Process Analysis Report. Student Finance

Transcription

1 Business Process Change Process Analysis Report Student Finance Summary of Recommendations Methodology Process Analysis Workflow Diagrams B McDowell 19 May 2004 Process Analysis Report Student Finance Page: 1

2 Recommendations The following is a summary of recommendations detailed in the section on process analysis. Create invoices on a daily basis from start of year and send them out regularly, this will serve to spread the load of queries Do not invoice students who have signed up for direct debit payment as a DD notice is sent out to them, current practice of invoicing these students generates considerable queries. Locate the student finance staff within the structure of the proposed Student Services Centre which will provide a larger and more flexible resource to deal with queries. Provide a consolidated debt position to students as part of the proposed student portal, availability of accurate and up-to-date information to students will reduce the need for telephone or personal queries. Create invoices daily and upload to Integra using automatic overnight processing if possible Create student accounts in the Integra Finance System on a daily basis as student records become available rather than waiting on invoice generation. This means that an account should always be available for allocation of cash. Daily production of invoices will reduce the back-log of unallocated cash. The Integra Cash Management Interface (CMI) module is being purchased and implemented in the year. This will provide much-improved cash upload and allocation facilities. Investigate the allocation facilities available on the Sales Ledger Interface (SLI) to establish if credit notes can be automatically allocated to outstanding debts. Extend the facility of credit card and on-line payments to enable students to have greater flexibility for payment. This will be a feature of the proposed student portal. In conjunction with the proposal to provide the student with a consolidated debt position the availability of on-line payment can be extended to other areas of the university such as accommodation debts and resit fees. Students will be given the facility to check and maintain their module enrolments on-line in the appropriate periods. This should reduce the incidence of module changes not being updated due to forms not being completed or returned. Fee-paying status will be available for students to check through the student portal, this will enable action to be taken to correct this in a timely manner. Software is available which will check that bank account numbers are valid costs are to be investigated with a view to procuring the software and interfacing it to the university s system. SLC to be asked to include changes in fee allocations on the BACSFirst transactions files rather than on fee position reports. Finance Office are to provide CIIS with details of refinements to fee calculation algorithm to reduce the incidence of individually recording fees. Additional fee records (PBOs) are to be set up to reduce the number of non-standard fees which have to be recorded individually. Consideration is being given to adjusting faculty allocations where large scale discounting of standard fees has occurred. Consultation to take place on suspending IT and/or Library accounts as an aid to debt collection. Consultation to take place on barring students from re-enrolling where they have an outstanding debt from previous year. Process Analysis Report Student Finance Page: 2

3 Methodology The methodology used in the analysis consisted of three main activities: One-to-one interviewing Workflow Modelling Workshops Interviewing Interviews were conducted with the following: Finance Office staff Faculty Administration Business and Management Course Directors Informatics F/T, Business and Management P/T, E-learning Academic Registry Workflow Modelling The workflow modelling was carried out using the methodology and techniques recommended by Sharp and McDermott. This methodology is widely used in NI Government and other public sector projects. Workshop A half-day workshop was held attended by representatives of: Student Finance Finance Systems Accountant Academic Registry Faculty/Campus Administration Arts/Belfast CIIS Process Analysis Report Student Finance Page: 3

4 Process Analysis Scope The analysis covers the processes concerned with the invoicing and debt recovery of student tuition fees. Overall Trigger: Student registers Overall Result: Student pays fees Main Customer: Student Other Stakeholders: University management SLC Sponsors DEL Parents Major Activities Record fee details Calculate fees due Create invoices Record fee payments Chase student debt Chase sponsor debt Key Players: Student fees office administer student fees Other Finance cash management Faculty offices communicate changes in student circumstances Academic staff record changes in courses/modules, set individual fees Registry maintain student records on OES Timing/Frequency: Mechanisms: annual cycle OES Student System, Integra Finance System SLS;SLI;CMS, SLC System; Realex Credit Card payments system Process Analysis Report Student Finance Page: 4

5 Student Finance Processes Process Name Record Fee Details Calculate Fees Due Create Invoices Triggered by Tasks Result(s) Student Registration Amended details from student or sponsor Time triggered process on OES, each night Fees Office staff decide on appropriate time for upload and invoice create Enter sponsor fee split details Enter individually agreed fee Maintain fees tables (PBOs) Calculate fees due Compare fees due to invoices and create invoice/credit note documents for students and sponsors Upload documents to Integra SLS to create invoices and credit notes Print personal and non-board sponsor invoices using SLS/Formscape and despatch to students and sponsors Print Board sponsor invoices using Impromptu SLC do not get invoiced Amended fee or sponsor contribution recorded on OES for overnight calculation of fees due and invoicing Invoice and credit note documents created in OES for potential upload Invoices and Credit Notes generated, printed and sent to students and sponsors Process Analysis Report Student Finance Page: 5

6 Record Fee Payment Chase Student Debt Student or sponsor making payment of due invoice Time-triggered, first reminders sent mid March for January due date, 2 further reminders sent. Overnight update of debtor flag is timetriggered process in OES Debtor list requested by Registry pre-graduation Payment received by cash/cheque/credit card/on-line Lodge to Integra CMS and allocate to invoice or leave as unknown until invoice available SLC Remittance plus payment has a set of procedures based on Excel to load and allocate payments to CMS Integra SLS selects debtors with outstanding balances and produces statements Debtor flag set on OES student record by overnight processing for debts > 25 On request from Registry a list of outstanding graduating debtors is produced by campus using the debtor flag. This is used to bar student debtors from graduating Returning students have debt indication on reenrolment form, current policy is to allow students to reenrol who are in debt. Payments recorded in Integra CMS against invoices Statements sent to students, OES updated with debtor indication to enable sanctions on graduation and reenrolment Process Analysis Report Student Finance Page: 6

