This document provides an overview of developing a business case for automation opportunities in deduction management. It discusses identifying opportunities by analyzing key processes like deduction processing, cash application, and sales agreements. Specific improvement areas are highlighted like managing deduction documentation and validation of trade promotion claims. The document also covers quantifying the opportunities by calculating current operational costs and estimating potential cost savings. It demonstrates calculating return on investment by determining implementation costs versus estimated savings. Finally, it provides a sample business case template for identifying sub-processes, improvement opportunities, and modeling potential benefits.
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How To Develop A Business Case For FSCM
1. Developing a Business Case
SAP FSCM Seminar
Jessica Butler
Principal
Attain Consulting Group February 2011
jbutler@attainconsultinggroup.com
2. Agenda
Introduction
Identify the Opportunities/Improvements
Quantify the Opportunities/Improvements
Develop the Return on Investment (ROI)
Sample Business Case
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
3. Introduction
What is a Business Case?
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
4. Introduction
Definition
A business case captures the reasoning for initiating a project
or task. It is often presented in a well-structured written
document, but may also sometimes come in the form of a
short verbal argument or presentation
Contains 3 Key Components
Identify the Opportunities/Improvements (What am I going to get?)
Quantify the Opportunities/Improvements (What is it going to cost?)
Develop the Return on Investment (What is my Payback?)
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
6. Identify the Opportunities/Improvements
How do you know what opportunities or improvements are
available?
Internally driven: Identified need or pain point search
for solution
Externally initiated: Hear about a solution creates a
previously unknown opportunity
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
7. Identify the Opportunities/Improvements
Deduction management automation
TOPIC
Deduction Processing
Cash Application / Remittance Processing
Sales Agreements
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
8. Identify the Opportunities/Improvements
Deduction management automation
TOPIC AREA OF POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENT
Managing Pre-Deduction Notification Information
Gathering Supporting Documentation
Preparing Customer Correspondence
Deduction Processing
Credit / Debit Memo Matching
Credit Memo Approval
Cross Functional Workflow & Collaboration
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
9. Identify the Opportunities/Improvements
Deduction management automation
TOPIC AREA OF POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENT
Use of Bank Lockbox Services
Cash Application /
Manipulation of Remittance Info. Prior to Posting
Remittance Processing
Reason Code Mapping
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
10. Identify the Opportunities/Improvements
Deduction management automation
TOPIC AREA OF POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENT
Importance of Program / Claim Validation
Sales Agreements Validation Drivers
Validation Process
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
11. Identify the Opportunities/Improvements
Deduction management automation
TOPIC AREA OF POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENT
Managing Pre-Deduction Notification Information
Gathering Supporting Documentation
Preparing Customer Correspondence
Deduction Processing
Credit / Debit Memo Matching
Credit Memo Approval
Cross Functional Workflow & Collaboration
Use of Bank Lockbox Services
Cash Application /
Manipulation of Remittance Info. Prior to Posting
Remittance Processing
Reason Code Mapping
Importance of Program / Claim Validation
Sales Agreements Validation Drivers
Validation Process
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
12. Identify the Opportunities/Improvements
Deduction management automation
TOPIC AREA OF POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENT
Managing Pre-Deduction Notification Information
Gathering Supporting Documentation
Preparing Customer Correspondence
Deduction Processing
Credit / Debit Memo Matching
Credit Memo Approval
Cross Functional Workflow & Collaboration
Use of Bank Lockbox Services
Cash Application /
Manipulation of Remittance Info. Prior to Posting
Remittance Processing
Reason Code Mapping
Importance of Program / Claim Validation
Sales Agreements Validation Drivers
Validation Process
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
13. Identify the Opportunities/Improvements
Remittance processing
Improvement Area:
Manipulation of remittance information prior to posting
Common Situation:
Customers remittance information needs manual processing prior to
posting deductions in ERP. For example:
Deleting / adding columns
Changing column signs
Removing prefixes/suffixes from invoice numbers associated with
deductions
Hours are spent manipulating unique formats and logic associated with
remittance information
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
14. Identify the Opportunities/Improvements
Remittance processing
Automation Opportunity:
Rules based engines
Allows customer specific automated pre-processing
Increases on-invoice hit rate / decreases manual remittance processing
Offered as SaaS (software as a service)
Minimal IT involvement
Avoid in-house EDI mapping
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
15. Identify the Opportunities/Improvements
Deduction management automation
TOPIC AREA OF POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENT
Managing Pre-Deduction Notification Information
Gathering Supporting Documentation
Preparing Customer Correspondence
Deduction Processing
Credit / Debit Memo Matching
Credit Memo Approval
Cross Functional Workflow & Collaboration
