Lesson 1 – Business is like a rally track, there are a lot of unexpected turns ahead of us.
Our day at Dirtfish was filled with unexpected turns. I think everyone in the business world can relate to this. The last couple of years have provided all of us with surprises and challenges. Those of us who have been in business for several years know this is nothing new, and is to be expected. What is important during these times is to make sure that you are prepared to deal with what you cannot see coming and to plan where you want to be. Turns are not only challenges, they are also opportunities for us to out maneuver our competitors and take the lead.

• Our day and business is full of unexpected turns
• Be prepared!
• Challenges mean opportunities

Lesson 2 – The #1 Rule: Always look where you want to go.
We started our day with some classroom time. The first, and they said the most important, thing to do is to look ahead to where you want to go because that is where the car will go. That meant looking ahead of where we were, past the turn we might be in at moment, looking ahead on the course to the fourth or fifth cone. They continued to stress that all day. During our last event my instructor would often say “look ahead, look ahead”. She always knew when I was looking directly in front of the car (at the turn I was approaching) and not ahead where I eventually wanted to be. I asked how she knew and she said she could tell by how I was driving. I can see this all too often in our company, when we are focusing on the problems of the day and not the opportunities of tomorrow. The end result is that we get off course and we either do not get to where we want to go, or we get there too slowly (perhaps behind our competitor).

• First and foremost – look ahead
• Where you look is where you will go

Lesson 3 – Past skills may not serve us well on new roadways and situations.
The entire day was filled with learning new skills; my 40 years of driving experience did not prepare me to effectively drive these new courses. We all discovered that the skills that served us well in the past may not work well when we are required to navigate new roadways, road conditions, and surroundings (or new markets, economic conditions, or changes in our industry).

We all have learned responses that come as second nature and they have served us well in the past. However, in rally racing (and in business) those old responses can hinder us from acquiring new skills. It is not that those skills are never relevant, but the point is that you need to adapt. These skill habits are often difficult to overcome, particularly when you are in a situation that requires quick decisions and fast responses. 

• Learned responses served in past, but hinder new learning
• We must be ready to learn new skills and to adapt to new situations

Lesson 4 – Failing to successfully navigate a course can have “consequences.”
In addition to encountering unexpected turns, there were also potential dangers (which they called “consequences”, otherwise known as “hard things”) which we had to avoid. Running into some obstacles, such as the orange cones, had little to no consequence for us. But there were buildings, concrete blocks, and other objects that had to be avoided. Our tendency that day was to go as fast as we could, rather than to develop the proper skills, which is what our instructors emphasized. Being out of control seemed fun at the time, but crashing one of their cars would have put a real damper on the day. It is important to develop the skills and have the equipment necessary to “stay on the course”. This is true in business also.

• With unexpected turns often come “consequences”
• Develop skills to successfully avoid the obstacles
• Be aware, maintain control, and stay on course

Lesson 5 – Teamwork and communication is critical.
Every car had an instructor, or copilot, during our training time. This is true in real rally racing, as well. My copilot was telling me what was ahead, and what I needed to do right then and in the future. There was just too much to think about (do you ever feel that way in your job?). Of course, in a real race there is also a well-trained pit crew to get you back on the track when you have a mechanical failure. The lesson here: develop a good team and methods for communicating. In business this usually means goal setting, a good financial solution in place, and open communication.

• Relevant, timely information is critical
• Communicate what’s ahead, what to do next, and help correct
• Team effort, good communication

Lesson 6 – Getting out of your comfort zone is FUN!
Getting out of your comfort zone is both fun, and oftentimes necessary to successfully navigate the course and beat the competition. During our day of rally driving each of us became bolder and began to leave our comfort zone because we started applying the 5 previous lessons. The result for our day of driving – a lot of fun. The result in business – a lot of fun and more profit!

• Discover new abilities, passions, and accomplish things you did not expect

Conclusion

• Look ahead – develop business goals and personal goals. Spend at least as much time planning where you want to go as you do struggling with the turn you are in.  
• Learn new skills – Don’t be afraid to “do things differently”. Dare to think outside of the box.
• Look for new tools and techniques to help you make those “turns”, both expected and unexpected, successfully.
• Learn from others – solicit ideas from everyone in your organization, particularly the younger team members.
• Think of ways to build collaboration – implement tools specifically designed to help teams communicate and make decisions together.
• Have fun, make money!

