U-M Travel and Expense System (Concur) Project Unit Liaison Meeting 4/15/09 U-M Procurement Services, 2009

U-M Travel and Expense System (Concur) ProjectUnit Liaison Meeting 4/15/09

U-M Procurement Services, 2009

Agenda Concur Basics Project Progress to Date Projected Project Timeline Unit Readiness & The Unit Liaisons

The Concur Project, University of Michigan, 2009

Concur Basics Why does the U-M need the Concur system? What does Concur do? Who will use the new Concur System?


University of Michigan Strategic Goals: Automate the current manual travel and expense

reporting processes on campus. Standardize travel and expense reporting and

documentation across the U-M. Document and automate the travel and expense

approval processes. Reduce the total length of the travel and expense

(and reimbursement) reporting processes. Produce meaningful spend reporting to leverage

with vendors for U-M cost savingsThe Concur Project, University of Michigan, 2009

Concur Expense combines P-Card reconciliation and Non-PO Voucher (reimbursements) in one, flexible interface.

Using Concur travel saves the U-M money on reservations and administrative time in creating Expense Reports.

What Does Concur Do?Expense –

Expense Reporting system capable of handling ALL expenses incurred by employees on behalf of the U-M (e.g. out-of-pocket or P-Card)

Travel – Web-based reservation system

providing competitive fares and discounts to U-M employees

Saves reservations as fully formatted Expenses which can be rapidly imported into Expense Reports


Potentially every U-M employee might have cause to use the Concur system over time.

Who will Use Concur?Employees who:

Travel on behalf of the U-M for business

Pay for travel or other business supplies using a P-Card

Incur out-of-pocket expenses on behalf of the U-M which will require a reimbursement


Potentially every U-M employee might have cause to use the Concur system over time.

Who will Use Concur?Delegates:

In some cases, units may determine employees may require assistance with their Travel arrangements or Expense Reporting

Concur provides functionality for Delegates

Employees must define their own Delegates

Employees must submit their own Expense Reports.

Expense Report Approvers All Expense Reports will require

approval in the system.


Updates: What is happening with the project implementation? When will the System Go Live (projected dates)? What will your Units need to do in preparation for

this system? How will you be asked to help?


Project MilestonesKey tasks since the last UL meeting:February-April, 2009 - Three user working group sessionsDecember – February, 2009 – Expense configuration design sessions and testingMarch – April, 2009 – Travel configuration design sessions and testingDecember – April, 2009 – Steering Committee activities to make strategic U-M Business Process decisions


The Concur Pilot project is designed to: •Discover system and business process issues•Address & resolve issues•Complete 2-3 successful monthly business cycle prior to rolling out campus-wide.

When will the System Go Live?PRT/Pre-Pilot Activities

More robust application and business process testing (end-to-end)

Pilot: Pilot units Projected pilot timing Pilot goals

Campus Go Live: Every U-M employee & all U-M P-Cards Projected Go Live timing


Concur Demo

The Concur Project team is developing Unit Readiness materials to assist Units in reviewing the appropriate business processes in preparation for the new system. The goal is to improve Unit’s initial success with the conversion.

What will our Units need to DO in preparation for Pilot or Go Live?Evaluate ChartFields & ShortCodesEvaluate Employee NeedsDetermine DelegatesDefine ApproversConsider Reporting Needs & Data RequirementsConsider & Communicate Departmental Policies


Concur uses ShortCodes for expenses. System users will no longer have the ability to modify all ChartField values.

Evaluate ChartFields & ShortCodesConcur uses ShortCodesAny ChartField string that could be utilized for Expenses will need an equivalent ShortCodeConcur displays Expense Types instead of Account valuesU-M modification to capture Domestic vs. Foreign travelU-M modification to capture Indirect Cost Recovery Exclusion (“X Class”)


ALL employees can use Concur to build their own Expense Reports.

Evaluate Employee NeedsIt is preferable that ALL employees use Concur to book their own Travel and build their own Expense Reports.However, employees may be assisted by Delegates, if required.


Concur permits employees to create:•Travel Arrangers•Expense DelegatesEmployees must add Delegates themselves.Departments may wish to encourage or facilitate this process.

Determine DelegatesConsider which employees might benefit from assistance from Travel Arrangers & Expense DelegatesDetermine which employees are appropriate DelegatesConsider how Delegates might facilitate/assist with the Go Live process


The timeliness of the Approval Process will directly impact the speed in which Expense Reports are processed, and employees are reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses.

Define ApproversMust follow U-M policies for Approvals.Determine which Departmental employees are current approvers Map Departmental Approval “work-flow” and review for efficencyIf desired, assign employees a default approver to enter in Expense ProfileApprovers can be added “on the fly” in the Expense Report, as needed.


The decentralized nature of the U-M Departments means that additional Departmental policies and business processes may need to be reviewed to most effectively convert your employees to Concur.

Consider & CommunicateDepartmental StandardsAn opportunity to consider the following Departmental policies and business practices:

Employee Travel Employee Expense Reporting


End User materials using the U-M standards and tools will be provided to aid in end user training.

Training ResourcesDocumentation Simulations

Voice Over for Major Elements Traditional for Other Expense

Reporting TaskseLearning Courses

Delegate Approver

Interchanges & Other Forums


MAIS and U-M leadership has identified the Unit Liaisons as one of the most effective conduits for successfully preparing units for system changes.

How will Unit Liaisons be Asked to Help?No specific action items todayUnit Readiness Checklist Materials will be presented

Pilot vs. Campus Presentation/Handout Departmental Planning Checklist Employee Conversion Checklist

(Template)


What’s Next?

Contact Us: Eric Kruse – [email protected] Thom Madden – [email protected]


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Thank You for Your Time Today!

Documents

U-M Travel and Expense System (Concur) Project Unit Liaison Meeting 4/15/09 U-M Procurement Services, 2009