finally done, we split the paper up in 4 ways and emailed each ¼ to each member requiring each member to edit their section and ensure that the paper is grammatically and coherently correct.




December 4, 2009




Business Discussed:

We called the meeting to an opening and got ready for another hard day’s work. We went over our edits and compiled our complete paper together, free of what was to us, free of

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grammatical errors. Congratulations were of course in order upon completion of paper editing.

Next, we as a team created our final PowerPoint presentation that drew information fromour final paper as well as from the critique that Satera gave us on our mock presentationfrom before break. We practiced twice and agreed to practice again in our next meeting.




December 7, 2009




Business Discussed:

Our last meeting of the semester started off with comradery and congratulations on a job well done this semester. We practiced our presentation three more times getting our execution and presentation skills down to a “T.” We again congratulated each other and got ready for the real presentation that would occur in two days time.



Risk Management Updates

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Please see ‘Project Change Management’ section from above.

Quality Assurance

Please see ‘Project Quality’ section from above.

Lessons Learned

The biggest and most valuable lesson learned during this entire project is that there will always be unexpected events that the team needs to be ready for and be able to respond to in a second’s notice. Luckily for us, the events and suggestions we encountered gave us ample time to discuss and answer. However, they also showed us that if this proposal is adopted by the Department, those executing it will invariably see unexpected incidents and occurrences that will need to be dealt with in a moment’s notice. This project really showed us that planning for everything is of the upmost importance, but so too is the skill of responding and adapting to what the situation gives you.

Peer Evaluations

Will be handed into Jim separately.

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Documents

Project Purpose - Leeds School of Businessleeds-faculty.colorado.edu/marlattj/acct45405540/Fall200… · Web viewEstablish a Balanced Scorecard (BSC) that evaluates the specific