Finally, consider your current financial management (ERP) solution; will it help you navigate the turns ahead in your business?  Make sure you can rely on your platform to provide accurate timely data for making key business decisions. At The Resource Group we provide Microsoft Dynamics GP financial management solutions for small-to-mid-sized businesses. Contact The Resource Groupto find out how a Microsoft Dynamics GP solution can help you drive growth and thrive during the unexpected curves ahead. 

By Marty Schillaci, The Resource Group – A Microsoft Dynamics Partner in Seattle

Important Business Management Lessons I Learned from Rally Car Racing is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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Let’s take a look at Sales Order Processing (SOP), one of the 11 report models available.  Using the SOP report model allows you to bypass linking together a dozen tables and views to create a comprehensive dataset.  The report model gathers all of the required information for you so it is much easier and more time effective.  There are no complex queries or stored procedures involved.

How to create an SSRS Report in Microsoft Dynamics GP with the Report Model
Simply open Report Builder 3.0, and select the “New Dataset” option.  (Please note that SQL Server 2008 R2 is required.  There is no backwards compatibility.)  Choose “Browse other data sources…” and navigate to the correct database directory underneath “Report Models” on the report server.  Select dbname_SalesOrderProcessing, and click ”open”.  You will be presented with a spreadsheet and two list boxes on the left-hand side of the screen. The top box contains entities and the bottom box contains fields.

The data available within this report model spans many tables and could normally take hours or days to replicate based on the skill level of the developer involved. But there is no need to waste that much time.  Microsoft Dynamics GP’s report models lets you skip past the query writing altogether. Simply drag and drop an entity or a set of fields into the spreadsheet header, and then pat yourself on the back for the speedy construction of a new SSRS report!

By Jason Wojtyna, Microsoft Dynamics GP Consultant, The Resource Group – Seattle, Washington Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

Report Models in Microsoft Dynamics GP Helps You Get at Your Business Data Fast is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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Offer Details:

With the ‘Give Me 5′ offer, you get 5 users of Microsoft Dynamics ERP (Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics SL or Microsoft Dynamics NAV) for one low price of $3,000 — up to an 85% discount off the regular license price!  The offer is available to all new customers and is effective October 3, 2011 through June 22, 2012.

TRICK-

• One caveat of the promotion is you are required to purchase a one year Business Ready Enhancement Plan (BREP). The enhancement/support plan fee will be calculated on the system list price of all users and components based on the regular Microsoft Dynamics price list.
• Another requirement is you must buy at least 5 users to get the discount.  Orders with fewer than 5 users will be licensed per regular Microsoft Dynamics price list prices. So if your company only needs a few users, you’ll still have to purchase some that you might not use.
• The promotion is not available for Microsoft Dynamics AX. 
• The offer can’t be combined with other promotions.

-OR-TREAT:

• The greatest benefit of this promotion is that it provides an extremely low cost of entry for an advanced system.  In our experience working with companies evaluating new ERP systems, price is often a barrier. There is a substantial price jump from entry-level accounting systems like QuickBooks, to moving to an ERP system like Microsoft Dynamics GP. There isn’t much available at a price point in-between the two, making it too big of a leap for some companies to make.  Therefore, many companies postpone moving to a new ERP system even though they are in dire need of one.  The ‘Give Me 5’ promotion helps remove the price barrier and allows companies to move to a new system faster, fostering growth rather than waiting until their existing system is so painful that they can’t properly run their business and are forced to switch.
• Another treat is that the offer is available for both the Business Essentials and Advanced Management editions, so even if you have more advanced needs, you can still utilize this offer.  The $3,000 price is the same for both editions.
• The promotion is available longer (through June 22, 2012), allowing you time to evaluate Microsoft Dynamics thoroughly and to make sure it is a good fit for your business needs.  Historically, Microsoft promotions for ERP have been shorter in length, making it difficult to take advantage of the offer without making a rash decision.  That said; make sure you start your evaluation now as it usually takes longer than you think to evaluate a new business system.
• The offer is also available for a Cloud ERP deployment.  If you prefer a hosted model instead of on-premise, you can still take advantage of this offer.  It is a little different than the typical hosting purchase as you would need to purchase the users up front to get the promotion price,  then pay a monthly fee for the hosting.  This means you would own the licenses rather than rent them and also get the benefits of ERP in the Cloud.

