Services Offered to Support OpenGov users
How McCann Consulting can help
Implement OpenGov
I can help you get started with hands-on support for chart of accounts design, data transfers, report and budget development.
Continuous Improvement
Reports and the underlying chart of accounts benefit from regular attention, updates and polishing. Budgeting requires regular attention and focus.
Train Leaders & Staff
Powerful technology works best with well-trained and confident operators. Leaders need peer-to-peer support and best practice insights.
Work with OpenGov
Deep connections to OpenGov tech and team members allows us to represent your needs, get direct solutions and move quickly when needed
Personal Attention
Working with a limited number of engagements at any one time, MCC offers every Agency a customized services plan and agreement. Each plan is designed to meet the needs, support the resources, and hel the Agency achieve their specific goals.
Forward looking government leaders appreciate the value of OpenGov’s modern transparent web-based platform, but often have difficulty in staffing the hands-on work required to take full advantage of these tools.
MCC support for Agencies using OpenGov Reporting and Budgeting software is organized around two broad areas, with individual agreements crafted to their specific situation.
1. Ongoing OpenGov Software Support
Ongoing services are provided on a flexible (normally monthly) schedule under an annual service agreement.
Uploading data to the OpenGov platform
MCC can help in situations where OpenGov’s data integration service (automatic overnight transformation and upload of accounting transactions or other data sets) is not feasible or appropriate.
Many agencies do not want new raw accounting transactions presented to the internal users or the broader public on a daily basis. They prefer completing their month-end accounting cycles, bank reconciliation, and other control processes before releasing results.
Agencies may want to do their reporting using unique data transformations, or include data from systems where OpenGov does not provide data automation options.
MCC acts on the client’s behalf to handle data uploads on a monthly or other regular schedule.
- MCC receives data (as datasets or formatted reports) electronically from the Agency via email, DropBox or SFTP.
- MCC does the data transformations needed to reformat the data for the OpenGov platform.
- MCC uploads the data to the clients site on the OpenGov platform.
Balancing Reports
Maintaining accuracy in accounting reports is critical to build trust and reliance on data in decision-making. Anytime data moves between systems balancing protocols are important.
MCC provides report accuracy services whether MCC or other parties perform the uploads.
- MCC balances OpenGov reports with uploaded data back to the source reporting or to control totals provided by the Agency.
- MCC helps maintain the OpenGov chart of accounts by adding new accounts found in uploaded data and making sure that accounts are correctly classified to roll up to appropriate sub-total levels in reporting.
- MCC provides annual budget uploads and related annual cycle maintenance to present the new budget reports.
Presenting Fresh and Complete Reporting
Beyond data accuracy, Agencies need to keep reporting up to date, reflecting their organization’s structure, including the appropriate levels of detail, securing confidential information, and presenting results in useful ways.
MCC knows the OpenGov reporting tools in great detail, and across many installations. We use that experience to help every Agency do quality reporting.
- MCC designs and installs new reports.
- MCC upgrades and rewrites existing reports
- MCC helps turn raw account titles into more polished presentation language
2. Implementation, Budget, and Project Support
Project support services are provided on a flexible basis to suit the Agency’ specific objectives and timetable under an annual service agreement.
Implementation Support – We can act as additional Agency staff
Agencies newly using or upgrading OpenGov reporting and budgeting software are led through the process by OpenGov implementation teams with well established best practices, milestones and calendars. This process is designed to support agencies of all types and sizes, the necessary complexity of larger government installations.
OpenGov’s robust implementation process is complex enough that it can be overwhelming for a smaller agency with limited staff resources for the mandatory hands-on work and decision-making needed for a successful implementation.
MCC provides hands-on assistance with the implementation process. We can act in place of Agency staff, interface with the OpenGov teams, and help the Agency bring their vision to reality.
- MCC can help with the key process of building a chart of accounts (CoA) on the OpenGov platform. A quality CoA build is the first step in implementation and is key to unlocking the incredible value built into the software.
- MCC can help with the process of loading historical data to the OpenGov platform, transforming old records to the current configuration under the new CoA, even if the data comes from multiple sources.
- MCC can help with initial report builds and data validation to ensure the history is correct and the Agency is positioned to move forward with taking OpenGov reports public as desired.
- MCC can help create the first draft budget on the OpenGov platform, doing the detailed work that OpenGov teams train on, but may not actually complete for the Agency.
- MCC can help draft the first Online Budget Book using OpenGov Stories to produce GFOA award quality books with recommended links and verbiage.
Process Support – significant hands-on help
Agencies run many complex processes on annual cycles. With normal staff transitions and learning curves, staying current on the details of infrequently exercised process and the software that supports them is difficult.
MCC can provide customized support services to provide significant hands-on help in processes supported by OpenGov software. We can act to support and train staff, help cover vacant positions, and directly engage with decision makers or OpenGov staff on behalf of the Agency.
- Help managing the budget development cycle. MCC partners with Agency budget leaders using the OpenGov Budget Suite. We can work deep in the budget development cycle, producing additional reporting and Excel exports to help budget and departmental staff meet their goals and plans.
- Help developing their Online Budget Book. MCC helps Agencies assemble their budget book supporting materials as the budget is adopted and published.
- Help support of their annual audit. MCC helps Agencies prepare their PBC (prepared by client) and other reporting needs. With reporting available anywhere on-line auditors may be able to spend less time at the Agency’s site during their field work.
- Help build schedules, reports and narratives needed for the ACFR. While the OpenGov Reporting Suite is not designed or sold as an ACFR builder, the software can be used to help build many of the actual schedules used.
3. Training Support
Training is an integral part of every MCC engagement.
Informal, one-on-one discussion, demonstration and feedback helps give Agency staff the confidence and skills they need in their work. Cell phone, Zoom contact, and on-site options bring support to life.
The PPB Handbook is an example of the kind of training materials and support that MCC can provide in the field. Training can be developed and customized to an Agencies needs and software situation.
MCC is easy to work with, a simple two page agreement structures the relationship and can be cancelled by the Agency at any time.
MCC supports all aspects of agency budgeting, whether and Agency is using OpenGov, other platforms, or MS Excel.
