State Accounting Office newsletter

State Accounting Office Newsletter
Sound Fiscal Leadership for Georgia

Inside This Edition: 1 PS 9.0 Go Live was a
success! 2 PS 9.0 Go Live was a
success...continued 3 Georgia 9.0 Upgrade PO
Voucher Close/ Pay cycles 4 Why do Projects Fail?
Seminar 5 Open Enrollment 5 Georgia Is Nuts about
Health 6 Georgia Nine-0 Tips 7 Georgia Nine-0 Tips 8 Georgia Nine-0 Tips 9 Georgia Nine-0 Tips 10 SAO Announcements 11 SAO Introduces New
State Accounting Officer and Deputy Director 12 New Employees 13 Want to be in the know? 13 SAO Helpdesk and Options 14 Contact Us

Issue 8

October 2008

Georgia Nine-0 "Go Live" Was a Success!

The PeopleSoft Financials 9.0 Upgrade was deployed into the production environment on Monday September 8, 2008 at 7AM. Overall, the upgrade was a smooth transition from PeopleSoft v8.8 to v9.0. As you can see from the

timeline below, we have been able to adhere to the schedule set at the start of this project. This is due to the participation and diligence of our partners. We want to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to the

PeopleSoft Financials 9.0 Steering Committee, those who participated in User Acceptance Testing, and others who have significantly contributed to the success of this project.

Upcoming Events:
The Streamlined Banking Deployment Team continues to work on analysis of agency needs while a deployment schedule is being developed.

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State Accounting Office Newsletter
Georgia Nine-O "Go Live" Was a Success...continued

SAO is aggressively working to resolve all reported issues. Daily Post GO-LIVE Stabilization Conference Calls were started on Friday September 5, 2008. The State Agencies accessed these calls to get daily updates, report any critical issues, check system availability, report batch issues, urgent problems, and provide feedback to SAO.

It was decided that based on feedback from the Stabilization Conference Call participants and the Steering Committee members that SAO would discontinue these sessions as of October 2, 2008.
We now have 44 issues resolved and 29 still outstanding, the majority of which are medium or low risk issues.

We will continue to track and work the remaining issues and report back to the agencies via ListServ for Financials users until all issues are resolved.
Thanks to everyone for their support of this project. We appreciate all of your hard work.

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State Accounting Office Newsletter

Georgia Nine-O Upgrade PO Close Voucher/Pay cycles

Recently we sent a communication that was an update to the PeopleSoft Financials Delta training document.
In the transition from the PeopleSoft Financials version 7.02 to 8.8, users lost the ability to close a PO voucher. Users were required to use Reversal Vouchers to correct these issues.
Great news..., the upgrade to version 9.0 returns this functionality! Users can choose to restore the encumbrance to the PO (if the PO is not reconciled) or to return the money to the budget when liquidating the liability.

Reversal Vouchers will no longer be used. An additional delta document has been released to provide instructions on how the PO "Close Voucher" is used. It can be found at this link:
PO "Close Voucher" Instructions
If you have any existing reversal vouchers that have not yet been processed and are on hold, you will need to call the helpdesk to have the on hold status lifted for the reversal voucher to be processed. Your ability to inquire on reversal vouchers in 9.0 will continue as it did in 8.8.
See example below:

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State Accounting Office Newsletter

Downtown Lunch Meetings Hosted by GTA and the Project

Management Institute

Toni Hill and Natasha O'Neal from the SAO Financials Team recently attended the Project Management Institute's (PMI) Downtown Lunch Meeting Series. The session they attended was titled, "Why do projects fail?" This was a presentation on effective project requirement management. The Speaker, Victoria S. Kumar, a Project Management Professional and former President of PMI North Carolina Chapter, gave several reasons why projects fail:
Poor Communication between the Provider and the User
Lack of Top Level Management Support
Lack of understanding of what is needed

Lack of requirements Market changes Lack of resources Not enough funding
Of course the opposite of project failures would be why projects succeed:
Open Communication with the User throughout the project.
Gain the support of Top Level Management to make the project run smoother.
Get a clear realistic understanding of what is needed and the expected results and put it in writing.
Incorporate a "Lessons Learned" at the end of each phase of the project and not just at the end of the project.

