printable versionNew reimbursement system earns positive reviews from users
The iOU project team has received "very positive" feedback thus far from staff who have used the new iOU reimbursement system since its campuswide rollout on April 3, said Associate Controller Karen Craig. iOU is a program used to generate reimbursement transactions, manage advances and request other checks within the Oracle Financials system.
Close collaboration with focus group members representing administrative staff from across campus has been key to improving the reimbursement process in Oracle, Craig said. The focus group defined how iOU should look, feel and function, and then software developers used the information to customize the new system, Craig said. "Even the name 'iOU' came from the focus group," Craig said.
In addition to the custom-designed features, the number of screens, mouse clicks and total elapsed transaction time for entering reimbursement requests in iOU has been reduced by 50 percent, Craig said. "The iOU system will be a big time saver for the more than 3,500 originators and approvers of reimbursement transactions," Craig said, adding that an additional module for the management of petty cash will debut in May.
Another change in the new system is the online imaging of receipts. As part of each transaction submitted, users print a bar code generated by iOU and fax it along with their receipts. By faxing the bar code and receipts, online images are electronically attached to the iOU transaction record and can be accessed anytime in iOU by the originator or authorized approver. No special software or hardware is needed, just a standard fax machine. The new system also eliminates the need to submit green envelopes for each transaction—the color-coded stationary traditionally used for sending receipts and other supporting material.
As of last Thursday, 875 users had completed training or passed the online test required to access iOU, according to Craig. A variety of resources also have been developed to support the rollout and individual learning preferences. The iOU training program includes instructor-led sessions, online tutorials that include transaction demonstrations, as well as online and print access to the iOU User Guide (with step-by-step procedures). There also are links from the Help icon on the iOU screens that take users to the relevant section of the guide.
iProcurement will continue to be used for standard requisitions, rapid purchase orders (RPOs) and campuswide agreements (CWAs). For a limited time, both iProcurement and iOU will be available to enter reimbursements, advances and other check requests. But users should be aware of important cutoff dates in April when those types of transactions will no longer be available in iProcurement, Craig said. The transition schedule is available at https://docushare.stanford.edu/Get/File-40620/iOU_Conv_Sched.xls.
For more information about iOU training, testing requirements, browser requirements and how to access the new system, go to http://www.stanford.edu/services/oracle/reimbursements/.