In the previous article we discussed the basics of managing scope using deliverables and looked at the simple project scenario. In that scenario a project manager used Exact PSA to create a set of deliverables to define the scope of his project to implement Synergy Enterprise at a customer site.

This allowed the project manager to see what needs to be delivered on the project; however, he is also interested in how much time and money it will take to deliver it. In Exact PSA he can define tasks (or, in other words, activities) that need to be carried out in order to build a certain deliverable.

Let’s take another look at our example. The project manager wants to add more implementation details to the deliverable Requirements analysis. He conjures the following list of activities, and enters them one by one:

What does he see after completing this exercise?

• that he has estimated that 36 hours (32 hours of consultancy and 4 hours of project management) are needed to complete Requirements analysis;
• that the cost and the sales price per hour for each activity are calculated according to the rate rules in Exact PSA;
• the total cost and the total sales price of the whole deliverable are clear to him.

After having done exactly the same for every deliverable in the project, he will arrive at a complete work breakdown structure (or simply WBS) for the project, that will:

• give him confidence that every single activity that needs to be done on the project is captured in the system and is linked to a correct deliverable (based on the scope that he has defined);
• provide him with the project schedule, where each deliverable and each activity is plotted against a time range;
• let him see the total cost and total sales price of the whole project (based on the applicable rates, but not including any personal rates);
• allow him to share this calculation with the sales in order to create a final calculation for the customer, or to validate the original quotation.

In essence, that means a firm grasp of all estimated work on the project and its financials — something that a project manager is responsible for.

There are two additional features of Exact PSA that make work breakdown structures particularly convenient:

1. It is possible to list not only activities for each deliverable, but also material, in case goods are procured and shipped to the customer. In our example (as shown in the previous article), a deliverable Hardware installation might include some equipment that will be billed to the customer together with installation hours.
2. It is possible to plan hours directly from a WBS line, and, starting from release 249/404 it is possible to allocate material in the same way.

And last, in the release 249/404 the project manager will be able to see directly from a WBS line what hour planning or material & expenses requests are linked to it, that will give him insight into progress of the project. We will review these grand possibilities in the next article of the series.

Managing project scope remains one of the most important responsibilities of  any project manager who works on a project of larger than trivial size. A successful project is a project that is completed on time and within budget; and completed means that the scope of the project is delivered to its stakeholders as expected.

To be sure that this goal is indeed achievable, a project manager needs to have absolute clarity on what is in the scope of the project, and especially, what is not. Failing to see the difference often results in projects falling prey to scope creep, that is, when requirements get added to the scope without modifications to schedule or budget.

There are multiple tools and techniques to define and manage scope; almost all of them are based on the divide and conquer principle. That is, the scope should be broken into individual, smaller deliverables. PRINCE2, for example, calls them products and specifies a dedicated product breakdown structure tool that is a part of overall project planning.

We have reviewed such scope management tools with our existing customers, and after adding a few modifications to make them easier to use, we introduced this project management best practice to Exact PSA.

In an nutshell, the sequence of steps that a project manager will take looks like this:

1) Once a project is created in Synergy Enterprise, the project manager will define the scope by entering one by one deliverables that will be built. Sometimes they are very easy to spot, like reports, or installations of equipment and software, or agreed milestones.

2) Sometimes deliverables are less tangible, like testing or integration, and need to be broken down further – into smaller deliverables. The rule of the thumb is that a project manager should stop when he can comfortably estimate the amount of work and material it will take to deliver the deliverable.

A resulting parent-child structure in Exact PSA will similar to this:

In this example, in a project to implement Synergy Enterprise, there is a main project deliverable — the overall outcome of the project. It is called Complete implementation and it’s lifespan is the same as the lifespan of the project.

This main deliverable is broken down into three other deliverables: Requirements analysis, Onsite implementation and Final testing & acceptance. Each of these deliverables has its own start time and start date, that will define the schedule of the project.

The project manager considered Onsite implementation to be still quite large, and split it into two more deliverables: Hardware installation and Software installation. He also decided to that work on this large deliverable should be managed via a child project, since different team members will be writing hours on it.