These tips can be a resource for any agency that has current projects or is planning for future projects.
The PMI Atlanta Chapter and the Georgia Technology Authority Program Management Office teamed up to create this series of Downtown Lunch Meeting to strengthen relationships and promote networking among Project Managers.
Programs promote project management, build professional skills and competency, and ultimately enhance a projects success.
If you are interested in learning more about future presentations, please click on the link below for more information: http://www.pmiatlanta.org/ or call 770-392-3303.

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State Accounting Office Newsletter
Open Enrollment is Just around the Corner!
Open Enrollment for Plan Year 2009 is almost here. This year Open Enrollment will be October 10 November 10, 2008. There are several changes and enhancements to consider before selecting benefits for the upcoming year. Click on the Georgia Statement symbol below to access the website to see what is available.
Georgia is Nuts about Health!
Here are a few statistics about the Health of Georgia's residents. Georgia ranks 14th in the United States for adult obesity Georgia has the 13th highest inactivity rate at 25.9 percent Approximately 10 percent (6,700) of Georgians die from obesity each year
What can we do about these statistics? Consider our health to be the most important investment that we possess. Then we should make time to exercise, eat a healthy diet and drink water throughout the day. For more information about the 2008 Wellness Initiative, click here.
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State Accounting Office Newsletter
Georgia Nine-O Upgrade Tips
This article is dedicated to providing our readers with Georgia Nine-0 Upgrade tips. We have selected a tip from each module in order to assist you with a smooth transition following the upgrade. Tip One: Related Documents tab has been added to the Accounts Payable module in v9.0. Below you will find the navigation and a brief description of its functionality. To access the complete Delta presentation for Accounts Payables, please refer to the following link on our website: Accounts Payable (AP) Delta Presentation
Add/Update Regular Voucher Regular Entry The Related Documents Tab v9.0
Navigation: Accounts Payable>Vouchers>Add/Update>Regular Entry> Related Documents
The Related Documents Tab has been added in v9.0, allowing the user to access a wealth of information about the voucher. This is an entirely new page that did not exist in v8.8.
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State Accounting Office Newsletter
Georgia Nine-O Upgrade Tips....continued
Tip Two: The Business Unit field has been added to Search Criteria in the Accounts Receivable module in v9.0. Below you will find the navigation and a brief description of its functionality. Also the UPK topic affected has been added for your convenience. To access the complete Delta presentation for Accounts Receivables, please refer to the following link on our website: Accounts Receivable (AR) Delta
Conversations - Add a New Value tab v9.0
Navigation: Customer Interactions>Conversations>View/Update Conversations Add a New Value tab
The Business Unit field has been added to the criteria for adding a new conversation in 9.0.
UPK topics impacted by change: Lesson 3.3 - Customer Interactions, Topic 3.3.1 22
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State Accounting Office Newsletter
Georgia Nine-O Upgrade Tips....continued
Tip Three: The Receiving Copy of the PO tab has been added to the Reports section in the Purchasing module in v9.0. Below you will find the navigation and a brief description of its functionality. Also the UPK topic affected has been added for your convenience. To access the complete Delta presentation for Purchasing, please refer to the following link on our website: Purchasing (PO) Delta Presentation
PO Receipts V9.0
Navigation: Purchasing>Receipts>Reports > Receiving Copy of PO
The Receiving Copy of PO is a new feature that was not available in 8.8. UPK Topics impacted by change: 9.5.1 & 9.5.2
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State Accounting Office Newsletter
Georgia Nine-O Upgrade Tips....continued
Tip Four: A host of new Search Criteria have been added to the Revenue Estimate section in the Commitment Control module in v9.0. Below you will find the navigation and a screen shot to view the additional criteria. To access the complete Delta presentation for Commitment Control (KK), please refer to the following link on our website: Commitment Control (KK) Delta Presentation
Review Budget Exceptions Revenue Estimate v9.0
Navigation: Commitment Control>Review Budget Exceptions>Revenue> Revenue Estimate
In v9.0, new search criteria have been added in addition to Business Unit.
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Announcements

State Accounting Office Newsletter

The Financial Reporting team is working on the Budgetary Compliance Report and the State's CAFR. Please note that all Financial Reporting Forms and CPA reports are PAST DUE. If you have not yet submitted forms/reports for your organization, please visit the SAO website at: FY 2008 Reporting Forms, to access the forms that must be completed.