Overall I think the ‘treats’ outweigh the ‘tricks’ of this offer.  The discounted price is such a great deal and one of the best offers I’ve seen in the 9 years I’ve been working in the industry. View this ‘Give me 5’ Promotion flyer for further details, or contact The Resource Group to learn more.

By Ann Haucke, The Resource Group – Seattle, Washington Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

Microsoft’s ‘Give Me 5’ Promotion – Trick or Treat? is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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SQL Server is a relational database created by Microsoft.  This means that all of your data from your Microsoft Dynamics GP accounting system is stored within the database, and when you create, update, or otherwise modify your records, you are working with data stored in the SQL Server.  SQL Server works under an operational model of record locking.  With record locking, each individual record − when opened by a user − will be locked from change by any other user. This ensures that when multiple people are working in the accounting system, the actions of one user cannot be overwritten by another user. As long as multiple people are not working on the same record, they can work in the same area of the system without interfering with each other.

In addition, SQL Server has a robust set of maintenance tools.  Database backups can be performed easily and automated to ensure disaster recovery is possible.  Security within the database can be configured so users don’t have access to sensitive data.  And as an enterprise-grade database system, SQL Server can effortlessly process thousands of transactions simultaneously with the ability to scale from a small organization of a couple of users to large corporations with hundreds of users.  SQL Server has a legacy of extremely high uptime (99.9999%), high performance, and great security.

With your ERP software you want reliability, performance, and the flexibility to let your users work without interfering with each other to ensure that you can enter, review, and report on your data easily. SQL Server enables all of these things, and Microsoft Dynamics GP is built to take full advantage of the platform.

To learn more about selecting an ERP solution, please contact us at 425.277.4760 or email info@resgroup.com.

By Brian Bender Microsoft Dynamics GP Developer, The Resource Group – Seattle, Washington Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

The Microsoft SQL Server Advantage When Choosing an ERP Solution is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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In an age where data is king, effectively safeguarding the input process, combined with the appropriate BI tool, can provide a huge return on your investment as well as a unique competitive advantage in an ever changing and dynamic business world.   Below are several tips to help achieve an efficient and effective input process:

1.)  Understand the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) – Understanding what you eventually need to have in order to make decisions is half the battle.  Once you know what information is vital to decision making, you can identify which application and subsequent BI tool is relevant.  From there you can identify the input points in your process.

2.)  Document the current process – By running through this exercise you are bound to find several inefficiencies around your current process. Is it possible to integrate with other systems?

3.)  Ask why?  – You would be surprised how many times a current process is never questioned.  Is there a better more efficient way?  Can you enhance a certain application to help with this?

4.)  Eliminate the human factor – Are there points in your process that can be automated?  What data has the greatest risk of being inputted incorrectly?   

Reliable data is the key with Business Intelligence. Once you have streamlined the information flowing into your ERP system, those BI tools you’ve invested in are now worth every penny spent.  A happy data set equals a happy decision maker!

To learn more, please contact The Resource Group at 425.277.4760 or email info@resgroup.com.
By Sean Ingalls Microsoft Dynamics GP Customer Account Manager, The Resource Group – Seattle, Washington Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

4 Tips to Successful BI in Your Business is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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Fast forward to today, a business environment where your customers are expecting all three.  Quality has become a given, and when I can order a Kindle from Amazon in the morning and have it in my hands that afternoon (I actually did this one recent Saturday), customers also have the “need for speed.” 

That leaves price, and in this challenging economy, the pressures on price are front and center.  In order to give adequate attention to all three competitive aspects – price, speed, and quality – your business processes and supporting systems must be up to the task.