Use of Bank Lockbox Services
Cash Application /
Manipulation of Remittance Info. Prior to Posting
Remittance Processing
Reason Code Mapping
Importance of Program / Claim Validation
Sales Agreements Validation Drivers
Validation Process
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
16. Identify the Opportunities/Improvements
Sales agreement validation
Improvement Area:
Validation of Trade Promotion Claims
Common Situation:
Customers take deductions with minimal program reference
Matching & retrieving program documentation is labor intensive
May be maintained in internal system
May be available on customer vendor portals
Programs may require Sell Through or Sell In information for validation
Validation may required clicking through numerous screens and
supporting documentation may need to be manually analyzed for
validation
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
17. Identify the Opportunities/Improvements
Sales agreement validation
Automation Opportunity:
POS information can be routinely extracted from key customers and
customer reports generated using SaaS solution
Claim documents and deal sheets maintained on customer vendor
portals can be automatically retrieved and pasted within ERP using
Web Aggregation technology
Internal source documents can be:
Retrieved and attached within dispute case
Calculations can be performed automatically to streamline validation
processing
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
18. Identify the Opportunities/Improvements
Deduction management automation
TOPIC AREA OF POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENT
Managing Pre-Deduction Notification Information
Gathering Supporting Documentation
Preparing Customer Correspondence
Deduction Processing
Credit / Debit Memo Matching
Credit Memo Approval
Cross Functional Workflow & Collaboration
Use of Bank Lockbox Services
Cash Application /
Manipulation of Remittance Info. Prior to Posting
Remittance Processing
Reason Code Mapping
Importance of Program / Claim Validation
Sales Agreements Validation Drivers
Validation Process
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
19. Identify the Opportunities/Improvements
Deduction processing
Improvement Area:
Deduction Processing
Common Situation:
External supporting documents require significant manual effort to
retrieve (e.g., PODs, claim copies)
Internal supporting documents are stored throughout multiple systems
Preparing customer correspondence (e.g., denial letters and dispute forms)
is labor intensive
Credit memo approval process is multi-step process
Limited cross-functional workflow & collaboration
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
20. Identify the Opportunities/Improvements
Deduction processing
Automation Opportunity:
Retrieval of supporting documentation, such as PODs and customer
claims can be can be automated using Web Aggregation technology
Paper documents, such as customer claims, BOL can scanned and
indexed (using OCR technology)
Internal source documents can be automatically attached to dispute
case eliminating need to manually retrieve
Customer dispute forms can be auto-populated
Workflow engine can be used to streamline & automate manual
processes:
Credit memo approval process
Deduction research by reason code
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
22. Quantify the Opportunities/Improvements
Current Costs
1. Calculate Current Operational Cost
% of
Depart. / Benefits Number of Resources Full Time FTE
Role Division FTE Salary Markup Resources on Process Equivalent Total Amount
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23. Quantify the Opportunities/Improvements
Estimate savings
2. Estimate Min/Max Savings
% of # FTE FTE Min Max Min FTE Max FTE Avg FTE
Task/Sub-Process Time Resources Equiv Amt Automation Automation Savings Savings Savings
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
25. Calculate the ROI
Estimated Savings
Minimum Maximum Average
OPERATIONAL EXPENSES
TOTAL VALUE CAPTURE
Implementation Costs
IMPLEMENTATION COSTS Provider Internal Total
First Year
Second Years onwards (Annual Recurring)
Return on Investment
Minimum Maximum Average
NET YEARLY SAVINGS
First Year savings
Second Year and Ongoing Savings
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
27. Sample Business Case
Identify Key Processes
Break into Sub-Processes
Identify Improvement Opportunities
Model Potential Benefits
Summarize Results
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
28. Sample Business Case
Identify Key Processes
Break into Sub-Processes
Identify Improvement Opportunities
Model Potential Benefits
Summarize Results
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
29. Sample Business Case
Identify Sub-Processes
Process # Deduction Sub-Processes
1 Gather Supporting Documentation
2 Prepare Customer Correspondence
3 Credit Memo Approval
4 Cross Functional Workflow & Collaboration
30. Sample Business Case
Identify Improvement Opportunities
Deduction Sub-
# Improvement Opportunities
Process
A % of backup can be automated via Web Aggregation, scanning/indexing etc and automatically
attached to Dispute Case so Analyst does not have to retrieve manually. Relevant SAP
transactions such as Sales Order, Delivery Invoice, Return Credits can be linked to Dispute Case
Gather Supporting - Automatically retrieve and attach BOL or POD from carrier websites
1 - Automatically retrieve and attach debit memos from customer websites
Documentation
- Automatically retrieve check and remittance backup from bank lockbox
- Scan / index mailed documentation & attach to dispute via matching rules
- SAP A/R documents are automatically linked
- SAP SD transactions can be linked using the standard SD document flow logic
Standardized Repay package can be created in SAP via SmartForms including Cover letter and
Preparing Customer Denial Form that can be automatically populated and generated. Backup documentation such as
2
Correspondence Invoice Copy, Claim Copy and POD Copy can be automatically included in package based on
reason codes etc.
