DVIDS – News – Fleet Readiness Center Southwest Accounting Automation Team Wins DOD Financial Management Award

Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) has once again demonstrated excellence in financial management, securing the prestigious Department of Defense (DoD) Financial Management (FM) Award for its innovative contributions to data-driven decision-making. This recognition demonstrates the hard work and innovation of the FRCSW team, as well as the collaboration that drives its continuous improvement efforts.

The annual Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) FM Awards program honors the exceptional contributions of FM professionals across the DoD. This year, the awards program board reviewed 152 nominations, ultimately recommending 29 awardees who highlight the diverse talents and accomplishments within the FM workforce. Among these esteemed recipients are the FRCSW Accounting Automation Team of Grazyna Waters, Sophia Dominguez, and Noelle Nordgren. The team is being recognized for its outstanding efforts in automating and streamlining Time Attendance and Payroll (TAP) timesheet exception handling.

The “Missing Time Application”, developed by the FRCSW Accounting Automation Team, generates timely notifications for supervisors, thus ensuring that problems in the command’s official time control system are resolved before the end of the pay period.

FRCSW’s workforce of over 2,700 employees relies on client-funded work to generate revenue. Ensuring accuracy in timekeeping and payroll distribution is essential, as failure to enter accurate labor data into the system can result in labor hours being billed incorrectly. To address this issue, FRCSW collaborated with its IT team to develop an automated workflow application that distributes the “TAP Missing Time/Needs Attention Report.” The application is designed to systematically generate reports for supervisors and deliver them to their inboxes, increasing awareness and facilitating timely resolution.

“When the Navy introduced Flankspeed, a cloud-based enterprise environment, it brought with it a suite of different productivity applications. It occurred to me that we could easily automate this manual process in-house. I encouraged our Accounting Team to work closely with our local IT department to bring this vision to life, and the team successfully leveraged the capabilities available through Flankspeed without relying on external software,” said Ji Kim, Controller at FRCSW.

Previously, supervisors relied on inefficient spreadsheets, which often led to discrepancies. The new Missing Time app streamlines this process by automating reporting and ensuring supervisors only receive relevant notifications. This automation has reduced manual effort, improved internal controls, and streamlined workflows.

The successful implementation of the TAP Missing Time/Needs Attention Report project has resulted in substantial benefits to the command. Automation has resulted in early identification and intervention of incorrect labor transactions, enabling timely corrections, which improves data quality. The project has also facilitated a rebalancing of work hours for the Controller’s personnel.

This reallocation involves shifting time from raw data compilation and administrative tasks such as report distribution to more valuable activities such as data analysis and decision support.

“It’s fascinating how we’re witnessing a paradigm shift. As technology advances, we’re finding innovative ways to automate repetitive tasks, freeing up valuable work hours for more strategic and creative endeavors. What used to take hours or even days of manual effort can now be accomplished with a few lines of code or the click of a button, just like we’ve automated this TAP exception reporting process. This shift not only streamlines processes, but also empowers CMOs to focus on critical thinking, data analysis, and problem-solving. It’s like having a team of tireless assistants working behind the scenes, allowing us to tackle complex challenges head-on,” says Kim.

FRCSW’s dedication to improving financial management processes has not only ensured accurate payments to employees, but has also significantly reduced the time spent correcting pay discrepancies. Their efforts exemplify the innovation and timekeeping capabilities that drive FRCSW’s mission.

The full list of awardees will be recognized at the DoD FM Conference, scheduled for August 26-27, 2024, at Fort Belvoir, VA, followed by special events at the Pentagon on August 28, 2024. As FRCSW continues to lead in financial management innovation, its accomplishments set a high standard for excellence and dedication within the Department of Defense.

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