The State of California agency was facing several challenges with its existing time reporting and work activity tracking application, which is a legacy time management system. The limitations and inefficiencies of the legacy time management system were impeding the agency’s ability to effectively manage payroll, leave accounting, and work activity for its diverse workforce. The inadequacies of the current system also hinder the department’s ability to meet external human resources, budget, and accounting reporting requirements. Furthermore, the integration of the legacy time management system with other internal data sources is not optimal, leading to potential data integrity and usability issues.
- Outdated System: The legacy time management system, the current administrative system, is outdated and lacks the capability to meet the evolving needs of the agency’s diverse employee base and various bargaining units.
- Inefficient Time Reporting and Leave Accounting: The existing system does not efficiently manage the time reporting and leave accounting processes, leading to potential errors and administrative overhead.
- Poor Work Activity Tracking: The current system’s functionality in tracking work activities is inadequate, affecting the agency’s ability to accurately account for employee workloads and productivity.
- Limited Data Integration and Reporting Capabilities: The legacy time management system has limited capabilities in providing necessary data and interfaces to support external reporting requirements. The system also struggles to leverage data from other internal data sources effectively.
- Complexity and Scope of Required Services: The replacement of the legacy time management system with the modern time management system involves complex processing services to manage timekeeping and work activities accurately. This includes integrating various functions like financial management, employee management, timesheet management, and finalizing pay periods.
- Risk of Non-Compliance with Standards and Policies: The existing system may not fully comply with the standards and policies set by the California Department of Technology (CDT), potentially leading to operational and legal risks.
Consequences of not upgrading
If these problems are not addressed, the agency could face significant operational inefficiencies, increased risk of financial and reporting errors, and a lack of compliance with state regulations. This could result in decreased employee satisfaction due to payroll and leave accounting inaccuracies, reduced operational efficiency due to poor work activity tracking, and potential legal and financial repercussions from non-compliance with external reporting requirements.
The modernization project is critical to upgrade agency’s time reporting and work activity tracking capabilities, ensuring efficient and accurate payroll and work activity management, and compliance with state reporting requirements. This modernization is vital for improving overall operational efficiency, data integrity, and employee satisfaction within the agency.
Radian worked in partnership with the State agency in developing an enterprise time reporting, leave accounting, and work activity tracking application. The project leverages the Rational Unified Process (RUP) methodology for software development, ensuring a systematic, iterative approach to updating, developing, and maintaining the software solution.
Radian’s efforts on this modernization project encompasses several key technical components and tasks:
- Analysis and Design: This involves two levels – high-level and low-level design.
- High-Level Analysis and Design: Researching the existing solution and related system integrations to develop an understanding of the current state and participate in decision-making processes.
- Low-Level Development Design and Build: This includes developing and maintaining software artifacts, coding to requirements and standards, designing data structures and database solutions, and completing thorough unit and integration testing.
- Solution Architecture and Integration: Developing interfaces with other technologies and systems in alignment with the department’s enterprise architecture. Ensuring that the solution integrates seamlessly with other internal data sources and supports external human resources, budget, and accounting reporting requirements.
- Testing: Developing solutions for test discrepancies and assisting with complex test environment setups. Planning and executing structured tests, including analyzing requirements, documenting test plans/scripts, executing tests, and documenting results.
- Pre-Implementation: Planning and executing technical activities required for the modernization solution to go live, including one-time implementation activities.
- Knowledge Transfer and Training: Providing ongoing knowledge transfer and training to agency staff on technical solution artifacts.
This modern time management system offered a robust, integrated solution for agency’s payroll and work activity accounting. It facilitated efficient time reporting and leave accounting for all employees, align with external reporting requirements, and enhance data accuracy and accessibility. This comprehensive approach to time and activity management streamlines agency’s administrative processes, leading to increased operational efficiency and improved resource management. Specifically, implementation of modern time management system had a significant impact on agency’s operations:
- Enhanced Efficiency and Accuracy: This solution provided a more efficient and accurate system for timekeeping and work activity management, reducing administrative overhead and improving data quality.
- Improved Integration: The modern time management system interfaces with other internal systems and external platforms streamlined processes, ensuring better data consistency and accessibility.
- Customization and Scalability: The modern time management system, with its 50 functional use cases, offered customization options to cater to the specific needs of various employee groups and departments within the agency.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: With improved tracking and reporting capabilities, the management could make more informed decisions regarding workforce management and budget allocation.
- Compliance and Transparency: The new system ensured compliance with state and federal regulations regarding employee timekeeping and leave accounting, enhancing transparency in operations.
- Reduced Risk of Errors: Automated processes and accurate data entry reduced the risk of human error in time reporting and leave accounting.
- Employee Empowerment: With a user-friendly interface and accessible data, employees had better visibility and control over their time and work activities.
- Cost Savings: By streamlining time reporting and leave accounting processes, and potentially reduced operational costs associated with manual processes and system inefficiencies.
In summary, the successful implementation of modern time management system greatly enhanced the effectiveness and efficiency of agency’s time reporting and work activity tracking. This not only improved internal operations but also positively impacted on employee satisfaction and compliance with regulatory requirements.
- Rational Unified Process (RUP) methodology
- Iterative approach
- NET Core MVC
- Entity Framework Core
- XML, HTML, and CSS
- JQuery, bootstrap, and JavaScript
- RESTful web services with ASP.NET Core
- Micro-services architecture
- Kubernetes – Red Hat OpenShift
- Docker Desktop for Windows
- MS SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS)
| Module | Feature |
| Financial Management | Manage Process Codes |
| Manage Program Codes | |
| Manage Project & Activity Codes | |
| Manage LD Code | |
| Accounting Codes Data Conversion | |
| Manage Work Activity | Create and Update Task Categories |
| Create and Delete Task | |
| Update Basic Task Details | |
| Update Task Effective Pay Periods & Volume | |
| Update Task Mapping | |
| Work Activity Planning | |
| New Task Request and Review | |
| Manage Employee | Create & Update Employee Profile |
| Assign PUCs to TK and PS | |
| Assign Divisions to FPU Role | |
| Create and Inactivate Team Names | |
| Search for EE | |
| Manage Backup Supervisors | |
| Submit EE Requests | |
| Approve and Deny EE Requests | |
| View and Upload Documents | |
| Assign Tasks | |
| Manage Timesheet (Data Entry / Update Timesheet) | View Calendar |
| Build Flex Calendar | |
| Create Basic Absence Request | |
| Manage Usage Only Leave Type | |
| Create Usage Only Absence Request | |
| Authorized User Reviews Absence Request | |
| Viewing and Managing Timesheet | |
| Supervisor/Manager views team Absence Request Calendar | |
| Assign Overtime | |
| Post Overtime | |
| Post Holiday Overtime | |
| Post to Cover Regular or Holiday Deficit | |
| Work Excess to Cover Deficit | |
| Manage Timesheet | Generate e634 and e682 |
| Authorize e634 | |
| Authorize e682 | |
| View Status of e634 | |
| Perform Automatic Retroactive Changes | |
| Manage Time Activity and Tracking | Track Hours |
| Manage VPLP | |
| View, Print and Save Leave Accruals and Earns | |
| View Months of Service History | |
| Process Miscellaneous Transactions | |
| Finalize Pay Period | Unlock and Relock Pay Period and Perform Retroactive Changes (Manual) |
| Interface with internal systems | |
| Perform Calculations/Finalization | |
| Fi$Cal Cutoff Date and Time | |
| Interface with SCO for SCO CLAS File and INT Pay File | |
| Reports and Dashboards |