6 Ways Microsoft Dynamics SL Meets Your Project-Accounting Needs

If you’re struggling with your current project accounting solution, you may be running into continued reliance on paper to collect your accounting information. Project cost overruns might be out of the view of your team members. You need to obtain reports and business analysis, while increasing efficiency, accuracy, and customer satisfaction. Your company also needs to automate and streamline projects across company divisions and locations.

Microsoft Dynamics SL meets all of these needs and helps you effectively manage your people, projects, and profitability. Here’s how:

1. A Single Interface - In addition to providing applications for financial management and field service, Microsoft Dynamics SL empowers your accounting staff to handle complex accounting tasks and your project managers to more effectively manage projects, all from a single interface.
   
   
2. Improved Estimating - Dynamics SL industry-specific features help you estimate more accurately, so you can meet your customer's requirements on time and within budget.
   
   
3. Automation - Dynamics SL creates an efficient bridge between documents, spreadsheets, and project accounting transactions; automates time and material billing processes; and creates invoices automatically using predetermined business rules to calculate costs.
   
   
4. Web-based Access and Collaboration - By integrating information from different companies or offices and utilizing a browser-based portal that helps you increase collaboration, Dynamics SL helps ensure that projects run smoothly, which increases customer satisfaction.
   
   
5. Easy Access and Approvals - Employees can enter requests directly into the system and managers can approve or reject requests as they are submitted.
   
   
6. Smart Painless Reporting - Using the integrated features of Dynamics SL you can more efficiently obtain reports and business analysis, leading to clearer insights and confident decision making.
   

If you’re interested in learning more about what Microsoft Dynamics SL can do for your project accounting needs, contact Synergy Business Solutions today or download this Case Study and hear the Financial Manager share about why she "loves" the solution.

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Government Contractors: Trace Your Accounts from ‘Cradle to Grave’ with Microsoft Dynamics SL

I had the opportunity to listen in on a Microsoft Momentum Webcast regarding how to build a successful foundation for Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) Compliance and the term used throughout the 60 minute session was “Cradle to Grave”. Although slightly morbid, it caught my attention because of its importance for Government Contractors.

In order for you to comply with DCAA regulations, it’s vital that you have a start to finish view for each of your accounts. For example, within your financial planning, the auditors will most likely ask to see your 3 month plan versus the actual. To build a successful foundation for DCAA accounting compliance, you must have a solution that works. Here are a few reasons Microsoft Dynamics SL is that solution.

Fully Compliant:
Businesses have found Microsoft Dynamics SL to be fully FAR, CAS and DCAA compliant. With Microsoft Dynamics SL, contractors can easily prepare reports, so that when auditors show up for a surprise floor check, they have the information readily in hand, in the required format, to show precisely where their numbers come from.

Amazing Functionality:
Microsoft Dynamics SL provides an automated, robust, repeatable, integrated system that can calculate indirect rates from month to month, and apply those costs to keep the controller informed about variances as they occur. All of this functionality allows auditors to be confident in the consistent and reliable manner you are calculating, applying and submitting rates.

Customization and Integration Made Easy:
In addition, the Microsoft solution easily integrates with other systems so you can, for example add 25 new employees overnight, as required by a contract or new business opportunity. Microsoft is also open about its data dictionary, or list of fields for all databases, and what they represent. Microsoft Dynamics SL makes it easy to replicate reports, as required by auditors. The ability to customize data entry screens makes it easy to identify information and build reports based on business or government auditing requirements as they arise.

To learn more, find Government Compliance Resources on Synergy Business Solutions' website.

- Michael Camp

Webcast: Government (DCAA) Compliance Made Easier

If you bid on government contracts, your financials just got easier. Attend this live webcast and learn how:

A Clear Map to Effective Government Compliance
Tuesday, April 20, 2010, 1 PM to 2 PM PDT
Steve Toth, President, Synergy Business Solutions
Jered Cady, Executive Vice President, Synergy Business Solutions

REGISTER TODAY

You will see how to manage the following tasks with integrated software:

• Build, manage and monitor indirect cost rates
• Allocate costs across multiple cost objectives such as overhead pools and contracts
• Manage direct and indirect time under cost reimbursement contracts
• Perform billing under fixed price and cost plus fee contracts
• Manage time and expense collection in accordance with DCAA regulations
• Monitor and alert government contracting officer of contract status
• Generate government invoices on approved government forms
• Build a traceable document system to drill down from your original purchase requisition through to associated invoices
• Integrate your accounting with software your employees already use to increase productivity