Government Contractor DCAA Audit and Compliance Support

Here's some resources for government contractors.

The tasks to meet federal contract requirements are labor intensive, costly, and prone to error. DCAA compliance requires better processes and flexible accounting software. Microsoft Dynamics SL has the flexibility and built-in components that are necessary in an accounting system to meet requirements and pass reviews and audits with ease.

With the help of the government contractor user community, Dynamics SL reports have been developed to make compliance even easier. See the US Government Contractor Report Pack.

Also, find many other resources on the Government Contractor DCAA Compliant Resource Page.

HVAC Contractor Triples Revenue Without Adding Overhead Staff

Recently I sat down with Juli Valiant, Financial Manager of ATS Automation, and asked her what she liked about Microsoft Dynamics SL. Her answer included four main improvements:

(1) Ability for her company to grow without adding overhead or accounting staff

(2) Company staff becoming much more efficient

(3) Ability to eliminate non-integrated third-party software and a ton of Excel spreadsheets

(4) Allowing them to incorporate their branch offices so all draw on the same database

Oh yes, she was gracious to allow me to turn on a camcorder while she talked. Here's the video:

- Michael Camp - Director of Marketing

Independent Research on Microsoft Dynamics SL

Nucleus Research* evaluated Microsoft Dynamics SL in a 2009 report and gave it great grades and a stellar ROI score. Here are some highlights of its analysis of SL customers using it for project management, project or cost accounting, job costing, financial management, collaboration, business intelligence, and reporting.

• Deployed properly, Dynamics SL software can deliver payback in fewer than six months.
  
  
• Customer: “Our staff is more productive because they can focus on what needs to get done. In accounting, we’ve reduced our workload by 20 to 30 percent.”
  
  
• Customer: “Our biggest benefit is how much we were able to automate. We would have had to add at least two fulltime people to do what we do now.” [Timecards]
  
  
• One company was able to increase its cash flow by $100,000 a year, simply by having better visibility and control over its outstanding invoices.
  
  
• Visibility across project plans and budgets and better forecasting enables managers to more effectively plan and budget for projects.
  
  
• One company was able to increase its utilization rates by an average of 6 percent.
  
  
• Central storage of all project data and visibility into that data enables decision makers to easily monitor project status and make adjustments before project costs escalate.

Download Nucleus Research Guidebook on Dynamics SL

* Nucleus Research Inc., NucleusResearch.com

Learn 3 SL-integrated Tools at User Groups

A great way to get more out of Dynamics SL is to attend a user group. At our November User Groups, we'll highlight some powerful, easy-to-use reporting and inquiry solutions:

1 - AnyView Explorer > An ad-hoc inquiry and reporting application that provides instant access to live data from within the Dynamics SL interface.

2 - Jet Reports > Get all the information you want in Excel! It integrates with your entire Dynamics SL database, including customizations and third-party modules.

3 - BarCode Gateway > Get real-time data collection from the warehouse floor to Dynamics SL. Read about a happy customer!

Thursday, November 12, Bellevue, WA Dynamics SL User Group

Thursday, November 19, Portland, OR Dynamics SL User Group

Using Tools That Fit the Task and the User

Here's another lesson for building the healthiest companies:

Your software tools need to be both designed for the job AND fit the experience of the user. When a company takes away the tool people are used to and says, “Here, learn this new tool,” people grumble and lose some of their effectiveness.

The answer is to ensure that all your software tools—accounting, project management, financial reporting, spreadsheets, email, web portals, office productivity, and CRM—can be tied together and utilized to perform key tasks. Then people use the tool they are most familiar with to enter or access data.

For instance, executives, project managers, and office workers won’t need to learn a new unfamiliar accounting program to find real-time data, enter it, report on it, or send out updates. Programs like Microsoft Outlook, Excel, Project, and Web Portals can all be used for tasks related to project management and accounting.

The outcome is improved efficiency, productivity, and employee morale.

Learn more how software tools can integrate

SECRET #3: Set up your tools and people to draw on the same set of data

Excerpt from eBook:

How can your people be truly accountable for project estimating, budgeting, staffing, scheduling, management, and decision making without timely and accurate data at their disposal?

How, indeed?

Most of the project-focused organizations I talk to express the need to have confidence in their numbers. “I need reliable, real-time information to make critical decisions,” is a common concern I hear.

When such companies have disparate systems from different departments, they can’t tell which numbers are the most reliable and up-to-date. They live with islands of isolated data that are almost impossible to manage. Since the interpretation of that data is very subjective, department heads might as well arm wrestle over which data is accurate.
______________

To see how to solve this problem, Download eBook.

