Richard's Attic

This morning I sent a email to an ISV (that shall remain nameless).  The subject line read “Thanks for Ignoring Me Again”.  I had sent an email to the support team for this vendor over 10 days ago with a simple question.  I heard nothing back.  NOTHING!

Most ISVs are great.  They have a well organized team with good products and a good support team.  They understand that having a good product is not enough, you need to be able to help their customers and their partners to keep those products running.

ISVs MUST understand that support for their product is paramount.  When they ignore customer and/or partner calls for help, word gets around.  Between Convergence and Summit and local user groups springing up everywhere, customers are talking.  Reputations are made and destroyed by these conversations.

I, unfortunately, am not the only person complaining about this particular ISV’s responsiveness.  I have talked to other consultants, other partners, and a number of customers that are likewise not happy with the support.  Don’t get me wrong, the product and the people at the firm are both great.  I believe they just do not have enough people supporting their product and this will hurt them in the long run.  And hurt bad.

I remember the days when we counted bytes in the computer individually.  It was so great when storage reached the KiloByte size!  Well we have rushed through the years from MegaBytes, to GigaBytes, to Terabytes and now….Zettabytes?  And Yottabytes??

A yottabyte is simply a thousand zettabytes or 1,000,000,000,000,000 gigabytes. Some of people like to refer to them as “alottabytes”.   While, according to Wikipedia, in 2006 the combined storage of the world was only 160 Exabytes (that’s 10 to the 18th) of storage, the federal government is now building a storage facility in Utah for what is rumored to be several thousand Yottabytes.

I wonder if I could find a copy of DOS3.3 in there?

For reference…in case you are wondering, here are the current storage size words.  I wonder, if I had a file 3 petabytes in size… would it be a petafile?  Sigh

Years ago there was a TV show called Kids Say the Darndest Things hosted by Art Linkletter.  On this show, a guest panel of 4-6 year old kids were asked questions.  Their comments were delightfully funny.

I was wondering what would be said on such a show today if Art asked kids to comment on cloud computing.  With apologies to Art, here are a few things that come to mind.

“Daddy, If you are computing with the clouds, are the dark clouds ones and the light clouds zeros?”

“Mommy, If the sky is full of clouds, are you out of memory?”

“Daddy, Daddy, If there is lightning and thunder, is the cloud computer crashing?”

“Is rain what you mean by output?”

“Mommy, Does Linus have his own personal cloud computer and can I have one?”

If you have your own child’s viewpoint of cloud computing, send it to me and I will post it and give you credit.

During the past few weeks, many firms have announced layoffs or cut-backs in employee hours.  Whether you agree with the program or now, Obamacare and other new government regulations and taxes are placing a heavy burden on businesses across the USA.  Businesses must react to remain profitable by cutting expenses, keeping under thresholds that trigger new costs, and/or raising prices.

It is definately an interesting time to be supporting businesses.

One of the trends I have noticed over the past 44 years is the cycle that business automation follows, when do businesses spend more or less on automation.  The observation is rather different than expected.

Consider that business cycles have four parts:  improving, peaked, declining, bottomed out. Most people expect business to automate during prosperous times when the business cycle is peaked.  This is NOT correct.  There are two parts of the business cycle that drive firms to automate.

When the business cycle is at it’s peak and firms are producing and shipping/selling product hand over fist, no one has time to automate.  Yes, money is coming in and profits are there to be taken, but time is not available.  When the business cycle has bottomed out, there may be plenty of time but firms tend to hold on to their resources, trim costs, and wait for the next move.  However, when business is getting better AND when business is getting worse, businesses automate, but for two different reasons.

When business is improving, the business problem that management faces is figuring out how to satisfy their customers demands in the most efficient manner.  Having just been through bad times, they are cautious about hiring recurring cost assets like employees.  But by automating their operations, improving delivery and resource management, firms can deliver quicker and more efficiently with a one time expense.

On the other side of the curve, when business is tanking, a well managed firm looks for ways to reduce recurring costs and maintain the ability to serve their customers.  By automating certain processes, they hope to reduce employee expenses, reduce the cost of expediting materials, and maintain profitability during the low points in the cycle ahead.

Now is the time to upgrade the automation of your business.  With the release of GP Version 2013, remote operations become easier through the web interface.  Employees can work at home, sales reps on the road can enter their own orders and check on their status, management can review the status of the firm while making those important trips to major customers and suppliers, all of these reducing the cost of operations.  With the inclusion of Payroll in the basic package, firms can bring this function in-house and, with less than 45 employees, avoid the cost of Obamacare.

