Working More Efficiently
Jacqueline de Ligt, chief financial officer of the Van Gogh Foundation, has been with the foundation since February 2007. Long before her time, the finance department was already using Exact Globe. “When I started here, the financial records were a mess,” she says. In a short time, the Van Gogh Museum Foundation had grown from 70 to 250 employees. And that was reflected in the records; because they had been expanded bit by bit over time, they looked like a patchwork quilt.
When I look at how we prepared our first annual financial statements and how we do it now, it’s like night and day.
Jaqueline de Ligt
Huge improvements since Exact Synergy
In addition to the redesign of Exact Globe One of De Ligt's first tasks was to Exact Synergy to get started. They process about 7,000 purchase invoices per year. Before Exact Synergy A copy of every invoice was made and sent in a folder to the relevant budget manager. That person then had to sign it and return it to the accounting department. “If you have three budget managers, this is still manageable, but we have 45! It was unworkable, especially since we were spread across so many different buildings. Invoices went missing, and the accounting department had no idea where they were. Since Exact Synergy We submit all invoices electronically to the approvers. This is a huge improvement. Invoices never get lost anymore; we can track who has approved what and which budget manager’s workflow the invoices are in. Currently, Exact Synergy ”for the foundation, only an electronic approval system remains."
Our Situation
Due to an incorrect configuration of Exact Globe The financial administration of the Van Gogh Museum Foundation was a mess. The databases had become so corrupted that the situation was unmanageable. On top of that, invoices that needed to be approved by the foundation’s various locations were scattered about, with the accounting department having no idea where they were. Budget managers never really knew exactly where their budgets stood, which made monitoring and management difficult.
Solution
The financial accounting system underwent a makeover. Exact Globe It was redesigned, and a completely new database was launched. Exact Synergy was implemented, allowing invoices to be submitted electronically to approvers. And since the introduction of Sumatra, budget managers have been notified digitally about their actual costs, their budget, and the difference between the two.
