It seems like just yesterday the Miami-Dade County EDGE team packed into a room to sketch out the blueprint for a system that would transform the County’s business processes. With the blueprint taking shape, the team decided it was time to give the system a name – INFORMS.
What does INFORMS mean?
INFORMS stands for INtegrated Financial Resources Management System. It’s the brand name of the technology that will modernize outdated budget, procurement, human resources and financial operations. The name is fitting because the system will gather the information the County needs to make smart decisions by integrating data from different management systems in one place.
INFORMS provides the basis for continued enhancement and evolution of our County business processes so that the system keeps pace with the many changes that the County will face for years to come. INFORMS will truly inform our decisions.
INFORMS is the name of Miami-Dade County’s Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) project. ERPs streamline and modernize an organization’s business processes and technologies, so they operate more efficiently. INFORMS will involve replacing the County’s Financial and Administrative systems, all Human Resources systems, Time & Leave and Payroll applications, as well as upgrading Hyperion (Budget Analysis Tool or BAT). The project will use various Oracle ERP software products, including PeopleSoft v9.2.
Some of the business drivers for this project include:
What does INFORMS mean?
INFORMS stands for INtegrated Financial Resources Management System. It’s the brand name of the technology that will modernize outdated budget, procurement, human resources and financial operations. The name is fitting because the system will gather the information the County needs to make smart decisions by integrating data from different management systems in one place.
INFORMS provides the basis for continued enhancement and evolution of our County business processes so that the system keeps pace with the many changes that the County will face for years to come. INFORMS will truly inform our decisions.
INFORMS is the name of Miami-Dade County’s Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) project. ERPs streamline and modernize an organization’s business processes and technologies, so they operate more efficiently. INFORMS will involve replacing the County’s Financial and Administrative systems, all Human Resources systems, Time & Leave and Payroll applications, as well as upgrading Hyperion (Budget Analysis Tool or BAT). The project will use various Oracle ERP software products, including PeopleSoft v9.2.
Some of the business drivers for this project include:
- Business process improvement
- Elimination of paper-based processes
- Simplification of data collection processes and business functions across departments
- Centralized tracking mechanisms
Who Benefits from INFORMS?
- All County Employees
- Board of County Commissioners (BCC)
- Budget Personnel
- County Mayor
- Executive Management, Department Directors, Assistant Directors, Division Chiefs, Managers and Supervisors
- Finance Personnel
- Human Resources Personnel
- Information Technology Personnel
- Residents
- Supply Chain/Procurement Personnel
- Vendors
Accountability: To whom and for what are we accountable? How do we experience accountability?
- We are accountable to our residents, elected officials, colleagues, other government entities, visitors, and business partners
- We provide high quality, efficient, excellent public service every day to our stakeholders
- We monitor our performance and improve ourselves through customer feedback and internal department and external surveys, 311, elections, citizen advisory groups, business process reviews, rating agencies, and audits
Incentives: How do we motivate people to achieve the results that we seek?
- We set expectations for the departments and employees which are objective, specific, and achievable
- We enhance our two-way feedback, both internal and external
- We provide clear job descriptions
- We invest in our employees
- We act on lessons learned and track them
- We incentivize our employees by showing them respect and appreciation
Culture: What are the unwritten rules that drive behavior in our organization?
- We empower and engage employees in decision making
- We embrace the opportunity to change and improve
- We foster teamwork and collaboration
- We reward innovative and diverse ideas while encouraging continuous improvement
- We measure and improve our customer service focus
- We model leadership through trust and accountability
- We embrace trials and experimentation within agreed upon boundaries
Purpose: What difference do we want to make for the people who live and work in Miami-Dade County? What constitutes success and how will we know?
- We ask citizens what they need and want from their government - we aim to deliver a higher quality of life now and into the future
- We provide services they want, need, and even those that they don’t know they need
- We provide the needed services that the private sector does not want to
- Our success is measured via results-oriented feedback loop
Control: Who makes what decisions? How are authority, responsibility, and accountability aligned?
- We focus on outcomes for customers
- We control through delegation based on established procedures and policies that empower employee compliance
- We achieve accountability through education, feedback and skin-in-the-game
- We do random sampling to follow-up
- We make decisions at the appropriate level of authority to achieve the desired outcome
Countywide Approach
What?
- Countywide integrated PeopleSoft Financial, Human Resources and Payroll systems
- Countywide budgeting and analytics
- Hyperion budget planning
- Implemented over four years
Why?
- Improved service by replacing multiple disparate systems with fully integrated systems
- Empowerment of Miami-Dade County staff and citizens with enhanced self-service
- Best in class operations through modernization, improved efficiency and workflow while enabling access
- Flexibility to adapt to change and meet state and regulatory requirements
How?
- RFP - Competitive solicitation to obtain financing and fixed price implementation
- Dedicated project team to work with consultants (departmental and central County staff)
- Deploy industry leading practices
- Use of third-party assurance to aid in implementation governance
- Establishment of Executive Steering Committee, Operating Working Committee and Center of Excellence (COE)