It is going to be an interesting few years and the country re-tools for higher costs.  Optimization of operations is a vital part of this re-tooling.

Version 2013 is a feature filled upgrade!

Frequently, past upgrades have included a handful of user features and lots of system features.  This includes the new security system, the new document printing scheme, et cetera.  This version also has a number of system features (new Content Pane, web interface, multiple installation/tenant ability, et cetera) but also includes a large number of user centric features.

Reason Codes on inventory transactions allow users to record why a transaction is being entered and allows accounting to change the credit account number.  The consolidation of sales orders onto one invoice simplifies billing and payment receipts.  Consolidation of drop ship sales orders on Purchase Orders simplifies purchasing and the ability to track serial/lot numbers on drop ships is now easier than ever.  Allowing users to substitute SSRS reports for common GP report printed from the printer icon in windows provides greater flexibility in obtaining the information you need.

There are hundreds of such enhancements, many I cannot list here until the product is released.  As soon as the release is final, get a copy of our Version 2013 Unleashed book and look at all of the wonderful things added to MS Dynamics GP.  The are worth upgrading for!

One of the interesting things about writing books like GP Version 2013 Unleashed, our new book on the new features in GP, is finding all of the features in previous versions that you did not know about or forgot about.

No one consultant can know everything about a product as robust as the collection of MS Dynamics ERP products.  It certainly takes a team of consultants, each versed in different portions of the product, to complete a proper implementation.

As I sit here and write GP Version 2013 Unleashed, I find so many “new” things that actually exists in prior versions.  It is a natural problem as, through the years, we each continue to focus on specific areas of a product or two.  We work on what we know.

Partners and consultants need to continue their education in the products they support to reinforce their knowledge of the product in areas not frequented by them.  Users need to review materials that talk about all of the features available, not to try to implement them all, but to avoid purchasing a different product when you have what you need in your MS Dynamics ERP product.

That’s what we try to do…help you keep up.  I think it’s fun.

I have been watching the continuing push to move applications “to the cloud” and the newest technology advance.  It tickles me to know that this is a return to a computing paradigm, yes using newer technology, that was abandoned about 30 years ago.

During that time in our industry when main frames, those giant collections of electronic equipment required to perform computations and store information, costs hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars, larger firms looked for ways to spread their investment in the equipment while smaller firms (not small firms but firms that could not afford the total investment) looked for ways to “get their foot in the door”.   Data centers were formed.

In a data center operation, one firm made a major investment in hardware and software and leased time on their system to other users.  Those firms that could not invest big bucks in computer equipment used the hardware of the data center and depended on the staff of the data center to host their software and data.

Sound familiar?

In today’s paradigm, the communications costs are lower, the hardware costs are lower, and more and more hosting services can be found.  Once again, small firms (now the really small firms) that cannot afford their own hardware and support teams can subscribe to the hosting service provider and get instant access to high end software features.

The question is:  is this a sustainable paradigm?

In the data center age, issues included communication costs, subscription costs, data security, and customization of the installation.  Today, communication and subscription costs are down and more and more hosting providers are making customizations of various types available.  The issue of “who owns/holds/has access to my data” still exists and the hosting service has physical if not legal ownership of the data.

The major issue to cloud computing is cost.  While costs are down, they are not at this point insignificant.  At an cost of $50 to $150 per user per month (depending on features needed), the cost of operating an IT departmet over the cloud can quickly exceed the costs of an internal implementation.  The cost battle will not be quickly settled as hosting providers lower costs, the cost of internal implementations continues to drop.  Which paradigm wins is till “up in the air”.

The strangest thing I have read recently on the progress of cloud computing is an article asking “will cloud computing kill ERP?”  That’s kind of like asking “will TV kill acting?”  One is a set of features or skills while the other is a delivery method.  I was wondering whether the author thought that cloud service delivery would prevent ERP services from being delivered?  This will not happen as firms that need ERP (full accounting plus product management and planning) will always need ERP.  More and more full ERP systems, including manufacturing and project management are being delivered across the cloud.

I am beginning to believe that the concept of cloud computing, at least in the short term, is a great marketing tool for firms like Microsoft.  Products like GP, AX, and NAV require a significant investment to install locally.  While in my opinion, local is the best installation, where the owners of the data are the holders of the data, use of the cloud concept allows smaller firms to bring up an AX, GP, NAV, CRM installation at a significantly lower initial investment.  Later, as the firm grows and economies of scale allow, an internal installation/conversion can be performed, reducing costs and increasing data security.  But until the firm gets to that point, they can still enjoy the benefits of large system software that is needed by their firm.