New eBook Divulges 7 Secrets That Improve Project Accounting

A new ebook by Michael Camp is now available for download. No form or registration required.

7 Secrets the Healthiest Project-driven Organizations Know That You May Not

How to Access Reliable Information to Control Costs, Create Accountability, and Make Critical Decisions with Confidence

Addressed to Executives, Financial Managers, Controllers, IT Managers, and Project Managers, 7 Secrets reveals the key insights necessary to mitigate project risks and maximize profit margin. By examining how to exploit software and technology tools, it reveals practical ways to avoid the irritating scenarios project-driven organizations typically endure. Whether you already have Microsoft Dynamics SL or not, it's a easy read and will give you ideas on how to improve operations.

Download eBook

Maximize the Inventory Module with Barcode Technology

For some contractors and make-to-order manufacturers the Barcode Gateway add-on makes life so much easier. We recently helped HydroResources, headquartered in Houston, TX, to implement it. Now, inputting large quantities of their inventory takes minutes. All they have to do is point the barcode gun at the supply piece and it automatically inputs into Dynamics SL. Previously they had to put on paper what they took and then manually key it into the software. This saved them hours of work counting and issuing inventory. Their IT Administrator, Thuyen Ngo, was amazed at the new efficiency it brought. It also integrates with the Purchasing and Order Entry Modules.

- Michael Camp, Director of Marketing

HVAC Company Thrilled Over Advanced Payroll

I recently helped a Heating/Ventilation Contractor in Idaho implement Dynamics SL Advanced Payroll and boy, were they excited after they saw what it could do. Previously, they had to enter payroll rates manually for their union and non-union employees and certified payroll reports for time-sensitive requirements were a royal pain. The Controller had to regularly take work home on the weekends!

After Advanced Payroll was up and running, they’d simply choose the employee and project and the payroll rate was pulled up automatically. Since this used to be a laborious process for them, they thought this was the best things since sliced bread! The payroll reports were also a piece of cake. This is standard functionality with this module, which is a great fit for project-driven companies, who often do complex labor and time collection.

- Donna Hurst

Partner of Year Finalist in 2 Categories

Synergy is a 2009 Microsoft Partner of the Year Finalist in Microsoft Dynamics SL AND Microsoft Dynamics Professional Services. John Wheeler of Alpha Development had this to say in the first press release:

"Synergy consultants are Dynamics SL experts, some of the best in the business, so I have a lot of confidence in them," said John Wheeler, Controller of Alpha Development, a heavy civil engineering construction firm and Synergy client for the past three years. "They helped us get the most out of our Microsoft Dynamics SL implementation, which has been a huge strategic asset for us."

John has good tips on his blog: http://dynamicsspitfire.blogspot.com

Part II: What You Need to Know About Backing Up Your Data

What should I keep in mind when creating a Database Maintenance Plan?

1. The SQL Server Agent service must be running on the server in order to run the jobs created by a Database Maintenance Plan. You can check the SQL Server Agent service at: Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services


2. For SQL Server 2005, the Database Options must be set to Full Recovery for SQL Server 2000 databases. In SQL Server Management Studio: Expand Databases > Right click your database > Properties > Options > Recovery: Model needs to be Full


3. Be sure you have enough drive space to store the number of backups you decide to create. You can set the drive location on the server for the database backups. The Database Maintenance Plan will manage the removal of old backups per your instructions.
   

What should I do if a transaction log grows unexpectedly or becomes full? Since transaction logs that do not successfully backup can grow very large, you should reviewing your SQL Logs and Windows Event Log for backup failures regularly. See this Microsoft article on potential causes of large transaction logs.

What else do I need to know about data storage? Selecting a length of time to keep the database backups is necessary. Keep in mind the available hard disk space that will be required to store weeks of database backups could be more than what is available. You should store database backup files for at least 1 week on the physical hard disk. It is recommended to also store backups in another device, such as tape backup. Tape backups allow for a longer retention of the database backup files. See Part I for more.

Find online help files that provide greater detail than this by going to:
Start > Programs > Microsoft SQL Server > Books Online

- Nannette Dame, Senior Consultant

Microsoft's Commitment to Dynamics SL

Recently, Kirill Tatarinov, a Microsoft Corporate Vice President, voiced Microsoft's commitment to Dynamics SL. He stressed serving SL customers' business needs and requirements through continuous delivery of innovative enhancements and functionality for Dynamics SL. "Your investment in Dynamics SL is secure."