 Here are some of the ways Microsoft Dynamics GP Distribution software can address each component of the equation:

 Price 

• Enhanced pricing functionality to manage customer specific pricing, quantity discounts, and date-based promotional pricing
• Vendor Management functionality to help enforce negotiated contract pricing and provide insight into vendor performance
• Workflows and alerts to manage the approval of pricing exceptions

 Speed 

• Faster customer order processing with multiple options for integrated eCommerce and EDI
• Real-time visibility into the status of customer orders utilizing status queues and rules-based workflows
• Integration with a variety warehouse management systems to accelerate the pick, pack, and ship process

 Quality 

• Ability to track reason codes for product returns
• Robust business intelligence and reporting capabilities to quickly identify product sales trends that may indicate quality issues
• Enhance the overall quality of the customer experience with out-of-the box integration to Microsoft Dynamics CRM

 The Resource Group is a premier Microsoft Dynamics GP partner.  We can help you evaluate and implement a Dynamics GP system that will allow your company to compete on price, speed, and quality.  No longer a need to “pick two!”

To learn more, please contact The Resource Group at 425.277.4760 or email info@resgroup.com.

By Earl Hunt, Microsoft Dynamics GP Account Executive, The Resource Group – Seattle, Washington Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

Price. Speed. Quality. Pick Two is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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Unlimited Online Training for Microsoft Dynamics GP
Microsoft Dynamics GP customers currently enrolled in a Business Ready Enhancement Plan have unlimited access to online training. Available 24/7, this program provides customers with the opportunity to learn at their own pace and on their own schedule, requiring no time away from the office. This training can be accessed via the CustomerSource website through the Training & Certification>eLearning menu item. Training materials are available for download from the Training & Certification menu for use in conjunction with the online classes or as a valuable desktop reference.

Microsoft Dynamics GP Classroom Training
The Resource Group offers a full range of classroom training for the Microsoft Dynamics GP solution. Classes are held quarterly and taught by the most experienced trainers in the area.  These classes also qualify for CPE credit.

New Version Upgrade Training
Following a Microsoft Dynamics GP software update, it is vital to the success of the upgrade to have end users trained in all of the functionality offered in the new version. If software is upgraded without rolling out the new features to all end users, the platform will tend to be used exactly as it had been prior to the upgrade. This may result in a large business expense with no proficiency gain. Additionally, if Microsoft has programmed a process change or table updates in the software, end users may experience issues in the procedures they routinely carry out if not informed of the change in advance.  

It is essential that Microsoft Dynamics GP users take advantage of the resources available to them. Investment in education is a priority for every business – and for all individuals who yearn to learn.   

To learn more, please contact The Resource Group at 425.277.4760 or email info@resgroup.com.

By Sheri Carney, Microsoft Dynamics GP Consultant, The Resource Group – Seattle, Washington Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

Yearn to Learn – Empowering Success by Educating Microsoft Dynamics GP Users is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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Here are some of the common business scenarios that might require a project accounting solution:

• Tracking capital expenditure projects / construction projects
• R&D projects
• IT Projects
• Training expenses
• Marketing expenses / Events

Here are some of the project accounting solution options and their benefits:

Microsoft Dynamics GP Project Accounting

• Flexible G/L mapping
• Billing and revenue recognition capabilities
• Sophisticated project configurations
• Time/Expense and Equipment tracking
• Multiple project types and accounting methods
• Track Change Orders
• Business Portal (web-based user interface)

WennSoft Job Cost

• Flexible G/L mapping
• Time/Expense and Equipment tracking
• More integration points than GP PA (SOP and AP)
• Integration with MS Project
• Sophisticated project configurations
• Multiple project types and accounting methods
• Job Cost Portal (web-based user interface)
• Deepest functionality set in Industry

Analytical Accounting

• Unlimited dimensions
• Included in base license
• Budget controls with Grant Accounting
• Data entry capture rules

TRG Project (custom module by The Resource Group)

• Track and report on specific project expenses and/or revenue
• Easy to setup and use, fast data entry
• Fully integrated, entry is done directly on GP transaction windows
• Tracks both expenses, revenue and time
• Two levels of projects tracked
• See budget to actual (either revenue or expense)

