Case studies
Learning in Higher Education
An Integrated Financial and Administrative System from the University of Lisbon
To implement a system from scratch, to organise it, develop its manuals, and to make an inventory
The University of Lisbon consists of different unified units: the rectory, the various colleges and institutes.
These units cover different areas with varied functions, creating a natural disparity in the following procedures. This made the consolidation of accounts a lengthy and complicated process.. With the Plano Oficial de Contabilidade Pública na Educação (ED POC) entry being put into force, the rector of the University of Lisbon felt the need to hire a company to help in the change and unification procedures. In 2003, Deloitte launched the most comprehensive and complex projects do date: not only to assemble an integrated financial and administrative system, but also to form and create manuals, load data and introduce inventory assets.
A very comprehensive subject
To create a root system
The challenge of changing the reality of an institution is obviously great. It is easy to see this task develop simultaneously in 9 basic units which implies a much higher complexity. In 22 months Deloitte has:
• Assembled and implemented an integrated financial and administrative system;
• Gave training on the system;
• Fully unified disparate processes;
• Shared the expertise of the accounting professionals with the University who were unfamiliar with the area;
• Created a procedure manual used to facilitate the day-to-day employees;
• Did all of the loading of the data into the system;
• Prepared the registration and inventory of movable and immovable property of the entire University.
A new discipline
To prepare, to plan, to define
In a project of this complexity and duration, doing the homework is essential: carefully planning in order to anticipate and resolve problems and to have a clear definition of roles and responsibilities of each party. Preparing a team with expertise in all areas covered, from Purchasing and Logistics to Human Resources, through the Information Technologies, Processes, Process Engineering and the Financial District. Everything was organised and designed so that, in February 2005, the University of Lisbon could embark on a new way of working.
To do work from home
Better management of the administrative work
Today, the University of Lisbon has harmonised its processes across all its areas of performance. They were considered as the specifics of each of its constituent, for everyone to revise the final result and it was a possible vision for the University as a whole, both administrative and academic units were considered as equity.
Deloitte has implemented systems that allow it to gain a greater degree of control and systematising the operational and financial reporting, saving time and reducing resources. In the end, not only were the employees of the University of Lisbon wanting to achieve highly, the various units of the University now have more time to devote to their true mission: teaching and caring for their students.
More time for what is mostly important
The Deloitte Difference
When you ask a team of about 20 professionals to carry out a project for almost two years, which will directly impact the day-to-day working lives of more than 60 people, only a huge sense of perseverance can lead to a successful mission port.
To maintain the same energy for 22 months, dedication and rigor is not easy. That's why at Deloitte we hand-pick select our employees and are highly judicious in selecting the teams that are added to each project. In this case, the project that earned us the trust and recognition was that of of the University of Lisbon, whom we still work with today.
