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Microsoft Great Plains Implementation: Placement/Recruiting Agency example ? overview for consultant
Microsoft Great Plains does wonderful ERP job for horizontal markets and clientele. However in our opinion placement software market is underserved and needs custom modules to be developed. In the case of Microsoft Great Plains we see numerous examples of in-house or outsourced customization done for Great Plains Dynamics/Microsoft Great Plains in order to automate placement agency workflow and processes. In our opinion Great Plains is good choice, considering the side of placement and recruiting companies: mid-size or even small. Let us give you highlights from our consulting practice. ? Full-Featured custom placement business system. Technically Great Plains gives you functionality to develop integrated custom application, where you could build custom logic, extending Great Plains Receivables Management, Payables Management and other modules. You could implement complex recruiter commissioning schema, based on number of months of the placed employee work, etc. This is the most typical case ? placement agency contracts Great Plains VAR to implement their custom Business Management System. ? Payroll Outsourcer. If you do payroll outsourcing ? this is popular customization for Microsoft Great Plains. You usually have to create new Great Plains company for your client ? who is typically placement agency ? Executive Search. The best fit in Microsoft Great Plains is Project Accounting. You usually have something like Microsoft CRM implemented to log your calls to prospective candidates and you log your expenses against project in Microsoft Great Plains Project Accounting. ? Reporting. In the old days you had to deploy Great Plains Software Dexterity reports to do the job over your custom Dexterity tables. Today you should consider simplification and deploying Crystal Reports, working on Microsoft SQL Server custom views and stored procedures. Consider phasing out Dexterity customization and replacing it with MS SQL Server integration, Crystal Reports, direct web publishing from Microsoft Great Plains company tables ? Commission Calculation. In our opinion the old Dexterity-based commission calculation mechanisms should be replaced with Crystal Reports or Microsoft SQL Server triggers (when customer pays invoice, which is subject to commission) We encourage you to analyze your alternatives. You can always appeal to our help, give us a call: 1-866-528-0577 or 1-630-961-5918, help@albaspectrum.com Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer at Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ), serving Microsoft Great Plains, CRM, Navision to mid-size and large clients in California, Illinois, New York, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Arizona, Washington, Minnesota, Ohio, Michigan
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Strategic planning assistance and input. Centers of influence for networking introductions. Crisis and transition leadership in the event of the death or resignation of the CEO. Help anticipating market changes and trends. Steps to Creating an Effective Board of Advisors: Analyze the strength and weaknesses of your current management team. Look for critical areas of expertise and knowledge that your company could use help with such as marketing, legal, finance, eCommerce, and research and development or information technology. If your company is planning on going public within the next few years, seek out advisors who have successfully taken companies down that path. Set clear, written goals and objectives for your board of advisors. Getting maximum value from a board of advisors begins with clear objectives and goals. Board members must know why they have been asked to serve and what is expected of them. Before establishing the board, the CEO and senior managers should sit down and ask some of the following questions: 1. What are the main areas we need advice and guidance in? 2. What specifically do we need the board members to do for us? 3. Who are a few potential candidates for board membership? 4. How do we avoid giving away too much control to outsiders? 5. What will be the powers and limitations of the board? 6. What will setting up the board cost initially? Annually? Will it be worth the cost? Determine the size and structure of your board. Advisory boards range in size from two members to over thirty. The right size depends on many factors, such as your company's size, complexity, stage of development and individual skills needed. My experience and research has found that for most small to mid-sized, growing companies or start-ups, a 5 to 7 member advisory board is an ideal size. Smaller firms can start with just one or two members and add new members as they grow. 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Find the leaders in their field. The best board candidates are successful CEOs, business owners, professionals, university professors and consultants who have achieved success in their own businesses and careers. Clearly communicate your goals and objectives. Invest time in talking to and meeting with potential members. Communicate to them what your goals and objectives are. Let them know that you are not looking for "yes men" and that you want advisors who will challenge you and hold you accountable for your businesses growth. Board Compensation Board members expect and deserve to be compensated for their time, efforts and advice. Typical advisory board compensation includes a stipend from $5,000 to $25,000 per member, per year. Some companies pay their board members per meeting, with payment ranging from $500 to $3,000 per meeting, with a monthly retainer of $500 to $2,500. Companies should also cover transportation, meals and lodging for members when attending meetings. 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