All this information is displayed in a single screen, so that the project manager to see the complete scope of the project in one glance. (Special columns like Item, WBS cost and revenue, and Margin we shall discuss in the next article).

In release 248, to allow project managers to using deliverables to scope the project, the administrator should enable a central switch in the settings of Exact PSA. However, based on customer feedback, in release 249 we delegated this choice to project managers, since they know best when to use deliverables to manage scope and when not to.

Often, in small projects centered around realizing, approving and invoicing a few billable activities, there is little incentive for a project manager to actively manage scope. However, interviews with customers showed that many disciplined project managers use deliverables on all their projects, regardless of size, so that they have the scope very clearly defined and managed.

In the next article we will discuss how the project manager can define individual activities and tasks that are needed to build an actual deliverable., and how he can track their progress. Stay tuned!

Service Activities explained

The service activity is used to register the whole process from entering the request until the invoicing. The service activity is an Exact Synergy Enterprise request with extra options. You can view the configurations of a customer, and choose the service that is required. In addition, you can create one service activity or multiple service activities.

In the service activity, you can register what needs to be done, including linking standard problems and standard solutions to help in the process. The service activity can be created automatically from the Exact Globe sales order screen, or by the preventive maintenance generator. It can also be created manually.

You have the option to select one engineer or more who will do the job, and when they will do it. However, it is more efficient to leave this blank, and use the dispatch board for the planning. On the dispatch board, you will have a bucket with all the to-be-planned service activities, and you can use the drag-and-drop feature to plan which engineer(s) will be working on that date. You will be able to view the relevant information, which you can customize, so planning for the right engineer at the right time will be faster and easier.

You can also plan for the items that are required for the service activity, which can be pre-filled from the contract. Discounts can be used for the contracts. When planning the items required, stock information from Exact Globe is visible, and the stock is automatically planned in Exact Globe so the purchase orders can be generated or available stock can be allocated.

The engineer can realize the hours and used items based on the planned activities. After authorization, the invoice can be created. When the invoice is sent from Exact Globe, the detailed documents from Exact Synergy Enterprise will be automatically printed or emailed. This will all be in the Exact Synergy Enterprise software, and integrated in all the relevant master data and menu paths.

Okay, enough talk, you can watch the video and see for yourself by clicking the image below:

Feedback is highly appreciated!

Happy New Year and best wishes to you in 2012! Localizations team has reached another milestone to deliver Product Update 403 which is general available, as you could read in the previous announcement.   

In product update 403, we have extended functionalities that support legal requirements and business standards, have built localization improvements for a vast variety of legislations and focused on developing electronic banking features. We have also delivered changes based on customer feedbacks  and addressed a number of enhancements related to roles & rights and fixed assets functionalities. These improvements are based on requests we receive globally and which are important to our customers’ daily operation and business needs.

Legal changes

Electronic data exchange submission between government and companies becomes a common process in more and more countries. Therefore, in this product update we implemented VAT related reporting electronically like:

• New VAT return layout for 2012 introduced (German legislation)
• Online submissions for EU sales list supported (Irish legislation)
• New version of audit file implemented (Dutch legislation)
• SPESOMETRO reports supported (Italian legislation)

Localization changes

In order to comply with the countries requirements, we have enhanced the current:

• Belcotax reporting functionality enhanced (Belgian legislation)
• Postcodes for United States and Canada supported
• VAT reporting functionality enhanced (Thai legislation), etc.

To find out more about the deliverables from the localizations team in Exact Globe product update 403, please refer to the Exact Globe 403: Localization & Cross-border Product update news.

As of today, Exact Globe product update 403 is generally available, which marks the end of the controlled release period which started in the mid of December 2011.

