Design And Implementation Of A Computerized Financial Management System For Public Institutions

INTRODUCTION
Financial management can be regarded as the process which ensures that financial resources are obtained economically and used efficiently and effectively in the accomplishment of the desired goals. These processes involve monitoring and analyzing public institutions financial conditions, general and special account, management budgetary procedures, financial statements and reports, payroll/income tax calculation and salary payments, and managing cash flow.
Price to the emergence and introduction of computer all these processes and activities were done manually. The expansion of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital UNTH, Enugu just like any other public institution, will not only intensity but also diversify the financial operations thereby making the activities increasingly difficult and wearisome. The volume of transaction has already increased to a level that requires automation.
Convincingly, the field of data processing was not easy to get by and so over the years (in the field of data processing with utmost speed), mankind has searched for the extra-ordinary. At such time came the emergence of the computer which is widely used virtually in all areas of human endeavor.
The increase in the use of computer in both public and private institutions of the world economic is an undisputable conclusion for efficiency, speed and accuracy of its operations in achieving results.
However, the manual processes and procedures of financial resources allocation and utilization is our contemporary days has been confronted with consistent problems of errors and wastage of time which are traceable to human mistakes and shortcomings.
The establishment of a sustainable, manageable, reliable and flexible financial management system for UNTH to curb these problems inherent in the existing system is the bases of this project work. Such a financial management system will support all operational accounting procedures as well as financial management.

1.1 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
The problems faced in the financial management activities includes
1. The consistent prevalence of errors in calculations carried out on financial reports which are traceable to human mistakes and shortcoming.
2. Improper handling of financial statement, reports and records as a result of the problem of space for storage and retrieval purposes which led to many files been misplaced.
3. The interval or time consumed in analyzing and ascertaining the accuracy and approval of financial statements and accounts which in turn affects decision making and policy formulation.
This research work is prompted to these problem g\for it is the basis of the above problems facing manual financial management procedures and activities today that instilled the researcher to look into the subject of curbing and controlling financial management activities manually.

1.2 PURPOSE OF STUDY
This project work is very essential in various ways to a number of people including the business men, sole proprietors, firms, organization, companies etc. both private and public institution whose utmost desire is to ensure expansion of their institution through proper financial resources allocation and management. It will be enormous benefits to both accountants and auditors from time to time.
Also it is to remove repetitive, inefficient processes and unclear procedures and provides adequate information supporting financial decision making which enables the institution to secure its resources against dubious minded managers as well as unreliable information.
Finally, the project work is also to serve as a reference or guide for future research to be carried out for proper documentation.

1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The aim and objectives of this study is to minimize and if possible eradicate the problems or errors made by human beings due to shortcomings. This will be achieved by the establishment of a sustainable, manageable and flexible financial management system.
Another aim is to ensure that financial records are properly stored thereby preventing them from getting lost since these records will be used in the future especially when making or planning for budget. Also the work is to ensure that accurate, faster and reliable calculations are carried out on reports without any suspicious of any sought.

1.4 DELIMITATION
As a result of the complexity of the organization in question as well as the financial management activities, this research only considers the properly monitoring of internally generated funds, its expenditure and disbursement using computer option to control it.
The research would as well look at the nature of the existing problems and suggest ways of controlling them.
The researcher would as well consider some manual processes of controlling financial resources without necessarily going further to expose sophisticated procedures in controlling these resources as they are beyond of the circumstances beyond the researcher’s control.

1.5 LIMITATIONS
This research work was seriously constrained by a number of factors, the most pronounced of which were time and money.
TIME
Time was the most important obstacle to the feasibility of this project work. As a student held bound by serous studies for examination, the research was not given the best appropriate attention it should had though I made sure that the few I had meticulously collated will be a point of reference to other researchers in financial management problems.
MONEY
Inadequate finance also pose some threats and challenges to the realization, completion and success of this research work. Going to libraries for week as well as browsing on internet to gather materials and the organization which I used is my case study to interview some members of staff, typesetting and biding the discoveries into booklet, all these demanded enough financial resources.

1.6 ASSUMPTIONS
In the research work, I assumed that the facts and figures gathered are both accurate and reliable and that at the end of the study I would be able to report in this work, the various processes involved in a financial management operations.

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS
FINANCIAL CONTROL: This is defined as processes which makes sure that financial resources used in running an organization are obtained and efficiently utilized in the accomplishment of set objectives or desired goals.
INTERNAL CONTROL: Internal control is defined as “Not only internal check and internal audit but the whole system of controls, financial and otherwise, established by the management in order to carry on the business of any the company in an orderly manner, safeguard its assets and secure as far as possible the accuracy and reliability of its records.
INTERNAL CHECK: This is defined as the allocation of authority and work in such a manner as the afford checks on the routine transactions of day-to-day work by means of the work one person being proved independently by another, or the work of a person being complementary to that of another.
BUDGETING PROCEDURES: This refers to practices. Processes, institutional arrangements, documentation, norms and conventions governing budget preparation, approval, implementation, appraisal and review
COMPUTER SYSTEM: An electronic device or system which is capable of performing sequence of operation in a distinctive and explicit manner. These operations entails computation and manipulation of data. A computer system is made up of inter-related components that works together to achieve an aim.
COMPUTER PROGRAM: These are set of detailed instructions or statement that are logically arranged and transferred to computer system and used to direct the functionality of the system. It also entails procedures to be followed by the computer system in order to obtain the required result.
PROGRAM FLOWCHART: A graphical representation of the structure of a program indicating the control flow and primitive action perform by the program.
SYSTEM FLOWCHART: A diagrammatical representation of the logical steps flow of documents around the computer and perform by the computer.
RECCURRENT FUNDS ACCOUNT: This is an accounting system used in UNTH to monitor the financial resources used in the acquisition of transactory materials i.e daily recurring materials such as fueling, trying of drugs etc.
SALARY ACCOUNT: This is a system that maintains or records all the account paid to workers at the various levels of management and sections of the institution.
CAPITAL ACCOUNT: This is a system that monitors financial resources used in buying long lasting materials eg equipment, buses etc.
SPECIAL PROJECT ACCOUNT: This system monitors all expenditure incurred in the execution of defined projects by the institution.
TURN OVER: This represent the total amount of money or capital generated by an organization or commercial form over a specified period of time.