Any time new things are imposed on people, they object.  I remember when my mother was informed the organization she worked for was computerizing.  “I won’t use it,” she said, “I can type faster on my typewriter and I just don’t make that many mistakes!” (and me a well known computer consultant, thanks Mom!)  It does not matter who is involved, if the user does not immediately see benefits in the new system, they object.

One of the best ways to gain acceptance of a new system is to include the users in the implementation process.  When, for example, management says “Use this new CRM system, that’s the rule”, the implementation is bound to fail.  However, if the team leader calls together groups of people and takes a different approach, the users become owners of the project.  Tell the group, for example, that management wants to make it easier for everyone to communicate with their new prospects and to get the orders department to move faster on sales or sample requests.  Tell them that management has recommended (OK, it may be already purchased, but ease the users into this) a specific CRM package. 

What you want is for the users to identify their problems with the current CRM system (or lack of one) and how can a new system help them.  As users begin submitting suggestions to the group, guide them carefully to the abilities of the selected CRM system.  Then get a consensus that the recommendation is good and will be helpful. 

You have just added an “owner” to the new CRM system.  That new suggestion belongs to “Susan” or “Frank”.  They will look for that feature in the new system and you have a better chance that they will use the software to take advantage of “their” recommendation.

I have walked into shops where everyone was ready for new software and adoption was not a problem.  I have walked into shops where their current software vendor had just gone out of business and new software was a must.  Then there are shops where suspicions arise.

At one manufacturing firm, we were implementing new inventory controls.  Management was having problems keeping enough stock on hand to avoid delays in projects.  We were asking the people in the shop to report EVERY piece of inventory pulled for a project.  As I explained the procedures, I could see that people were just not interested. 

After the meeting I cornered one of the group, someone I had talked with before and had a bit of a relationship.  I asked what the problem with the new system was and got a surprising answer.  “Well,” he said, “I’m not sure that I want the boss to know when I ruin an $800 piece of inventory!”  I thought about it for a moment and countered with, “You don’t think they know already?  Someone had to purchase replacement parts for the damaged items.  What we want to do is know that these items are damaged earlier and get you replacements faster.  The boss is already paying for your mistakes, he knows they are happening!”

A couple of days later, every person in the shop was accurately reporting inventory usage.

The underlying method in gaining user acceptance is to identify their reasons for objecting and then showing them how to benefit from the new product.  Whether you do this by getting the group to make recommendations of features they want or by answering their objections in a believable manner, you will find that users can be brought on board.  Just don’t expect adoption of any software that is simply shoved down their throat.

Recently, my daughter and I attended the GPUG Summit in Las Vegas.  Elizabeth was in charge of our booth and the books we provided there while I presented 3 training classes and 4 sessions.  Later, she wrote in her Facebook page, “My dad is something of a rock star here, everyone knows him and talks highly of him.  However, I wish people would stop referring to me as ‘Richard’s Daughter’.”

I know that feeling.  My father was the assistant chief of police in the very small town (5,000 people) that I grew up in.  Everywhere I went, from the time I was old enough to wander town on my own until I moved to Florida in my 30′s, people through out the town referred to me as George’s Boy. 

I had made a name for myself in that town as a professional photographer, shooting almost all  of the weddings, all of the news events, all of the sporting events, any thing that happened in town.  My work was great. But it did not matter…I was still ‘George’s Boy’.  Even today, 18 years after his death, when I visit my home town, someone uses the phrase “Hey, I remember you.  You’re George’s Boy, aren’t you?”

Elizabeth is just starting her career and I expect that we will see great things from her.  She runs Accolade Publications, Inc. and manages shipping, production, and our staff of marketing and editorial people.  She gets us to the shows on time, gets all of our equipment and displays there (including my Segway), and makes sure everything gets back to the office when it is over.

And while she IS my daughter, PLEASE call her Elizabeth or Betsy.

A lot of attention is being given to BI or Business Intelligence these days.  There are new BI products, BI conferences like the recent Dynamics Communities event in Dallas, and lots of people talking about BI.  But when you ask someone what it is, you get a variety of answers that generally revolve around some form of reporting and dash-boarding.  Business Intelligence needs to be more.

