Analyze the benefits and drawbacks of accounting information systems to an organization
Explain how business processes function within an accounting information system
Overview
For this project, you will focus on analyzing a payroll onboarding process. By using your knowledge of general accounting principles, you will determine what information you will need to perform the analysis. Consider how you review the onboarding documentation to verify it for payroll and determine what information must be input into the accounting information system (AIS) related to the payroll onboarding process.
Scenario
You have recently been hired as a business analyst for the chief financial officer (CFO) of a small direct-to-consumer organization. The company is growing and is looking for ways to gain efficiency by automating some processes. The CFO has asked you to perform an analysis of the current payroll onboarding function within the organization. Through this analysis of the current onboarding functions, you will determine the benefits and drawbacks of how employee information flows through an AIS and how using an AIS will improve the payroll onboarding process.
Using what you have learned from your Milestone One assignment (flowchart) and with your knowledge of inputting data into an AIS, you will analyze the current new-hire procedures to identify areas for improvement and present this to the CFO.
Directions
After reviewing the Scenario and Supporting Materials sections, complete your analysis. Begin by reviewing the current new-hire procedures manual specific to the payroll onboarding process. Using Microsoft PowerPoint, create a presentation including speaker notes, and incorporate the illustration completed in Milestone One (flowchart). This is your opportunity to incorporate feedback you received from your instructor into your flowchart before adding it to your PowerPoint presentation. Remember, the goal of the PowerPoint presentation is to present any findings to the CFO.
You will need to include a dialog of your findings (script) within the Speaker Notes section in your presentation. You will then need to download the Speaker Notes in the form of a PDF file to upload for your submission with the completed PowerPoint presentation. You will have two submissions for Project One: your presentation and your script. Review the PowerPoint Speaker Notes Tutorial in the Supporting Materials section for assistance.
Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:
Provide a high-level overview of the payroll onboarding process.
Illustrate the payroll onboarding process in the form of a flowchart. Include the following details in your response:
- Post your flowchart within the presentation after incorporating feedback from your instructor on Milestone One.
- Describe which job function is responsible for performing each task.
Explain how the payroll onboarding processes function within accounting information systems.
Identify inputs and outputs of the payroll onboarding processes within an accounting information system.
Identify how key transaction cycles are automated. Include the following details in your response:
- Identify steps in the payroll process from paper approval (timesheet) to automated employee paychecks.
Identify at least two benefits of automating the payroll onboarding system.
Explain your rationale why the identified benefits support automating the payroll onboarding system.
Identify at least two drawbacks of automating the payroll onboarding system.
Explain your rationale why the identified drawbacks do not support automating the payroll onboarding process.
Summarize your findings of the payroll onboarding process. Include the following details in your response:
- Tasks within a payroll onboarding process
- Inputs and outputs in the payroll onboarding process
- Appropriate personnel performing tasks (role)