Great Plains Partner Newsflash: Dynamics GP implementation recovery

Nov 15
12:01

2008

Andrew Karasev

Andrew Karasev

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Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP implementation is a process, where you should expect high level of cooperation from your accounting, finance, IT, Sales, Purchasing, warehouse management, manufacturing and potentially other groups of employees.

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Plus it really depends on how yours and your Dynamics GP VAR priorities and implementation plans coincide,Great Plains Partner Newsflash: Dynamics GP implementation recovery Articles level of consulting, integration, customization, reports design expertise, carried by your Great Plains reseller.  If you ended up in the situation, where you had to give up and look for second opinion or simply to name it – change your Great Plains consulting Partner, we would like to give your some advises, and examples , learned in our Dynamics GP implementation practice:

1.       Make your Dynamics GP VAR selection due diligence.  Yes, check how many implementations they made so far, if they have your industry case studies and expertise.  If you have heavy modification needs – check with your GP partner – if it has Dynamics GP Dexterity, Integration Manager, ReportWriter, Crystal Reports, VBA Modifier, eConnect technical consultants and programmers in staff, do they carry Dynamics GP Software Development Factory?

2.       CPA oriented GP consultants.  If you made your sales cycle with CPA, who also implements Great Plains, please check if this individual has or contracts on regular base Dynamics GP technical workforce and subcontractors.  Nowadays technology, including MRP and ERP systems, often requires deep support from SQL Server developers, Microsoft Visual Studio .Net C# and VB programmers, cross platform integration specialists: Oracle, SAP, IBM, Unix and Linux oriented databases data interchange with Microsoft SQL Server – the hosting platform for Dynamics GP

3.       Great Plains Integration Manager.  In our opinion, this tool expertise is crucial for the implementation to be successful, where you are switching over from legacy ERP and accounting system with large volume of transactions.  In this scenario you have to undertake few months of test data conversions and comparisons.  Typically in Great Plains you compare monthly results with the results from your legacy accounting through FRx financial reports: Balance Sheet, Profit and Loss, Cash Flow Statement.  Precise Dynamics GP data conversion should be done via Great Plains Integration Manager, where you typically have to deploy advanced integration techniques: Advanced ODBC data sources, VBA scripting, data translation

4.       If your business is too large or too small for Dynamics GP.  We often see sort of impulsive switches from Oracle or SAP high end ERP products to Great Plains.  In this case you have to calm down, decide on how to recover from ERP implementation overhead and slowly move on.  Request Dynamics GP presentation and see if it fits or possibly not to your industry case