In Exact Globe product update 403 we have built localization improvements for a vast variety of legislations including: Germany, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Russian Federation and Thailand. We also continued to develop features for electronic banking, please check this document under tab ‘banking’. Moreover, we have extended functionalities that support your legal requirements and business standards with a number of new features, among others:

• Electronic submission of VAT return, EU sales list (VIES) as well as Intrastat return for Irish legislation
• Support of audit file, version 3.1 for Dutch legislation
• Postal codes for United States and Canada supported

Exact’s Warehouse Management Solution has been enhanced with a recount functionality that comes in handy when stock differences are too big, and auto fill picking queue and fulfillment that enable companies to pick sales orders without having to use the control center.

In addition, with Central Master Data Management (in extended controlled release) you can now easily centrally manage people, in follow-up of the earlier introduction of supporting accounts, items and general ledger accounts. Please watch this video to learn how to centrally manage people, you can also watch there series of videos about our CMDM solution.

In this product update we have also addressed a number of enhancements related to roles and rights as well as cash flow functionality in Exact Globe. Please check this document for more information.

We have also developed numerous features that are based on a direct feedback and suggestions from our customers:

• Enhancements for the (interactive) Balance Sheet
• Matching outstanding items in bank or cash journals using accurate offset general ledger accounts
• Enhanced matching of receipts and payments enhanced 
• Process sales journal entries automatically upon printing the final invoices 
• Copy item functionality includes all suppliers and warehouse details 

For a full overview of all new functionalities, please refer to the release notes for product update 403 and the Product Update News page.

Should you have any questions regarding this announcement, please do not hesitate to comment on this blog post.

Hi all,

Environments are getting more and more complex these days. As a system administrator you see yourself faced with many challenges of keeping important data up to date in all enviroments.

As Exact we have two main products which are many times seen in one enviroment. Exact Synergy Enterprise for your front office, web browser application and Exact Globe as your back office system.

Of course you want to keep your data in line between Exact Globe and Exact Synergy Enterprise and you don’t want to run extensive scripts to keep your data synchronized.

We anticipated this situation and released the product of Exact Integration. This product basically communicates between Exact Synergy Enterprise and Exact Globe, keeping the data aligned.

However, since these are two different products with their own history, often they have their own validation to make sure the individual product data is guaranteed.

As Exact Integration communicates between the two main products the data entered in each system will be validated by both products. And sometimes, data entered into one product does not meet the requirements for the other product.

In order to facilitate in keeping your data entry correct, we have created a background monitor which allows you to see the results of the validation, enabling you to correct this data and keep the data between the products synchronized.

In the System-Report-Background Monitor menu in Exact Synergy Enterprise the administrator can see the results and take action if necessary.

In this monitor you see, besides the failed synchronization, also when your synchronization went well. The results are consolidated from your middleware database that you have created upon installation of Exact Integration.

Should you have any questions about this solution, do not hesitate to contact me at ruud.aalders@exact.com or add comments to this post.

Over last year we’ve been busy developing Central Master Data Management solution (CMDM) that allows you to create a structured process for entering and maintaining information at a central location. As a result, you have a clear overview of your entire organization’s information that can be used for company-wide decision making. With each product update we enabled CMDM for additional entities within the software. CMDM already supports accounts, items and general ledger accounts, and as of Exact Globe product update 403 and Exact Synergy Enterprise product update 248 you can also centrally manage people.

To find out more about synchronizing people from Exact Synergy Enterprise to Exact Globe, please watch the video below (you can also find there other videos related to CMDM solution).

Next to the video you can also read the release note.  Should you have any questions about Central Master Data Management, please comment on this blog post.

On behalf of product management I’m happy to announce that as of today Exact Globe product update 403 is in controlled release. The release is now available for resellers and all controlled release customers that participate in the controlled release. This new product update is planned to be generally available in the beginning of January 2012.

In Exact Globe product update 403 we have extended functionalities that support your legal requirements and business standards with a number of new features. Among others:

• Electronic submission of VAT return, EU sales list (VIES) as well as INTRASTAT return for Irish legislation
• Support of audit file, version 3.1 for Dutch legislation
• Postal codes for United States and Canada supported

Besides, there is a number of localization improvements built for a vast variety of legislations including: Germany, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Russian Federation and Thailand.

