U.S. Zoo Improves Financial Control and
Forecasting with Integrated IT Solution
“Reconciliations are working really well. We used to
have to wait two weeks after month end before reconciliation could be done. We can now do this on
a weekly basis.”
– Donna Driscoll, Chief Financial Officer, Denver Zoo
Denver Zoo, one of the largest and most popular zoos in the
United States, had an IT infrastructure made up of disparate
financial systems. This made it difficult for employees to access
the financial data they needed to operate effectively. Wanting to
take advantage of a fully integrated system, the IT team decided
to implement a solution by Microsoft® Certified Partner Serenic Corporation, called Serenic Navigator. This is a financial
management software solution based on the Microsoft Dynamics™
NAV business–management solution. Since going live in April
2006, Serenic Navigator has already provided Denver Zoo
employees with faster and easier access to real-time financial
data. Denver Zoo is now looking at additional online projects to
make further improvements to the running of its organization.
Situation
Denver Zoo is one of the largest and most popular zoos in the United States. The zoo
has more than 1.7 million visitors each year,
making it the most popular cultural
attraction in Colorado. It is a not-for-profit
organization that manages an annual
income of more than U.S.$24 million.
Financial operations at the zoo were
supported by an IT infrastructure made up of
a number of disparate financial systems. As
a result, Denver Zoo employees found the
process of extracting financial information
time-consuming and cumbersome.
Donna Driscoll, Chief Financial Officer,
Denver Zoo, says: “There was no integration
between our financial systems, which made
it difficult to get to the information we
needed to manage our finances. It also
involved a lot of time wasting because
everything from the purchase order system
had to be re-keyed into the accounts payable
system.”
One of the challenges for Denver Zoo is
managing multiple grants and funds. This
can be a complicated process because the
grants often run for different time periods
and each bill needs to be associated back to
the right grant. Indirect and direct costs must
also be tracked.
Driscoll says: “Our financial management
requirements are complex, and we needed a
system that was more flexible and would
help us reconcile fast. We also wanted
integrated modules to manage different
operations, such as inventory and grants. To
put it simply, we wanted to stop using a
highlighter pen to make sure everything
matched up and was accounted for. When
our existing system ran out of account
numbers and couldn’t introduce new ones,
we knew we could no longer carry on with
the situation.”
Solution
The Denver Zoo technical team put together a comprehensive prerequisite outlining
everything users needed in a new solution, with flexibility as the top priority. Driscoll's
review of the market revealed Serenic Navigator from Serenic Corporation, a
Microsoft® Certified Partner. This solution is built on the Microsoft Dynamics™ NAV
business–management solution. Using this technology, Serenic developed specific
applications to meet the vertical needs of not-for-profit organizations, such as
compliance requirements.
Driscoll says: "The final decision came down to SunSystems and Serenic, running on
Microsoft Dynamics NAV. But the drill-down capabilities and the flexibility to navigate
easily in Serenic Navigator were impressive. The Serenic team members were straighttalking,
which we liked. They were also local to us and really understood the requirements
of not-for-profit organizations."
Denver Zoo chose Microsoft SQL 2000 Server™ as the centralized database for the
solution. This offers tight integration with the organization’s other SQL Server databases,
which handle admissions and fund raising. SQL Server acts as a secure platform for
transactions, ensuring power failures don’t corrupt the system and providing peace of
mind that data is always secure.
Serenic was able to meet tight time constraints for implementation at Denver
Zoo, carrying out all training, setting up vendor checks, and building specific reports.
Steve Glauber, Director of Product Marketing, Serenic Corporation, says:
"Denver Zoo required considerable customization of the solution, such as
creating shortcuts in the data for automating processes. Account numbers were added to support specific accounting needs. We also
set up business rules to automatically send out e-mail messages for permissions to
control budgets and prevent overspend. Microsoft Dynamics NAV is very flexible and
efficient to customize, which meant we could deliver exactly what the customer wanted."
Denver Zoo currently has a seven-user license, with four people using the solution in
accounts and three working on purchase orders. The system went fully live in April
2006.
Benefits
Microsoft Dynamics NAV technology can be integrated into organizations quickly and
easily and integrate seamlessly with existing IT infrastructures, minimizing development
costs and ensuring fast time to market. With little training, employees can take advantage
of familiar, easy-to-use tools that enhance productivity from the start.
Drill-Down Capabilities Enhance Financial Management for Managers
Denver Zoo employees are already enjoying
the benefits of the solution's drill-down
functionality. Serenic Navigator takes
advantage of the flexibility of the Microsoft
Dynamics NAV architecture to break down
data into different views of financial
information. Users can also drill down to all
levels of financial detail.
