Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) has once again demonstrated excellence in financial management, securing the prestigious Department of Defense (DoD) Financial Management (FM) Award for their innovative contributions to data-driven decision-making. This recognition demonstrates the hard work and innovation of the FRCSW team, as well as the collaboration that drives their continuous improvement efforts.

The annual Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) FM Awards program honors the exceptional contributions of FM professionals across the DoD. This year, the awards program board evaluated 152 nominations, ultimately recommending 29 awardees that highlight the diverse talents and achievements within the FM workforce. Among these esteemed recipients are the FRCSW Accounting Automation Team of Grazyna Waters, Sophia Dominguez, and Noelle Nordgren. The team is being recognized for their outstanding efforts in automating and streamlining the handling of Time Attendance and Payroll (TAP) timesheet exceptions.

The “Missing Time Application,” developed by the FRCSW Accounting Automation Team, generates timely notifications for supervisors thus ensuring issues within the command’s official timekeeping system are resolved before the pay period closes.

The FRCSW workforce is more than 2,700 strong and the command relies on customer-financed work to generate revenue. Ensuring accuracy in timekeeping, and payroll distribution is essential as failure to input accurate labor data into the system can result in work hours being charged incorrectly. To address this issue, FRCSW collaborated with its IT team to develop an automated workflow application, which distributes the "TAP Missing Time/Needs Attention Report.” The app is designed to systematically generate reports for supervisors and deliver them to their inboxes enhancing awareness and facilitating timely resolution.

“When the Navy introduced Flankspeed, an enterprise cloud-based environment, it brought along a suite of different productivity applications. It then struck me that we could automate this manual process in-house easily. I encouraged our Accounting Team to work closely with our local IT department to bring this vision to life, the team successfully leveraged the capabilities available through Flankspeed without relying on external software.” said Ji Kim, Comptroller of FRCSW.

Previously, supervisors relied on inefficient spreadsheets, which often led to discrepancies. The new Missing Time application streamlines this process, automating reports and ensuring supervisors only receive relevant notifications. This automation reduced manual efforts, improved internal controls, and enhanced workflows.

The successful implementation of the "TAP Missing Time/Needs Attention Report" project has led to substantial benefits for the command. Automation has resulted in the early identification and intervention of incorrect labor transactions enabling timely corrections which improves data quality. The project has also facilitated a rebalancing of work hours for Comptroller personnel. This reallocation involves shifting time from raw data compilation and administrative tasks, such as distributing reports, to more valuable activities like data analysis and decision support.

“It’s fascinating how we’re witnessing a paradigm shift. As technology advances, we’re finding innovative ways to automate repetitive tasks, freeing up valuable labor hours for more strategic and creative endeavors. What used to take hours or even days of manual effort can now be accomplished with a few lines of code or the click of a button, just like how we automated this TAP exceptions report process. This shift not only streamlines processes but also empowers Financial Management professionals to focus on critical thinking, data analysis, and problem-solving. It’s like having a team of tireless assistants working behind the scenes, allowing us to tackle complex challenges head-on,” says Kim.

FRCSW’s dedication to improving financial management processes has not only ensured accurate payments for employees but also significantly reduced the time spent on pay discrepancy corrections. Their efforts exemplify the innovation and capability in timekeeping that drive FRCSW's mission forward.

The full list of award recipients will be recognized at the DoD FM Conference, scheduled for August 26-27, 2024, at Fort Belvoir, VA, followed by special events at the Pentagon on August 28, 2024. As FRCSW continues to lead in financial management innovation, their achievements set a high standard for excellence and dedication within the Department of Defense.