AJ-10:Real Life Widget –Success At YourCompany
Ken Williams, Ruekert & Mielke, Inc.
Ken Williams
CFO @ Ruekert & Mielke (R/M)
31 years @ R/M
• R/M is a civil engineering firm - HQ in Waukesha WI
• 100+ employees, 5 offices
CPA for 34 years
Software history:
• 1988 implemented AEPEX from Timberline
• Timberline to Axium to Deltek
• AEPEX to AEasy to AEasy+ to Protrax to Ajera
• Ajera conversion was in 2012
What was the issue?
Long AR Collection periods
• Before Ajera and Widgeting = 46 days
• After widget implementation = 34 days
PM’s responsible to make first attempt(s) to collect
(another client touch)
• Before the widget, process was cumbersome
• PM’s didn’t use “the process” every day – confusing
• Not a pleasant “touch” anyway – many steps
• Avoidance – too time consuming, clunky, provided the excuse
What was our goal?
Shorten AR Collection period
Make it easy to find information
Fewer steps, less time consuming
Accounting involved less (providing info)
Accurate, a place to store responses
Draw attention to old items
For accounting, Team Leaders, PM’s - 3 widgets
Easy updates
Extended use of electronic billing
Billing review stages
RM stages, lead
with #
• Ordered / numbered
• One stroke selection
Collections & Paid
Billing Review History
Designing the Widget (1 of 17)
+ Add tab
Title = AR Collections Insight
+ Add widget
Table
Designing the Widget (2 of 17)
Client Invoice as the “base”
• Where all (or most) of the
data is located• Auto additions created by
Deltek
• How do we know that?• Guess
• Designing knowledge
• Ajera Schema
• SQL Server Mgmt Studio
Designing the Widget (3 of 17)
General Information fields• Select what is needed for the widget
• Later we can:• Rearrange field order
• Sort data
• Hide fields
• Delete fields
• Resize fields
• Retitle fields
• Condition data
• Make our own formulas, if needed
Designing the Widget (4 of 17)
People fields• Select what is needed for the widget
Date fields• Select what is needed for the widget
Designing the Widget (5 of 17)
Dollar fields• Select what is needed for the widget
Designing the Widget (6 of 17)
Action fields• Select what is needed for the widget
• To be able to enter the preview screen
(see the billing review details) for the
invoice, right from our widget
Designing the Widget (7 of 17)
Rearrange fields• Grab
• Move up or down via drag and drop
Designing the Widget (8 of 17)
Upper left section• General design info
• Design title
• Display options (group/sort)
Upper right section• Preview
• Resize columns (grab and drag)
• Blue displays are “linked fields”
Lower left section• Column (field) info
• Icons
• Click on field name to display info for
lower right section
Lower right section• Field details
• Column heading
• Column width
• Grouping / sorting
• Filtering
• Conditional formatting
Designing the Widget (9 of 17)
Filters• Edit columns,
click on field
name
• Pick filter from
drop down list
• Enter value
Designing the Widget (10 of 17)
Results• Only collection invoices
• Only final invoices
• Do we need both?
• Do we need to see these fields at all?
Cleanup• Hide billing review stage
• Delete invoice status
Designing the Widget (11 of 17)
Resize columns• Grab and drag right side of
column in the preview area
• Assign a width size
See all columns in the preview
area (depending on amount of
fields)
Smaller space used on actual
widget on its dashboard
Designing the Widget (12 of 17)
Remove links• Are they needed?
• Confusing to user
• Move to unneeded details
• Security – do you want
someone to be able to move
to other linked views?
• Set all unneeded ones to
value of “none” (on drop
down list)
• We left “preview invoice” –
not a link, it is an “action”
Designing the Widget (13 of 17)
Group• Show client name
once
• Then show all of the
details
• Cleans up how the
design looks, instead
of repeating column
information
Designing the Widget (14 of 17)
Rename columns• Names used at your
company
• Shorten up for display
views
• Ease of understanding info
Designing the Widget (15 of 17)
Conditional formatting - highlight when condition occurs, puts background in red on the “preview invoice”
column when this item is paid. Serves as an alert to accounting to change billing review history stage to paid.
Designing the Widget (16 of 17)
Designing the Widget (17 of 17)
Accounting personnel given security rights
This is the version for the accounting department
Finalized Widget
Original data setup
Run Client AR Aging in client order
Open Project Command Center, invoices tab
Any invoice > 60 days old, preview the invoice
On the bottom new row of the billing review history,
add “collections” as the status (see slide 6)
Check widget totals to the totals of your aging report
for the >60 days columns (61-90, 91-120, 120+)
Depending on your amount of invoices to originally
handle, this takes roughly about an hour of time
Updates of data – daily (if needed)
Accounting enters client receipts (deposits)
Accounting checks widget for any payments (refresh if needed)
Using the widget, on a fully paid invoice (red background,
balance = $0), preview the invoice. On the bottom new row of
the billing review history, add “paid” as the status
Also allows accounting to know to notify the PM if needed on
payment
Depending on your amount of invoices to move to “paid”, this
takes roughly about a minute per invoice
Updates of data – bi-monthly
Run Client AR Aging in client order
Open Project Command Center, invoices tab
Any new invoices > 60 days old, preview the invoice
On the bottom new row of the billing review history, add
“collections” as the status (see slide 6)
Check widget totals to the totals of your aging report for the
>60 days columns (61-90, 91-120, 120+)
Depending on your amount of new invoices to handle, this
takes roughly about 15 minutes of time
Usually due around the 15th, and then with month end work
Customizing the widget for PM’s
Copy the widget tab
Edit the widget to add the Project Manager key
Filter the PM Key to be current user
Security altered to include roles in which PM’s are assigned
PM Widget alteration (1 of 4)
PM Widget alteration (2 of 4)
PM Widget alteration (3 of 4)
PM Widget alteration (4 of 4)
PM’s Could Be
What our PM’s used to do….
1. Go to report, client, invoice aging – we had a view saved to run by PM
2. Run report
3. Search through report for old items – remember what that means for R/M
4. Open PCC
5. Go to project
6. Preview Invoice
7. Save invoice to PDF
8. Email to client
9. Get response and email accounting to keep them informed
What our PM’s do now….
1. Go to widget
2. Preview Invoice
3. Save invoice to PDF
4. Email to client
5. Get response and post, via widget, to the billing review history, keep status as
collections
We really cut out 5 steps, saved the PM time doing overhead type tasks related
to their projects, while adding one (#5) which is fairly easy for them to do…….
Benefits of lower AR Days Outstanding
Money in the bank
Less collection calls made, time spent on the task, overhead (wasted) time
Not into your LOC
Investments in people, equipment, business
Not playing the bank for your client
Run your business, don’t let it run you!
Beer Celebrate!
….. Some clients wait until you ask!
The benefits of valuable widgets!
Questions?