Ashesi University is a liberal arts college committed to educating Africa’s future ethical and entrepreneurial leaders. Based in Ghana, this non-profit university was established nearly two decades ago. Since then, the university has grown to a staff of 160 employees, and its mission and educational approach have earned it a multitude of awards and recognitions.
Ashesi is dedicated to cultivating critical thinking, empathy, and the courage to transform a continent. As such, its students have earned degrees in disciplines such as BSc Computer Science, BSc Management Information Systems, BSc Engineering, and BSc Business Administration.
CHALLENGES FACED BY ASHESI UNIVERSITY USING TRADITIONAL PROCUREMENT PROCESSES:
The educational industry is in a constant battle to fight overhead costs. As a university with 43% of its student base on scholarships, this battle is even more prevalent for Ashesi.
Their procurement team was having serious difficulties, especially regarding their purchasing and approvals processes. Manual processes, hoards of paperwork, and mailboxes full of emails were only adding to the problem. Requesitioners would need to walk between departments (between 80 and 500 meters) to get a purchase request, or payment request approved manually.
The procurement process had become a source of pain for the educational institution. Manual processes, ineffective budgeting strategies, and poor communication led to staff feeling fatigued and burnt out. They were in desperate need of a change, so they began investigating e-procurement solutions.
David A.K Kadeh
Director of Finance
OBJECTIVES OF A PROCUREMENT SYSTEM:
The need for a more streamlined cost- and time-saving initiative hit the university with full force, and it would have been much worse had the realization not come on time. “The process was quite inefficient and time-consuming. During the outbreak of Covid19, the situation would have been very devastating if Ashesi had not onboarded Tradogram in time,” said David A.K Kadeh, Director of Finance for Ashesi University.
To improve the operations of Ashesi University, the following challenges were identified. Tradogram was measured according to the following set of KPIs:
- Automate purchasing management and inventory tracking.
- Replace all manual, paper-based processes with digital tracking and management.
- Remove bottlenecks in their approval process with automated workflows.
- Improve decision-making with the use of accurate metrics, analysis, and reporting.
- Implement an end-to-end supply chain management process, from requisition to delivery.
- Improve interdepartmental communication through cloud-based tools and practices.
- Improve reporting and budgeting processes to align spending and identify cost-saving opportunities.
RESULTING BENEFITS FROM IMPLEMENTING TRADOGRAM’S E-PROCUREMENT SYSTEM:
After implementing the Tradogram procurement software, David reported a sense of great relief felt by the entire Ashesi community. Thanks to Tradogram, the delays and fatigue that the Ashesi team suffered due to their approval and payment processes were finally under control. Apart from the relief felt by team members, David also reported better transparency in the school’s procurement and spend management processes and an improved ability to track purchases against a range of metrics. “Accounts payable tracking and data entry into the university accounting systems became a breeze,” said David.
Ashesi has also integrated Tradogram into its accounting systems, and despite a few initial taxing configuration challenges, the systems are now working together seamlessly.
David presented these “before and after” findings from a mix of statistics available in the system, along with observable changes in employee workflows:
Ashesi University – Scholarship Leadership Citizenship
CLOSING REMARKS FROM DAVID
The use of Tradogram was a timely intervention for Ashesi University. The teams are less tired, more efficient, and have more time to spend on achieving their mission of empowering future African leaders.
Tradogram enables Ashesi University to navigate the transition to cloud-based operations with ease. Purchases, budget tracking, payment approvals, and project fund tracking have become a breeze as Heads of Departments, and budget holders work to manage their budget spends remotely.
“Both senior management and employees were very excited about our decision to rollout Tradogram. Our suppliers couldn’t hide their excitement since the turnaround time for receiving payments improved drastically.
The board and senior management applauded the finance and IT team for the efficiency and transparency that the Tradogram application has brought to Ashesi’s procurement and spend management systems. Purchases and payment approvals just get easier and can be done on the go.
As the Director of Finance, I just love the software and will recommend it to any organization, any time. Interestingly, with all the features, the price is cool compared to others we have evaluated,” concluded David.
Purchase Order Processing Time
Including creating, approving, and issuing to the supplier.
2 – 3 business days
Less than 2 hours
Cost Savings Realized and Attained
Limited spend visibility and capacity to pull detailed information. Ashesi struggled to budget and identify cost-saving opportunities.
Ashesi University reported a 15% cost reduction after using Tradogram. Thanks to expense tracking and budgeting tools, spend control has been regained.
Purchase Order and Approval Processing Method
Ashesi staff would need to walk between departments to gain approval and only communicate through email. Approval documents were all done on Microsoft Excel.
Expense forms and Approval workflows through Tradogram improved efficiency.
Administration and Data Collection
Keeping track of paper trails was time-consuming and inefficient. The office was full of files for various documents, creating a cluttered work environment.
Electronic data filing enhanced Ashesi’s audit trails and created more space in the finance office.
Reporting
Paper trials and poor communication methods were time-consuming and inefficient.
Tradogram’s reporting tools, accounts payable tracking, and data entry tools, made accounting and financial reporting a breeze.
Project Tracking
Inefficient practices and manual processes wasted time and resources.
Tradogram’s project tracking features enabled Ashesi University to track ongoing construction project spending, donor-sponsored scholarships, and research grants.
CLOSING REMARKS FROM DAVID
The use of Tradogram was a timely intervention for Ashesi University. The teams are less tired, more efficient, and have more time to spend on achieving their mission of empowering future African leaders.
Tradogram enables Ashesi University to navigate the transition to cloud-based operations with ease. Purchases, budget tracking, payment approvals, and project fund tracking have become a breeze as Heads of Departments, and budget holders work to manage their budget spends remotely.
“Both senior management and employees were very excited about our decision to rollout Tradogram. Our suppliers couldn’t hide their excitement since the turnaround time for receiving payments improved drastically.
The board and senior management applauded the finance and IT team for the efficiency and transparency that the Tradogram application has brought to Ashesi’s procurement and spend management systems. Purchases and payment approvals just get easier and can be done on the go.
As the Director of Finance, I just love the software and will recommend it to any organization, any time. Interestingly, with all the features, the price is cool compared to others we have evaluated,” concluded David.
RECENT CASE STUDIES
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