Normal Hours PeopleSoft System Availability:

Normal Weekdays

Normal Saturdays

Financials

7:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m. Financials

8:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m.

HCM

7:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. HCM

8:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m.

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State Accounting Office Newsletter
SAO introduces the New Accounting Officer
We are pleased to announce that Greg Griffin has been appointed as the new State Accounting Officer effective August 2008. Mr. Griffin comes to the State of Georgia from AT&T, and was formally with Bellsouth Corporation and Cingular Wireless where he enjoyed a 25-year career. Mr. Griffin has an extensive background in controllership and human resource functions. During his career with AT&T, he held various Director positions in accounting policy, financial reporting, and employee benefits. Mr. Griffin also worked as a financial auditor with Deloitte Haskins & Sells.
Mr. Griffin earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Auburn University and is a Certified Public Accountant. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Alabama Society of CPAs and the Georgia Society of CPAs.
SAO introduces the new Deputy Director
We are also pleased to announce that Jarnice Anderson has been named Deputy Director of the State Accounting Office. Jarnice joined the State Accounting Office in July 2007 as Director of Financial Systems and had served as acting State Accounting Officer for several months. Jarnice has extensive experience in financial information systems assessment, business process optimization, internal control assessment, and information security. Jarnice is a graduate of North Carolina A & T State University, and was most recently with BellSouth Corporation where she served as Director of IT Audit. Earlier in her career she worked as an IT Auditor/Consultant at The Coca-Cola Company and the firms of Coopers and Lybrand and Deloitte & Touche.
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Employee Corner

State Accounting Office Newsletter

SAO Welcomes New Employees To Our Team!!
HCM Business Strategy Team New Employee Simone Thompson HCM Business Analyst
Financial Reporting Team New Employee Christina Palmer Accounting Manager 1
We're Glad To Have You!!

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State Accounting Office Newsletter

Want to be "In The Know?"

SAO Helpdesk and Options

Please Note - To continue receiving the latest PeopleSoft Financials and HCM updates from the State Accounting Office you need to have a current email address on ListServ. If you have moved or changed jobs please revisit the ListServ Sign up Page on the SAO website, and remove your old email address and provide your current email address. We don't want to miss you!

Want to be "In The Know"? "FS Official Communications" are e-mailed on a regular basis to users who have subscribed to the ListServ system. One way to be "in the know" and receive these communications is to sign up for a ListServ!
Put yourself in the "LOOP"! There is no cost to subscribe and it's easy to do! You can also unsubscribe at any time. Please be aware, however, that the more e-lists (modules) that you sign up for, the more emails you will receive in your inbox. We recommend only signing up for the lists applicable to your job duties.
ListServ is one of the most effective ways for you to obtain information and communications relative to your PeopleSoft system. If you have not already done so, sign up now.
Available lists include: Financials -AP, AR, AM, GL, Labor, Budget, and PO HCM - Human Resources, HR Budget, Payroll and CSB's Financial Reporting - PeopleSoft Agencies, Non-PeopleSoft Agencies, Audits and CPA Audits
Visit the Listserv Sign up Page and subscribe today!

404-657-3956 or 888-896-7771 Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm
Option 1 - Financials Help Desk

1

Financial Accounting (GL, AR, CU, Budgets, AM)

2 Financial Distribution (Vendors, AP, PO)

Option 2 - HCM

1 HCM Application Support

Option 3 - ID, Password, Security

Option 4 - Connectivity, Printing
Option 5 - Streamlined Banking Operational Support

1 Streamlined Banking for Payroll

2 Streamlined Banking for Accounts Receivable

3 Streamlined Banking for Accounts Payable

4

Streamlined Banking for Bank Administration

5

Streamlined Banking for Check Reconciliation

Option 6 Fleet Management System

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Contact Us
200 Piedmont Avenue Suite 1604, West Tower
Atlanta, GA 30334
PHONE: (404) 656-2133
FAX: (404) 463-5089
E-MAIL: stateaccountingoffice@sao.ga.gov

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State Accounting Office Newsletter
State Accounting Office of Georgia
COMMUNICATIONS TEAM Toni Kennelly Mario Covington Kimberly Allen-Harris
404-651-2133 sao_communications@sao.ga.gov
http://sao.georgia.gov
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