7 Chase Sponsor Debt 3 reminders sent for debt overdue more than 30 days Statements produced by Integra SLS as reminders for sponsors where debt older than 30 days Despatch statements to sponsors Implement debt collection procedures where debt still outstanding after third reminder Statements sent to sponsors Process Analysis Report Student Finance Page: 7

8 Problem Areas and Recommendations The following areas have been identified for improvement and recommendations made for each. Some of the recommendations may be implemented in the current system while others may have to await the implementation of a new student system and/or changes in organisational structures. Problem Area Student Queries The small number of student finance staff receive a large number of student queries particularly when invoices have been sent out. Although there is a call handling system to allocate callers and to indicate queuing there is still considerable difficulty in handling volumes of up to 1,000 calls per week. Delays in Invoicing Currently the upload of invoices to Integra and the subsequent production of invoices is not an automatic daily process but is carried out when staff decide that it is appropriate and that they have time available. This leads to delays in invoicing with subsequent knock-on effects on recording of payments and in generating queries from students. Payment Processing and Allocations Payments received during enrolment and subsequently have to be lodged to the Integra Finance system. Frequently there is not a student account present for the lodgement and, as invoices are not available for some time, the allocation of cash to debt is difficult and back-logs quickly build up. The student system generates credit notes where students are due a Recommendations Create invoices on a daily basis from start of year and send them out regularly, this will serve to spread the load of queries Do not invoice students who have signed up for direct debit payment as a DD notice is sent out to them, current practice of invoicing these students generates considerable queries. Locate the student finance staff within the structure of the proposed Student Services Centre which will provide a larger and more flexible resource to deal with queries. Provide a consolidated debt position to students as part of the proposed student portal, availability of accurate and up-to-date information to students will reduce the need for telephone or personal queries. Create invoices daily and upload to Integra using automatic overnight processing if possible Create student accounts in the Integra Finance System on a daily basis as student records become available rather than waiting on invoice generation. This means that an account should always be available for allocation of cash. Daily production of invoices will reduce the back-log of unallocated cash. Process Analysis Report Student Finance Page: 8

9 refund against an invoice previously generated. The allocation process for these is time-consuming Availability of on-line payments is limited The Integra Cash Management Interface (CMI) module is being purchased and implemented in the year. This will provide much-improved cash upload and allocation facilities. Investigation the allocation facilities available on the Sales Ledger Interface (SLI) to establish if credit notes can be automatically allocated to outstanding debts. Extend the facility of credit card and on-line payments to enable students to have greater flexibility for payment. This will be a feature of the proposed student portal. In conjunction with the proposal to provide the student with a consolidated debt position the availability of on-line payment can be extended to other areas of the university such as accommodation debts and resit fees. Process Analysis Report Student Finance Page: 9

10 Data Quality Changes to student module enrolments are often not actioned until very late in the academic year. For credit-based fees this presents problems in some cases the student has left the university when additional module fees are due, Student fee-paying status Home/Overseas creates difficulties, it is sometimes incorrectly recorded. SLC amendments appear not to be included on the BACSFirst transactions but only on fee position reports. These reports are not in a form which enable easy processing. Fee Calculation A large number of fees have to be recorded as individually agreed as the fee calculation algorithm is not set up to calculate them correctly. There are large numbers of non-standard fees which have to be recorded individually as they are the subject of special arrangements between students and faculties. Debt Collection There are currently few sanctions which can be applied to those students who are in debt Students will be given the facility to check and maintain their module enrolments on-line in the appropriate periods. This should reduce the incidence of module changes not being updated due to forms not being completed or returned. Fee-paying status will be available for students to check through the student portal, this will enable action to be taken to correct this in a timely manner. Software is available which will check that bank account numbers are valid costs are to be investigated with a view to procuring the software and interfacing it to the university s system. SLC to be asked to include changes in fee allocations on the BACSFirst transactions files rather than on fee position reports. Finance Office are to provide CIIS with details of refinements to fee calculation algorithm to reduce the incidence of individually recording fees. Additional fee records (PBOs) are to be set up to reduce the number of non-standard fees which have to be recorded individually. Consideration is being given to adjusting faculty allocations where large scale discounting of standard fees has occurred. Consultation to take place on suspending IT and/or Library accounts as an aid to debt collection. Consultation to take place on barring students from re-enrolling where they have an outstanding debt from previous year. Process Analysis Report Student Finance Page: 10

11 Student Fees - Invoicing and Payment Student Provide details at registration or when amendment required Receive Invoice/ Credit Note Submit Payment Sponsor Send amended details Fees Office Record Fee Details Fees Office Decides Time Create Invoices Record Fee Payment OES Student System Overnight Calculate Fees Due Integra SLS/ CMS Student invoices created by SLS and Formscape, Sponsor invoices by Impromptu Create Invoices Record Fee Payment

12 Student Fees - Chase Debt Fees Office Sponsor Student First reminders sent mid- March for January due date, 2 further reminders sent Chase Student Debt Receive Reminder Print Debtor List To Registry for graduation 3 reminders sent for debt older than 30 days Chase Sponsor Debt Receive Reminder OES Student System Overnight Update Update Debtor Flag Integra SLS/ CMS Chase Student Debt Chase Sponsor Debt