Convert complete credit memo approval process to electronic within SAP
Credit Memo - Analyst/Manager approval/reject process can be orchestrated within SAP workflow
3
Approval - Eliminates need for offline email, printing & approval process
- Automatically release credit memo and clear deduction upon approval
All communication via email/fax/mail between various departments & analysts regarding Dispute
Cases will be orchestrated via SAP Workflow so a user can "Forward" the Dispute Case within SAP.
Cross Functional
4 - Most offline email communication can be eliminated brought into SAP within Dispute Case
Collaboration
- Eliminate need for scanning or manually attaching back up documentation
- Eliminate need tor searching through email communication to review history
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
31. Sample Business Case
Identify Key Processes
Break into Sub-Processes
Identify Improvement Opportunities
Model Potential Benefits
Summarize Results
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
32. Quantify the Opportunities/Improvements
Current operational costs
Input - Resources
Benefits # of % on Related FT FTE
Role Division FTE Salary markup Resources Activities Equiv. Total Amount
Deduction Analyst Division 1 $ 55,000.00 $ 68,750.00 12 100% 12 $825,000.00
Deduction Specialist Division 1 $ 35,000.00 $ 43,750.00 4 100% 4 $175,000.00
Deduction Analyst Division 2 $ 55,000.00 $ 68,750.00 2 100% 2 $137,500.00
Deduction Specialist Division 2 $ 40,000.00 $ 50,000.00 7 100% 7 $350,000.00
Deduction Analyst Division 3 $ 55,000.00 $ 68,750.00 5 100% 5 $343,750.00
Deduction Specialist Division 3 $ 40,000.00 $ 50,000.00 6 100% 6 $300,000.00
Deduction Specialist Division 3 $ 35,000.00 $ 43,750.00 2 100% 2 $87,500.00
Customer Service Rep Division 4 $ 60,000.00 $ 75,000.00 1 100% 1 $75,000.00
Customer Service Rep Division 4 $ 60,000.00 $ 75,000.00 1 100% 1 $75,000.00
Total 40 40 $2,368,750.00
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
34. Quantify the Opportunities/Improvements
Quantify savings
Role Sub - Process Automation Rational
Division 1 operations comprised of 85% deductions & 15%
Deduction Supporting Documentation invoice collections. On the higher-end we are assuming 70%
Analyst Gathering Automation of Debit Memos and 80% automation of PODs. Max
Automation = (0.7 x .85 + 0.8 x 0.15) = 70%
Deductions: Auto-generate coversheet, customer sepcific claim
Deduction Customer Correspondence denial form, invoices, debit memo & POD copies etc.
Analyst Collection: Auto-generate collection letters, invoice copies and
POD copies. 70% of automation above
Deduction Productivity increase by converting the complete credit memo
Credit Memo Approval
Analyst approval process to electronic within SAP. Currently paper copies
are printed for approval or reports are reviewed manually
Productivity increase due to orchestrating the deduction
Deduction Inter-Departmental Workflow
resolution process within SAP workflow eliminating offline
Analyst & Collaboration
collaboration via email, scanning documents etc
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
35. Sample Business Case
Identify Key Processes
Break into Sub-Processes
Identify Improvement Opportunities
Model Potential Benefits
Summarize Results
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
36. Quantify the Opportunities/Improvements
Calculate ROI
Estimated Savings
Minimum Maximum Average
OPERATIONAL EXPENSES
Division 1 $ 157,987.50 $ 225,225.00 $ 191,606.25
Division 2 $ 164,500.00 $ 234,937.50 $ 199,718.75
Division 3 $ 223,234.38 $ 326,125.00 $ 274,679.69
TOTAL VALUE CAPTURE $ 545,721.88 $786,287.50 $666,004.69
Implementation Costs
IMPLEMENTATION COSTS HighRadius Internal Total
First Year $ 580,614.80 $ 76,428.00 $657,042.80
Second Years onwards (Annual Recurring) $ 74,400.00 $ - $ 74,400.00
Return on Investment
Minimum Maximum Average
NET YEARLY SAVINGS
First Year savings $(111,320.93) $129,244.70 $ 8,961.89
Second Year and Ongoing Savings $ 471,321.88 $711,887.50 $591,604.69
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case
37. Conclusion
The sole role of a business case is that of a
communication tool, composed in a language that the
target audience understands and with enough detail to
facilitate decision making on his or her part.
The vast majority of unsuccessful projects fail not because
of poor project management, but because of poor decisions
with respect to the choice of projects. A good business case
helps to make right decisions and avoid horrible waste.
Ilya Bogorad
Principal of Bizvortex Consulting Group
Attain Consulting Group 2011 Developing a Business Case