For decades, the computer industry has touted the “paperless society”.  But as we stored more and more information in the tables of applications, we became better and better at producing reports.  Why with all of that data stored, it was easy to produce a list of sales by customer, identifying the best customers, and then sales by items, identifying the best items, and so on, and on, and on…..consuming more paper with each variation.

But, to focus this conversation on sales for a few minutes, sales managers like to know who is buying and what is selling and which rep is selling those products.  And, those reports show trends.  If a top ten customer this month becomes a bottom ten client next month, something happened!  A sales manager wants to know why.  Who stole the client?  Why did they stop purchasing?  So each week, the sales manager gets a new “Top Ten” report and is expected to review it and check out the issues and problems found. 

The problem with this scheme is the volume of reports provided.  Yes, they all contain valuable information but someone needs to review them.  Every day or every week, a new batch of reports can be printed, distributed, and reviewed.  Until data numbing sets in.  Week after week of reviewing the same data and something more important happens one day and a day is skipped.  Nothing exploded so the next time 2 or 3 days of reports get skipped, then a week, or two, until something happens and everyone starts back-peddling.

Using the correct tools, a BI team can replace the daily/weekly reports with an analysis tool that sits quietly watching the data and only presents the user with something to review when a problem occurs.  Let’s take AR as an example.  Most firms have an established historical set of numbers indicating what percentage of receivables should be current, 30-60 days late, 60-90 days late, and later.  Certainly the over 90 day accounts need to be addressed and decisions made on their credit levels.  This, however, can be a month end exercise.  What needs to be watched is the trending of account ageing.  When too many accounts move from current to 30-60, someone may want action to be taken.  Does the AR clerk need to pull the ageing report every day and examine the percentages? 

No, a business alert can be built that looks at the open amounts aged and, when the percentages shift, send an alert, email, text message, or some notification to the correct team members.  THEN, the ageing report gets pulled and an analysis made.  It may not be the customer’s fault.  It may be that a rash of bad material went out that the firm is correcting.  It may be that the industry is tanking and overall adjustments on the credit policies need to be reviewed.  But the point is, an automated system can watch the indicators, freeing the user for the daily doldrums of reading a repetitive report and providing timely alerts.  And only when actions are needed are the key management people involved.

So how does a firm implement this BI monitoring system?  Look first at the entire process of monitoring, analyzing, and responding to events.  Then, and only then, build the appropriate tools to enable the process.  The Top Gun School (the actual school, not the movie) teaches a 4 step process:  Occurrence, Orientation, Decision, Action.  Occurrence is an event that triggers a need for action.  Orientation involves pulling the needed data then and only then that allows the team to make the needed Decisions.  With the information in hand and decisions made, Actions can be taken.

I have talked above about the AR monitoring process.  This same process applies to many different facets of a business and depends on the type of business.  Sales managers will have their own Key Performance Indicators.  Production Teams will have their own KPIs.  Purchasing even needs to know when orders are running late.  The difference in this approach is, rather than drowning managers in reports to read or gauges to watch, identify the limits, the triggers, the events that indicate an issue and start notifying those manager when an event occurs.  Follow this with the availability of reports or queries that can provide information needed for the decision making process.  Identify in advance who will be making the decisions and, generally, that same person will drive the actions.

Which tools are best for a BI implementation depend on the needs of the firm, the data points that need to be watched, the skills of the firm’s IT team, and how key people need to be notified.  In many cases, the tools exist with in the current system.  MS Dynamics GP, for example contains a Business Alerts system.  Add to this some custom queries or views and the alerts and notifications can be made.  Add to this a layer of detail reporting and a good BI system exists.  In some cases, special BI software may be required.  No one tool can serve all requirements or needs, it is up to the organization to define their needs and the IT team to determine how to answer those needs and what tools to use.

No matter what tools are selected, the BI implentation process is the same.  And it is a constant and on-going process.

First, meet with key people that have a need to monitor events and take corrective actions.  Identify what those events are and what the limits are.  Then monitoring systems can be designed.

Second, identify the information needed to resolve the issues.  With this data, the appropriate reports can be identified and deployed.

The last two parts of the action/reaction plan are up to the key people themselves.  They must react to the alerts, review the data, make the decissions on the appropriate responses, and take or schedule the appropriate actions.

With an approach like this, the data numbing that occurs from daily and weekly reports that never get read is easily replaced by a system that says “Wake UP!  WE have a problem” and starts the analysis process.  Business managers can now focus on the important jobs of managing the business and leave the reading of the data numbing reports to the system!