One of the best ways to strengthen internal controls is to automate a process. For example, for many years travel orders were prepared as paper documents and later data-entered into the financial system. However, the paper document does not know for sure if there is money available to pay for the trip, or if the travel has started before all needed approvals are received, or even if all required approvals were ever received.
Now we have E2 Travel, which has increased our level of control over travel a great deal. Under this system all employee travel must be approved and booked through the E2 Travel system. Therefore, our Travel Management Center will not book transportation unless they receive the approval from the E2 Travel system. Also, the obligating travel order is entered into the Momentum financial system on the basis of the aproved amount and accounting codes recorded in the E2 Travel system. This means in most cases that it is virtually impossible for an E2 Travel trip to begin before it has been fully approved. Future integration of E2 Travel with the Momentum financial system will eliminate some of the current data entry and processing steps for travel orders and travel vouchers.
If you have other ideas about how to improve internal control over travel, or if you have noticed a weakness in how it is currently being controled here at the Corporation, please comment back to Stu on Patrol.
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