This degree of flexibility means managers
are now able to see exactly what they are
spending their budgets on—and in great
detail. They can also compare their own
budget spend to allocated grants and funds
quickly and easily. Users can balance all 70
funds and run them as separate companies
for accounting purposes.
Driscoll says: “Departments are beginning to
realize the extent to which they can analyze
their budgets, and we’re pretty excited about this. The level of detail that can be accessed
helps us report back on how funds are being
spent. The ability to drill down against each
line item to show how funds are being used
is extremely valuable. For example, we can
show the world how our elephant fund is
supporting us in helping elephants.”
Integration of Systems Helps Users Analyze Financial Data
With all financial information fully
integrated, employees can gain a complete
picture of operations. They can begin to
introduce new areas of analysis, such as
cross-referencing budgets against activities
and between departments.
For example, each department has its own
set of expenses. Now that the system is
completely integrated, users can cross-check
budgets and more effectively allocate spend
against the right budget holder.
Driscoll says: “Being able to cross-reference
budgets is powerful. It may be the
horticultural department that buys plants
and the marketing department that carries
out events. But then you need to consider
which plants were used at a particular event,
who owns the budget, and who needs to
account for it. It is impossible to get a
meaningful view of our financial operations
without an integrated and flexible solution. It
is the first time ever that we can manage
this depth of business analysis.”
Real-Time Data Access Helps Employees Accelerate Accounting and Forecasting
With greater management of budgets and
the ability to forecast critical areas of
activity, Denver Zoo employees can already
see the advantages of having an up-to-date
view of activity across the organization. Dean
Paulson, Director of Information Systems,
Denver Zoo, says: “Real-time access to data
for managing budgets is a great feature. We
often have budgets that are committed, but not yet spent. Being able to manage this
information in real time helps us know
exactly where we are with our budgets. This
means we can forecast more effectively.
“Certain departments such as marketing
now know exactly what they are going to
spend and by what date. By managing
budget codes on a real-time basis,
departments can be in control immediately
and plan accordingly.”
With more detailed information available,
Denver Zoo managers are also beginning to
see the benefits of more timely reports.
Users can go directly from the report
summaries to identify what is happening at
a more fundamental level.
Driscoll says: “Reporting is the most critical
part of the system. It is useless to put
information into the system if you can’t get it
out in the way you want it. It is important to
spend valuable time on actual accounting
and forecasting, rather than the reporting
process.”
Reconciliations Reduced to One Week
One of the criteria for the new Denver Zoo
system was the ability to achieve faster
reconciliations. Denver Zoo has realized
significant improvements in this process now
that information is easily accessible and
available in one place. Driscoll says:
“Reconciliations are working really well. We
used to have to wait two weeks after month
end before reconciliation could be done. We
can now do this on a weekly basis. We’re
looking to do this on a daily basis soon.”
Productivity Improvements Deliver Return on Investment within One Year
Once Denver Zoo integrated purchase orders
with accounts, it was able to reduce multiple
data entry, which has saved time and
reduced the need for paper-based systems.
Now that specific notes can be added to purchase-order transactions using the
Microsoft Dynamics NAV notes functionality,
users are better informed, which saves time
sourcing relevant information.
Denver Zoo is now working with Serenic Corporation to create an online portal
system that will automate the organization’s
requisition process. The portal system will be
based on Microsoft Windows® SharePoint®
Services and integrated with Serenic
Navigator.
Paulson says: “Currently, we have two users
who enter the purchase orders on the
system. Once the purchase order is created,
we print it and sign it manually. Using
Windows SharePoint Services, we will be
able to fully automate the entire requisition
process, removing the need for inefficient
paper-based systems.”
Driscoll continues: “Every day we are seeing
continual improvements. Not only are we
expecting to see a return on investment on
the complete system within one year, but
we’re pretty excited about the changes we
are making to the way we run our business.”
Microsoft Dynamics
Microsoft DynamicsTM is a line of integrated,
adaptable business management solutions
that enables you and your people to make
business decisions with greater confidence.
Microsoft Dynamics works like familiar
Microsoft software such as Microsoft Office,
which means less of a learning curve for your
people, so they can get up and running
quickly and focus on what’s most important.
And because it is from Microsoft, it easily
works with the systems your company
already has implemented. By automating
and streamlining financial, customer
relationship and supply chain processes,
Microsoft Dynamics brings together people,
processes and technologies, increasing the
productivity and effectiveness of your
business, and helping you drive business
success.
For more information about Microsoft Dynamics, go to:
www.microsoft.com/dynamics.