If you are ready to explore project accounting solutions in Microsoft Dynamics GP, contact The Resource Group or your Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner.

by Tim Tobias, Implementation Consultant, The Resource Group – Seattle, Washington Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

Compare Project Accounting Solutions for Microsoft Dynamics GP – Which is Right for You? is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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1. Secondary Status Code Field
   There is a new field for tracking a secondary status code for active and inactive employees to provide more detail regarding leave.  An active employee might be on probation, awaiting grant assignment, or between school terms.  You could also use this as an additional reporting field to show whether an employee has exempt status. 
2. W-2 Reporting Flexibility
   You can designate as many as four different locations on the W-2 forms for where the same amounts will be printed for some Pay Codes, Benefit Codes, and Deduction Codes.
3. Fiscal Year Tracking for Payroll
   You can track Fiscal year values for payroll expenses rather than just calendar year for budgeting and reporting purposes.  You can also set both fiscal and calendar year limits for Benefits and Deductions.
4. Simultaneous Pay Runs
   For organizations that have multiple payroll clerks who conduct separate pay runs for different departments or business units, they each can get through a build check process and validate transactions for errors and warnings. 
5. Payroll Posting Edit List
   There is a Posting Edit List available to review the effect on the general ledger prior to printing and posting payroll.  This is helpful if you add a new department or payroll code and you want to make sure you have all of the posting accounts set up properly.
6. Reprint Paystubs
   There is the ability to reprint paystubs and earnings statements! You can even print multiple checks at a time.
7. Improved Garnishments Management
   If multiple garnishments are levied against an employee, you can now deduct the garnishments in a specified order until reaching the limits. For more information on this feature, please see our blog post Payroll Garnishment Management Made Easy in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010

To learn more about how Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 can help you automate your Human Resources and Payroll processes contact The Resource Group.

by Donna Church, The Resource Group – Seattle, Washington Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

7 Great New Features in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 for Human Resources and Payroll! is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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If you are a manufacturer or distributor of food products in the United States, you will need to be aware of the implications on many levels.  One of the major changes will give the FDA the right to order companies to recall tainted food products.  The bill has several sections that are dedicated to the topic of product recalls.  Here is a link to full text of bill:  S. 510: FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (GovTrack.us)

Even though the bill is not final, you should consider a plan for how your ERP system can accommodate the possible compliance issues faced.  Most specifically, you will need to have a product tracking and recall strategy. 

As a food manufacturer or distributor, here are some key functional capabilities that your ERP system should provide:

1. Lot Number Tracking for all Inventory
   A Lot Number is an identifier provided by a manufacturer that can be used for tracking a group of items.  In the food industry, you will want to track lot numbers for raw materials (purchased or created) and track them through the production process to finished goods.
2. Lot Number Trace
   A recall trace can show which customers purchased an item with a specific lot number. You also can use a recall trace to show where the items with lot numbers are located in your warehouse, including the bin.
3. Integrated Barcode Scanning for Lot receiving and shipping
   Your warehouse and production staff will need an easy way to capture the lot number during the receiving, production, and shipping process.  An barcode scanning solution integrated with your ERP system is highly recommended.
4. Recall notification by email for impacted customer orders
   If a product recall is issued, you will want to have an easy way to quickly notify customers who have received impacted orders.  Email notification is the fastest method.  This does require your ERP system to have customer email tracking at the order level. 

The deployment of these features is considered “best practice” for companies in the food supply chain outside of the pending Food Safety Modernization Act.  There are many benefits that can be gained such as lot shelf life management and lot attributes.  Microsoft Dynamics GP for supply chain offers a strong solution to meet these requirements.

So, keep an eye on the status of this bill and begin to think about your product recall plan. 

Also, you can learn best practices for how to prepare your business in case of a product recall by viewing our free on-demand webcast:  Best Practices for Meeting Product Safety & Recall Compliance for Distributors

by Brady Curtis, The Resource Group – Seattle, Washington Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010 and ERP System Considerations is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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