2013 NPMA Spring ConferenceValue Through Professional Asset Management

Considerations in Developing a Property Management System

2013 NPMA Spring ConferenceValue Through Professional Asset Management

Gary Quinn, CPPMUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallas, Texas

Bob Mahaney, CPPSMD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas

Dave Routzahn, CPPA

Dave implementing a new system

2013 NPMA Spring ConferenceValue Through Professional Asset Management

What does the system need to integrate with?• Procurement?• Accounting?• Accounts Payable?• General Ledger?• Receiving?• Project Costing?• Security Systems?

Considerations during the Development Phase

2013 NPMA Spring ConferenceValue Through Professional Asset Management

Are you meeting with these groups on a regular basis?• Procurement• Accounting• Accounts Payable• General Ledger• Receiving• Project Costing• Information Resources

Considerations during the Development Phase

2013 NPMA Spring ConferenceValue Through Professional Asset Management

Data Fields• Is every data field you need covered, editable, update

process?• Are any data fields dependent/tied to another data field

– if so, does that meet your business model?• Is each data field the correct format and bit length you

desire?

Considerations during the Development Phase

2013 NPMA Spring ConferenceValue Through Professional Asset Management

Will the system maintain the physical inventory record?• How does the inventory date get updated?• Scan and validate and update?• Manual update?• Automated update based upon actions (transfer,

locations change, custodian assignment, etc.) Who has access to make these updates?

Considerations during the Development Phase

2013 NPMA Spring ConferenceValue Through Professional Asset Management

Will the system maintain the physical inventory record? (continued)• Does the delivered physical inventory process work for

your institution? Will you need third party software to make it

function?

Considerations during the Development Phase

2013 NPMA Spring ConferenceValue Through Professional Asset Management

How do new assets get entered into the system?• Added through fully integrated processes?• Totally manual process of entering all data?• Combination?• When do they get entered into the system?

Considerations during the Development Phase

2013 NPMA Spring ConferenceValue Through Professional Asset Management

Does the delivered asset record meet the information requirements of the institution’s stakeholders?• Is the data supplied via integration with other modules?• Will you have to manually enter additional information

for a complete asset record?

Considerations during the Development Phase

2013 NPMA Spring ConferenceValue Through Professional Asset Management

How does the system calculate depreciation?• What does the system consider prior period

depreciation? Previous fiscal year or month? Or both?

Considerations during the Development Phase

2013 NPMA Spring ConferenceValue Through Professional Asset Management

Will converted assets retain their original asset number?

Will open purchase orders be converted or re-entered?• What is the impact on the AM system and depreciation?• Will it muddy the waters for asset additions?

Considerations during the Development Phase

2013 NPMA Spring ConferenceValue Through Professional Asset Management

How are locations (room numbers) managed?• Are they validated before added to location table?• Are they validated before assigning to an asset?• Who controls the addition and deletion of locations?

Considerations during the Development Phase

2013 NPMA Spring ConferenceValue Through Professional Asset Management

How are asset status changes handled in the system?• Disposals – Does the delivered system provide the level

of disposal method detail you require?• Trade-ins – How are those handled?• Calculation of gain or loss?• Additions – How are enhancements handled?

Considerations during the Development Phase

2013 NPMA Spring ConferenceValue Through Professional Asset Management

Processes and Procedures?• Who is in charge? (You or the new system)• When do you change your process versus require a

system modification?• Who has authority to initiate and approve system

modifications?

Considerations during the Development Phase

2013 NPMA Spring ConferenceValue Through Professional Asset Management

Considerations during the Development Phase

Workarounds: A truly arduous, time consuming, manual process that provides the transaction results you expected to be a delivered feature of your new “State of the Art” asset management system that per the vendor is “working as designed.”

Bob Mahaney

2013 NPMA Spring ConferenceValue Through Professional Asset Management

System Access• Who has access to update/modify asset records? • Who has access to view asset information?• Will security and access to the system be by application,

system, record, department or field?

Considerations during the Development Phase

2013 NPMA Spring ConferenceValue Through Professional Asset Management

Project Management• Internal with organization staff or outside consultants? • Who makes modifications and the decisions there of?

Considerations during the Development Phase

2013 NPMA Spring ConferenceValue Through Professional Asset Management

Last but certainly not least.

Don’t believe everything or almost anything your consultant says is standard practice.• Make them prove it.• It may only been standard at their last (or only) project.

Considerations during the Development Phase

2013 NPMA Spring ConferenceValue Through Professional Asset Management

Last but certainly not least.

Try to go with the strengths of the new software system.• Leave “We’ve always done it this way.” out of the

design.

Considerations during the Development Phase

2013 NPMA Spring ConferenceValue Through Professional Asset Management

Last but certainly not least.

Manage end user expectations on the front end since it is likely data, screens, and reports will not look like the legacy system.

Considerations during the Development Phase

2013 NPMA Spring ConferenceValue Through Professional Asset Management

Questions?