Payroll Automation & Accounting Integration

The Problem

A 200-person company with manual Excel-based payroll: 8% error rate, 40 hours per month of reconciliation, and GL entries created days late — causing accounting blind spots and compliance risk. The root cause was five recurring edge cases the existing process couldn't model cleanly.

My Contribution

I led the requirements analysis for this payroll automation initiative, beginning with a structured root cause analysis of the 8% error rate. By mapping the existing manual Excel process in detail, I identified five recurring edge cases — retroactive pay changes, mid-month starts, garnishment order changes, and two others — that accounted for nearly all errors. I documented the functional specifications for automated tax calculation, ACH file generation, and General Ledger integration with QuickBooks, ran UAT with the finance team using the identified edge cases as primary test scenarios, and authored the operational runbook and cutover plan to ensure payroll continuity during the transition.

The Solution

Requirements-led automation: structured root cause analysis of error patterns, edge case documentation, tax calculation and GL integration specifications, finance team UAT using identified edge cases, and a phased cutover plan with zero payroll disruption.

Results

• Processing time: 40 hours → 20 minutes per month
• Error rate: 8% → 0%
• $3k/month outsourcing fees eliminated
• GL entries created automatically — real-time accounting visibility
• 100% on-time tax filing, zero audit exceptions

Tech Stack