Hi all,
In lieu of this week’s meeting, here’s an update on our progress on the initiatives we’re working on.
Item 7. Create a mailing list to replace individual email addresses in the billing process – ready to use
- we have created a mailman list called css-finance@mit.eduto replace the qla@mit.edu, abdenna@mit.edu combination now used when emailing JV Upload files. The list archives its traffic in case attachments or messages need to be retrieved by someone newly added to the list.
- Next steps for us include beginning to use the list name when sending JV Uploads and other documents to finance.
That includes modifying the DDM database email routine to use the list name and not the hard-coded individual email addresses.
Item 2. Prototype Direct Billing with TNSC – great accomplishments in this area
- a test set of Training and PC Service transactions will be included in the monthly TNSC transport occurring the night of 5/25.
- in making this happen, we have prototyped creating catalog entries for billable items in Training and PC Service. Also prototyped a satisfactory report for css-finance to use in reviewing pending transactions before they go.
- also prototyped installing the tool – Oracle8, Oracle Forms, the CSS TNSC apps – in a VMWare version of Windows 7. The VMware workstation has been successfully moved among several Windows computers and can provide a portable and reusable “billing computer” insulated from the software setup of any individual’s actual computing environment.
- Next Steps for us include getting approval for Training to use this method for the June billing, design the process for PC Service to start using this method, and work with DS MDS to see whether OnCall SLAs would be happily handled this way.
Item 9. Online, Emailable Invoicing – found a great candidate
- the companion piece of Direct Billing by any means would include being able to easily build and email attractive invoices. The best solution out there for us, IMHO, is from Quickbook’s Intuit: https://billingmanager.intuit.com/billing/free-online-invoicing.url
- Next Steps: Work more on whether and how we integrate this into our billing of, say, OnCall SLAs and PC Repairs.
Item 8. Quickbooks Pro – research actively underway
- We’ve made progress in establishing multi-user shared access to a set of Quickbooks company files, one for DCAD, one for PC Service, etc.
- Next Steps: work up a longer list of what we’re trying to make happen with Quickbooks and whether we can get there – DCAD and MDS sharing the same company file? PC Service creating invoices from inventory for hardware repairs, creating invoices for software repairs, etc. If deployed, how many staff really need access, and what would be the technical underpinnings necessary to sustain that level of utilization? And so on.
Item 1. PMATS DTR line item text fix-up – rolling forward when transports resume
- – code changes in the Work Order routine have been completed in Development, and await transport to Testing and then Development. Normally that would take about a a week, but transports have been suspended during the SAP Hardware Upgrade occurring in late May. Transports resume June 3, 2010.
- -- When finished, the DTR Line item text will change from text like "PC Service Repair 0000016412" to something more like “PC Repair RT# 1093360 Sara Lincoln”, which is consistent with our proposed DTR line item text standards from Billing Item 6.
At the next meeting, we can:
- Review TNSC milestones and celebrate
- Look at the online invoicing tool and discuss
- Think about using a subcommittee system to move ahead on projects that don’t involve the whole group, or not. What do you think we can be doing more of?
Key in your answer now…
Happy weekend!
Rob
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Rob Smyser, Sr Business Analyst
MIT Information Services & Technology
77 Massachusetts Ave #n42-240t, Cambridge MA 02139
617.253.1358 w
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