MacKay and Sposito, a consulting firm that provides civil engineering, planning, land surveying, landscape architecture, and construction management services, couldn't adequately track and report on project performance. Without knowing which projects and segments were profitable, they couldn't make appropriate adjustments in sales and marketing. Neither could their project managers make necessary changes to control costs and utilize resources more efficiently. They needed to align their accounting with their project management.
Enter Synergy Business Solutions.
“Synergy spent the time to understand what information we need and how we use that information to manage our business and then configured Microsoft Dynamics SL to fit those exact needs,” says Marcy McCoy, Controller at MacKay & Sposito. “Today, we can extract the meaningful information we need to make informed business decisions.”
With streamlined accounting, they have significantly reduced time for month-end closing and payroll, have a timely, accurate picture of project and company performance, and have improved cash flow and profitability.
For more details, read the entire MacKay & Sposito-Synergy story.
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Engineering Consulting Firm Improves Profitability
New Accounting Sotware Blog Launches
The Accounting Software Blog has been launched and will replace the Accounting Software Review. The group blog like the former blog will cover ERP Software topics. Its members are Microsoft Dynamics Partners from all over the United States and include:
| BCG Systems, Inc. http://www.bcgsystems.com/ |
| Brannon Consulting Group, LLC http://www.brannonconsulting.com |
| CAL Business Solutions http://www.calszone.com |
| Concentrix Limited http://www.concentrix.co.uk/ |
| EWS Group http://www.ewsgroup.com/solutions/Green/index.html |
| Finatech http://en.finatech.com/erp |
| Gilbert & Associates http://www.gilbertassociates.com/ |
| IntelliPoint Technologies, LLC http://www.intellipoint.net/ |
| InterDyn LANAC Technology http://www.lanactech.com/ |
| InterDyn- CFO Consultants http://www.interdyncfo.com/ |
| Internet eBusiness Solutions http://www.iesgp.com/ |
| Njevity http://www.njevity.com/ |
| PDG Consultants http://www.prettydarngood.com/ |
| Sherwood Systems http://www.sherwood.com/ |
| Silverware http://silverw.com/index.html |
| SSI Consulting http://www.ssiconsulting.com/ |
| T3 Information Systems http://www.t3infosystems.com/ |
| Vertical Solutions http://www.verticalsol.com/ |
| Zeal Solutions, Inc. http://zealsls.com/default.aspx |
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, visit the Government Compliance Resource Page.
Michael Camp - Synergy Business Solutions
New eBook Stops the Pain
Synergy has published its second ebook, this one entitled, Stop the Pain: 7 Smart Project Management and Accounting Procedures that Work. It spells out how to safeguard cash flow, project performance, and profit margins.
This easy-to-read ebook is based on years of practice by the authors and their colleagues as solution providers, CPAs, CFOs, and IT directors. There is even a story woven throughout the ebook about a real-life engineering firm that implemented the 7 Procedures and eliminated their project-accounting pain. Talk about best practices for project management and accounting, this ebook is chock full of them. Check it out and then pass it on to others you think could benefit from it.
Download eBook
Read Press Release
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.
* Nucleus Research Inc., NucleusResearch.com
New eBook Divulges Secrets of Healthy Project-driven Companies
Project-based organizations often face issues that can drive their accounting staff and project managers batty. A new eBook by Michael Camp identifies nine of these common irritating scenarios in project management and project accounting and then reveals the seven secrets that can solve them when implemented on a consistent basis. Read 7 Secrets the Healthiest Project-driven Organizations Know That You May Not and learn how to effectively handle the complexities of the project-based world through the use of an integrated set of software tools drawing on the same data and all appropriate to each stakeholder who uses them.
The eBook is under a creative commons license and is available for anyone to use, distribute, or post on their website or newsletter without express permission from the author.
Microsoft Dynamics SL Video Case Study
A project-driven provider of audiovisual products and services, Avidex obtained access to real-time financial data, improved their bidding process, and gained confidence to make insightful business decisions to sustain their growth.
Forrester Analyst Bullish on Microsoft Dynamics
According to a Forrester Research Analyst, Microsoft's commitment to deliver on its long-term Dynamics ERP roadmap is a safe bet. Check out a Dynamics SL blog post entitled "Analyst at Forrester is Bullish on Microsoft Dynamics" that references the original article.
Innovation and Microsoft Dynamics
I just wrote a post over on our Dynamics SL blog that cites two reasons its a safe bet that innovation and value will continue in the Dynamics product line and that Microsoft is committed to it. One reason is the opinion of an objective ERP blogger in his article on Microsoft innovation and the other is a letter from Steve Ballmer.
West Coast Dynamics SL Partner
Synergy Business Solutions serves project-driven organizations: architects, engineers, contractors, research, pharmaceutical, biotech, professional services firms, and make-to-order manufacturers. Synergy uses its eight years of experience implementing and supporting Microsoft Dynamics SL to help companies create strategic business value for themselves, e.g. boost cash flow, improve bidding, control costs, easily access real-time data, become reporting wizards, make customers happier, and become more productive and profitable. Having earned the Dynamics SL Partner of the Year Award three times, Synergy also proves a solution works with a prospect’s data before they purchase software. The Synergy blog, Project Accounting and Dynamics SL Best Practices, is available for a resource for tips, tricks, and customer success stories.
Microsoft Dyanmics SL Consulting in Delaware and Philadelphia Area
Intellitec offers top quality consulting for your Dynamics SL installation. Intellitec Solutions is a certified Microsoft Gold Partner serving the mid Atlantic region with Microsoft Dynamics SL consulting services. If you need a MS partner for your SL or if you need training or custom coding please contact us by clicking the link on this page. Intellitec also offers consulting for Microsoft CRM and GP applications and they also offer Microsoft Small Business Software. Whether you are a small accounting firm or a giant regional HQ, call us for service on Solomon SL by Microsoft
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