“Choosing PowerPlan [now part of Questica] was a great decision for us. Implementation was easy and service response is excellent. [They] helped us streamline our budget planning and monitoring processes, engage in more in-depth data analysis, and make better decisions.”
Michael Halford, Budget Director at Guilford County, North Carolina
Guilford County is in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is seated in Greensboro. The County is a full‐service county, providing a wide range of public health, law enforcement, emergency response, community recreation and social services to its 506,000 residents. The County employs 2,370 full‐time and part‐time employees.
Population
506,000
Financial System
Lawson
Number of Employees
2,370
Business Need
Guilford County’s was looking to update is outdated budgeting process which was a collection of spreadsheets that required a considerable amount of time and effort to manage. There was also a real need for a solution that would allow the team to better conduct data collection, analysis and reporting functions.
Budget Solution
The Questica advanced budgeting management solution (formerly PowerPlan Corp.) provided them with a fully integrated system that was easy-to-use and affordable for their 150 users of the system.
Business Benefits
Prior to implementing our integrated budgeting solution, Guilford County’s old processes involved working with a collection of spreadsheets that required a considerable amount of time and effort to manage. There was a real need for a solution that would allow the team to better conduct data collection, analysis and reporting functions. Instead of fixing spreadsheets, staff members needed to be able to dedicate more time to understanding the numbers. Dashboards were also desirable to allow key department employees and senior management to effectively evaluate fiscal performance monthly.
Guilford County issued a Request for Proposal seeking a Budget Planning and Management System in late 2011 and subsequently reviewed responses from many vendors. Key decision-making factors included finding a solution that was:
Users wanted to be able to look at data from different angles, consolidation levels, etc., and wanted dashboard capabilities. One of our solutions met all those requirements and is currently accessed by approximately 150 users county-wide.
Some of the notable benefits of using our advanced budgeting management solution (formerly PowerPlan Corp.) include having increased time for data analysis, more in-depth conversations with departments about major budget items, and access to monthly dashboards that are easy-to-use and provide a snapshot of department performance. Gains in analytical time have allowed the Budget Office to avoid asking for new positions despite additional demands being placed on the department.
Thanks to more efficient budgeting, Guilford County is brilliant.
