Staff Implements New Time System in Record Time

Staff from the DMPS Business & Finance office oversaw the district’s implementation of a new time system.

The time clock – the device used by employees to “punch in” when they arrive for work and “punch out” when they leave – was invented in 1888. Over the years it has become an iconic tool in the workplace.

Needless to say, things have changed more than a little over the past 127 years. And the worlds of high tech and time clocks have merged.

At Des Moines Public Schools, a major effort led by the district’s business and finance staff is leading the district into the future.

The school district’s new Time System, developed by NOVAtime, has replaced a system for paying employees that had been virtually unchanged for many years. Going from a process that was manual and outdated, DMPS has transitioned to a new, high-tech system over the course of six months, a process that typically takes major employers 2-3 years to complete.

And along the way, DMPS worked with NOVAtime to implement new software and other improvements to the systems.

For the district’s efforts, DMPS staff responsible for managing this project was recently recognized by NOVAtime with their “SuperUser” award.

“I like to think of this award as being in honor of the fact we were relentless with expectations,” said Scott Jensen, a financial and accounting system analyst for DMPS who managed the project. “At times, we would hear ‘we can’t do that’ but we found a way with persistence.”

“Thanks to the dedicated work of our ‘SuperUser’ team and their leader Scott Jensen, the project was implemented ahead of schedule.  We have been able to take the system further than we originally planned and that is due to the dedication and support of the district,” added Nick Lenhardt, controller for DMPS. “I want to thank not only every member of our team who worked on this transition but also employees throughout the district for staying the course throughout implementation. Thanks to district-wide collaboration we have accomplished a great deal.”