– The Institute of National Remembrance worked for many years on a dedicated system – IPN-2. Each branch was connected to the headquarters via a wide area network, while all budget and financial reports were prepared collectively at the headquarters. Over time, the system ceased to meet our expectations – says Elżbieta Kuczyńska, Deputy Director of the Budget, Finance and HR Office at the IPN.
A decision was made regarding the necessity of implementing an ERP suite that would integrate operations within the Institute. In June 2008, a tender was announced for the supply and implementation of an integrated management support system. The tender also included the supply of computer hardware along with utility software and licenses. The IPN decided to implement an integrated ERP-class suite – TETA Constellation from TETA SA. TETA’s offer met all the Institute’s requirements, guaranteeing a competitive price with a large number of training sessions and contracted implementation days. The project was to include work related to the Payroll, HR, Logistics (in terms of sales and warehouses), Finance and Fixed Assets modules, as well as the TETA Controlling system for budgeting purposes. The implementation covered the Institute’s headquarters in Warsaw, eleven branches, and the IPN Auxiliary Farm. The Logistyka.NET application was to be used exclusively by the Auxiliary Farm, which is the only unit in the IPN structure that provides paid services and is the only unit that is a VAT payer. The implementation began with describing the processes carried out in the company and establishing its main goals. In September 2008, work began on launching the suite. First, the conversion of HR data was addressed, as well as the entry of information about contractors. At the same time, work related to the parameterization of the suite and individual applications was carried out on the IPN servers. Additionally, at the same time, training was conducted for future users and administrators of the TETA Constellation suite.
– The IPN was one of the first such large customers for us from the public administration sector that decided to implement the entire suite. As a result, we encountered many situations that were unusual for us, thanks to which we were able to further adapt our applications to serve clients from the budgetary sphere. For example, the nomenclature in the field of accounting is unusual – the most striking example was the need to include paragraphs, departments, and chapters of the budget classification in the chart of accounts, as well as budget tasks, which are phenomena completely unknown in traditional accounting – says Krzysztof Strawski, a manager at TETA SA.
Due to the specific nature of the IPN’s activities, it was necessary to introduce several modifications taking into account its unusual needs. First and foremost, this concerned the export of data to the Płatnik system. Previously, the system did not support the export of data for full-time employees who only pay health insurance contributions. Further modifications were related to prosecutors’ leaves, who benefit from an increased amount of leave and additional leaves, controlled in periods other than the calendar year.
– An undoubted effect of the implementation is a significant improvement in the management of individual applications within the multi-branch structure of the IPN. We use many new functionalities that the TETA Constellation suite possesses, which are necessary in the current work of a budgetary unit. The system is easy to use and the interface is completely intuitive. It is also obvious that the advantage of the solution is its centralization – one system serves the headquarters and all branches. There are many advantages to the new system, and it would take a long time to list them all. In general, the most important thing was to automate and simplify accounting procedures. – added Elżbieta Kuczyńska.