Projects

The Lawson General Ledger (GL) system served as an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, enabling comprehensive management of financial operations and other critical business functions. The Accounts Receivable (AR) department routinely utilized the Lawson GL for daily operations, which was hosted on-premises and managed by the organization’s internal IT department. Over time, Lawson transitioned to a modernized, cloud-based financial management platform as part of the Infor CloudSuite. This evolution necessitated a migration from the legacy on-premises application and database infrastructure to a cloud-based financial system, resulting in significant operational changes to GL utilization and workflows.

As part of the transition, I spearheaded the preparation and validation of AR data for migration to the cloud environment. This included collaborating with external consultants to clarify system requirements specific to AR, conducting comprehensive testing of AR record conversions to ensure data accuracy, and redesigning obsolete reports impacted by the new system’s architecture. Additionally, I facilitated training sessions for team members to ensure proficiency in navigating the updated GL interface.

The Lawson GL had historically supported the generation of T4As for member contributions. However, the migration to Infor CloudSuite disrupted this functionality, requiring the development of new local database tables and a customized application to restore the process. In this phase, I played a pivotal role in guiding the testing team by clarifying business rules governing T4As issuance, enabling the creation of robust test scenarios. Furthermore, I developed detailed data reports aligned with end-user requirements to validate system performance and ensure compliance with business objectives throughout the testing lifecycle.

This structured approach ensured a seamless transition to the cloud platform while maintaining operational continuity and data integrity across critical financial functions.

IBM Cognos Analytics served as the organization’s primary reporting tool for business users to generate critical data insights over multiple years. As part of a strategic modernization initiative, the business transitioned to Microsoft Power BI to enhance analytical capabilities and data visualization. Each department was responsible for migrating existing Cognos queries and reports to the new platform. To execute this effort, I delegated responsibility to a team member and provided hands-on training and mentorship, particularly given their limited prior exposure to SQL and no experience with Data Analysis Expressions (DAX). Concurrently, I developed expertise in Power BI Report Builder to design polished, audit-ready reports for external auditors, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.

The adoption of Power BI also streamlined the creation of dynamic dashboards for monitoring and managing key processes, including the issuance of PAs, PSPSs, PARs, and Tax Receipts. This shift significantly enhanced cross-functional visibility and operational efficiency while aligning with broader organizational goals. Additional details on these dashboards are outlined in the dedicated applications page.

By combining technical guidance, collaborative problem-solving, and upskilling initiatives, this transition successfully modernized the organization’s reporting framework, optimizing data-driven decision-making across teams.

Annually, the Province of Ontario is invoiced to match pension plan member contributions, a process requiring the calculation of multiple contribution streams. This task is inherently complex due to variations in pension plan policies and interest accrual methodologies associated with each contribution category. Recognized as a legacy process in need of modernization, a comprehensive review was formally initiated to enhance accuracy and efficiency.

As the Accounts Receivable (AR) Department Manager overseeing this initiative, I spearheaded the evaluation of the existing workflow and was a major player in the redesign of the process. This involved rigorous scrutiny of all billing components to ensure compliance with regulatory standards and alignment with organizational objectives. Through cross-departmental collaboration, including engagement with internal and external audit teams, discrepancies were identified, corrective measures implemented, and a strengthened billing framework established.

The multi-month review culminated in a streamlined, auditable process that improved transparency and reduced operational risk. This transformation not only resolved historical inconsistencies but also delivered a scalable model for future billing cycles, reinforcing accountability and governance across stakeholder groups.

A review of the PA/PSPA/PAR issuance process uncovered compliance deficiencies within the existing system. Specifically, the issuance application incorrectly applied write-off rules at the product level, whereas Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) mandates that these rules be applied at the member level. Given the complexity of interpreting records due to the ability to amend, delete, cancel, or write off PAs/PSPAs/PARs, coupled with variations in calculation methodologies and timelines across product types, addressing these discrepancies required specialized expertise.

As the department responsible for overseeing the issuance process and given my subject matter expertise, I was assigned to a cross-functional team to implement revised write-off rules. My responsibilities included educating the team on the existing issuance workflow, providing technical guidance, collaborating on solution design, and conducting comprehensive testing of the updated system logic.

Beyond the write-off non-compliance concerns, the PA cancellation reporting process was also found to deviate from regulatory standards. A subsequent IT systems analysis concluded that resolving this issue, though seemingly straightforward, would necessitate a substantial system overhaul deemed impractical under current constraints. To mitigate this gap, I developed a Power BI reporting tool to systematically identify records requiring cancellation and identified other related records that needed to be fixed in order to maintain data integrity. This solution enabled streamlined remediation by providing IT with a precise dataset for targeted adjustments, ensuring compliance while minimizing operational disruption.

The legacy AR system, developed internally using RPG programming language, had become operationally inefficient and challenging to maintain. To address these limitations, the organization opted to modernize its AR infrastructure by procuring and implementing the Lawson AR module. This transition required the creation of new payment processing tables and the design of an invoice-centric AR framework by internal analysts. A critical component of the migration involved unallocating all payments from school board clients and systematically reallocating them to corresponding invoices within the updated system.

Given the manual nature of this large-scale reallocation process, my team was assigned to reconcile thousands of invoices against historical AR records. Leveraging the AS400 querying tool as our primary data analysis platform, we developed extensive queries to cross-reference data between the legacy system and the new Lawson AR environment. The reconciliation effort culminated in a comprehensive report confirming a 95% alignment of records, with the remaining 5% variance attributed to a strategic business decision to reallocate funds under a revised distribution methodology.

This reconciliation was pivotal, as final approval to proceed with the system’s go-live phase was contingent upon its validation. The project successfully modernized the AR department’s processes, enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of pension contribution tracking and payment management. By transitioning to the Lawson platform, the organization achieved a scalable, compliant, and user-friendly solution, marking a significant milestone in operational advancement.

The PA system encountered an issue that prevented the recalculation of approximately 1,000 Pension Adjustments. Consequently, our team was assigned the task of manually reviewing all unissued PAs (totaling around 5,000) to identify those that had not been recalculated and to initiate a manual recalculation process for each record. This recalculation was necessitated by a modification to the mathematical formula used in the system.

Given the labor-intensive and time-consuming nature of this manual review, I developed a streamlined approach by creating a spreadsheet incorporating the new formula. I then downloaded all unissued PAs, performed the recalculations, and compared the expected results with the actual PA amounts. This process enabled the identification of PAs that had not been recalculated.

To further enhance efficiency, rather than manually triggering recalculations, I provided the IT department with a list of PAs requiring updates. The IT team subsequently implemented the necessary changes using an update query, ensuring the accuracy and integrity of the PA data.

Exempt Past Service Pension Adjustments (PSPAs) are issued when pension plans are retroactively amended to enhance benefits for a large group of members. The most recent issuance involved over 100,000 members, and I was responsible for overseeing multiple aspects of the process. This included coordinating PSPA calculations with the IT department, reviewing and validating the accuracy of final records, drafting and managing the approval of member communications, and coordinating the production and mailing of letters and forms through a third-party printing service.

Although a pre-existing formula, system, and communication template were available from previous issuances, the scale of this project required meticulous planning and execution to ensure a seamless process with minimal errors. The project was successfully completed, with the only minor issue being the anticipated return of several hundred letters due to outdated addresses.