Streamlining the Budget
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Process
T HE B UDGET
ROCESS
Tonya Walton,
Orange PCounty
U SING T ECHNOLOGY
Tonya Walton, City of Raleigh
2014 Public Administration Conference
Overview
Streamlining Process
Technology Options
• Operating/Capital
• Data Collection
• Performance
Measurement
• Analysis
• Meetings
• Forecasting
• Stakeholder Approval
• Document Publication
Step 1. Identify challenging areas.
Challenges
Consider
Documents
Soliciting information from
departments; Published
documents
Benchmarking; Performance
Assessment
Project management;
Prioritization; Capital
assessment
On-demand analysis
Decision-Making
CIP Process
Deliberations
Step 2: Map the data.
1
2
3
4
People
Who is are the
stakeholders? Internal and
external supporters?
Data
What are we tracking?
How does the data travel?
Technology
What software, hardware,
and skillsets are available
to us?
Outcomes
What are we trying to
produce and achieve
with this process?
Step 3: Select a project.
• Environmental Factors
• 80/20 Principle
• Strategic Plans
Budgeting Technology Solutions
• GFOA Market Research Report (link)
– Analyzed software solutions for operating and
capital budgets
– Reviewed 10 Corporate Performance
Management (CPM) and Relational Systems
• No Silver Bullet
– The single, stand-alone system is rare.
Budgeting Technology Solutions
• Fiscal Health Diagnostic
Tool
– Center for Priority Based
Budgeting (link)
– On-Demand Analysis
– Budget Work Sessions
• ASAP Utilities
– MS Excel Add-In (link)
– 300+ Macro tools added to
the MS Excel Ribbon
Conclusion
• Technology is not a panacea.
• Streamlining Process
– Identify challenges, map the data and select a
project.
• Identify Budget Technology Options
– Evaluate options based on your needs, not
wants.
Tonya Walton
Budget & Management Analyst, City of Raleigh
tonya.walton@raleighnc.gov