The Bottom Line - Winter 2019 - 19

Budgeting and Reporting DIFS
By Randall Myers, Budget Team Lead

am the Budget Team Lead for the new District
Integrated Financial System (DIFS) Program.
In this role, I am responsible for ensuring that
the budget and reporting functions within the
new financial system will work, and that we
are able to formulate and execute the District
budget using this best-in-class system.
Previously, as an Operating Budget Manager
in the Office of Budget and Planning (OBP), I
led a team of analysts that assisted with formulating the District's budget, monitoring agency
spending, and reporting budget information
to stakeholders. Although I served as a manager for a little over a year, my career with OBP
spanned 18 years.
Since joining the DIFS Program Team, I've
noticed a few key differences. In my previous
position, the workload was predictable and
most of the team knew my role. As an DIFS
team member, my responsibilities are now
open-ended, multifaceted, and require stronger communication skills. Also, I've had to learn
how to work alongside new team members,
who are experts in their fields.
As a newly formed group, the DIFS team,
has had to learn patience because the project's
size and complexity, can seem intimidating.
Leaving the work that we knew well, this is the
first time many of us have worked cross-functionally to implement a system. We are also
fully aware that the District has been down this
road before-with prior implementation efforts
that have failed. Despite all of this, we embrace
the change to come, and I am confident in our
ability to succeed. Our collaboration and

maximization of each other's skillsets are
what will drive this implementation. The
team is working to build a system and make
fundamental business process changes that
will equip policy makers, along with financial
and programmatic staff with the tools needed
to provide better services at a lower cost to
District residents and businesses.
As the project progresses, we will continue
to work closely with stakeholders. So far, we've
been able to host several functional workshops that cover various topics related to the
new system. As we move from the workshop
phase, I will continue to be a proactive listener.
Using the OCFO's SMARTER goals, DIFS
will create an environment where people
feel comfortable sharing their thoughts,
are able to gain a deeper understanding
of the necessary change and embrace the
expanded capabilities and opportunities
that DIFS will provide.

WINTER 2019 | 19

The Bottom Line - Winter 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Bottom Line - Winter 2019