We have also enhanced the Exact Warehouse Management Solution with a re-count functionality that comes in handy when stock differences are too big, and auto fill picking queue and fulfillment that enable companies to pick sales orders without having to use the control center for it.

Moreover, to follow earlier introduction of supporting accounts, items and general ledger accounts by Central Master Data Management, you can now easily centrally manage people. Please watch the video to find out more.

As in each of the product updates we have also taken into consideration direct customer feedback and have developed numerous small enhancements, such as:

• Enhancements for the (Interactive) Balance Sheet
• Matching outstanding items in bank or cash journals using accurate offset general ledger accounts 
• Matching of receipts and payments enhanced 
• Process sales journal entries automatically upon printing the final invoices 
• Copy item functionality includes all suppliers and warehouse details 

Finally, to meet our customers’ needs we have addressed a number of enhancements related to consistency and completeness of Roles and Rights functionality in Exact Globe. Please read more in this document under tab Roles & Rights.

For a full overview of all new functionalities, please refer to the release notes for product update 403 as well as articles on our Product Blog.

Should you have any questions regarding this announcement, please comment on this blog post.

Exact is currently developing a new Service Management solution. The team has created this video to give you a global preview about what you can expect from the solution which will be available soon. However we would like to take you a little bit more in depth for Service Contracts at this stage.

The service contract is optional but can be used to register the agreements made with the customer. For an easy and uniform contract entry, it is possible to create agreement sets containing different agreements, which can be added to a contract as a set. Templates can be created with pre-filled contract information. This means you only have to select the configuration; it is optional to select which agreement applies to which configuration item or part. To make sure the right prices are used when creating agreements for an item, you can define default contract rates. These can be invoiced periodically, or the agreements can influence the service activity process. You can also define when and how often preventive maintenance will be done, and which service activities can be created in a batch.

Please take a look at the video!

Feedback is highly appreciated!

In terms of delivering business objectives Exact is focused on the preparation of necessary infrastructure for SEPA migration of its customers around Europe. As this has already been communicated in product update news, release notes and product blog posts during 2010 and 2011, Exact Globe has built a good and firm foundation for SEPA proof ERP solution, including support for IBAN and BIC, SCT and SDD.

Exact now actively participates in the Dutch SEPA Migration Plan. All existing SEPA solutions of Exact Globe are the results of close cooperation of Exact product management and banks.

Rabobank has included Exact in the list of key-stakeholders for realization of business objectives of SEPA migration project for their customers. One of the results of this project for Exact customers will be SEPA proof certification of Exact’s ERP solutions for Rabobank customers.

In order to build and maintain an external network, necessary for obtaining the functional objectives, the regional and corporate product management of Exact participated in communication sessions and in round tables, which were organized by Netherlands Bankers’ Association (NVB) and ICT-office. Many aspects and challenges relative to the realization plan have been discussed between major Dutch banks and different software vendors. 

The SEPA European legal framework requires banks as well as bank clients to use European standards for payments in euro. All companies within the EU are receiving the same requirements:

• The mandatory use of IBAN, so no longer bank account numbers
• A new technical standard for payment orders is XML
• Changed product specifications for bank transfer (national and international payments) and direct debit (collections)

The impact of such changes for all business sectors should not be underestimated. Therefore prompt and due communication and collaboration between various stakeholders like suppliers of payment services (banks), corporate and private users, software suppliers and other supporting parties are required. It all drives parties to make certain agreements about relative issues, such as:

• Communication on SEPA
• Planning of the migration
• Test activities
• Monitoring migration progress and communication
• Identifying and contributing to the solution of substantial societal migration issues.

The Dutch banking industry, represented by NVB, together with de Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) have delivered the Dutch SEPA Migration plan  which describes goals and objectives as well as major milestones, how the Netherlands will migrate from national to European payment instruments. Stakeholders of this plan are required to align their plans and activities upon the following milestones:

 Your feedback to this publication, including  concerns and suggestions, will definitely be evaluated towards to enrichment of SEPA solutions in Exact Globe.

You are welcome to stay updated on further developments in the area of cash flow management and electronic banking solutions through our regular postings on the Exact Product Blog.