HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 8987INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
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October 21, 2008
Page 1 of 2
SUBJECT: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Phase I Savings
This IR is in response to SAT #148 regarding anticipated savings due to implementing ERP Phase I.
The City is currently engaged in an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Phase I project to replace the
City's legacy financial and administrative systems with a state -of -the -art ERP system Typically, the
decision to implement an ERP system is based on one of two basic justifications:
• There is an expectation that the new system will generate a positive return on investment (ROI)
based on a comprehensive financial cost/benefit analysis.
• The implementation of the new system is a "structural necessity" to enable growth or to allow the
organization to stay in business.
The City has decided to implement an ERP system because our legacy systems are significantly out -of-
date, difficult to maintain, and unable to meet the business demands of our growing City (for example,
legacy system issues contribute to the City's challenges in producing its annual CAFR in a timely manner).
For this reason, the primary motivation and justification for replacing our legacy systems with an ERP
system is one of structural necessity. If the City does not replace its legacy systems, it risks a serious
breakdown and an inability to conduct business going forward.
Although the decision to implement an ERP system was motivated by necessity, the City still expects to
realize many "hard" and "soft" savings by implementing ERP Phase I. In a 2003 study of over 200
organizations using ERP applications, Peerstone Research found that 63% of the organizations reported,
"significant business benefit from their software investment," and 39% reported "hard dollar ROI from
ERP."
A specific example that involves both hard and soft savings has to do with the City's time and attendance
processing. The City's current time and attendance process (the process by which employees' work time is
reported and recorded for payroll) is a manually intensive, paper -based process. Through automation and
the elimination of paper, it is estimated that the City will reap the following savings:
• Process time reduction of approximately 20,000 hours annually. This is the total estimated hours of
time that will be saved across the City by all time and attendance clerks and represents a soft
savings to the City. Note that although the aggregate total time savings is large, the time savings for
any particular clerk represents only a small portion of their typical work week and there is no
expectation that these time savings would make immediate staff reductions possible. Over time,
staffing adjustments and consolidations may be possible.
• Approximately $3,550 reduction in annual paper costs. This is the annual estimated savings that
vy will be achieved by eliminating the printed forms used by the time and aftcndance clerks and
rests a hard savings to the City.
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
No. 8987
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council October 21, 2008
d010s Page 2 of 2
SUBJECT: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Phase 1 Savings
Although a similar analysis has not been performed for every administrative process across the City, it is
anticipated that there will be many opportunities to achieve hard and soft savings of this type (but not
necessarily of this magnitude) with the implementation of ERP Phase I. In general, it is anticipated that by
improving operational efficiencies, ERP Phase I will support the City's current emphasis on constraining
employee growth while maintaining satisfactory service levels as the City continues to grow.
For questions or further information, please contact Rich White at 817- 392 -8680.
Dale A. Fisseler, P.E.
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CRY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS