Full Sail Partners Blog (40)

With the New Year approaching, it is a fitting time for accountants and project managers to review the previous year and identify areas of improvement. While we usually think of New Year’s resolutions for our personal lives, there can also be professional ones. Let’s take a look at some of them.

New Year's Resolution for Accountants

For accountants, it’s all about preparing for next year and making changes that streamline and automate processes. Here are the top five resolutions for accountants:

1. Examine the current revenue/earning methods and determine if the firm is in compliance with FASB 606
2. Take a hard look at the organizational structure to determine if changes need to be made
3. Clean-up the firm’s chart of accounts and overhead projects
4. Define the differences between a project administrator and a project controls role
5. Try to learn more about challenges the accounting team experiences and create solutions

New Year’s Resolutions for Project Managers

Project managers must consider how to evaluate the success of projects and how to better manage them. Here are the top five resolutions for project managers:

1. Use the tools within the project management system to better budget and plan projects
2. Elevate the level of project review beyond invoicing to earned value
3. Better record and manage change orders
4. Build a work breakdown structure based on fee and scope
5. Encourage the team and peers to be timely in submitting time and expense

Start 2018 Off Right!

The New Year brings fresh opportunity to improve a firm’s operations and efficiency. Accountants and project managers must first take time to determine what areas need adjustment or refinement. Full Sail Partners can help! Let us conduct a Navigational Analysis to pinpoint those areas and start 2018 off right. 

Gone are the days where human resources (HR) professionals simply focused on just filling staff requisitions. Today’s HR professionals are looking to build relationships which will impact their organization’s bottom line. With this in mind, they must successfully compete for and win the best talent which fits the needs of their firms. The talent acquisition team can boost the efficiency of both the recruitment and on-boarding of this talent using an automated system.

9 Talent Acquisition Processes that are Improved Using an Automated System 

1. Standardized Job Descriptions | Having standardized job descriptions that can be automatically pulled into a requisition allows HR professionals to immediately begin finding qualified candidates. Establishing standardized job descriptions also sets skills requirements, job expectations, and success measurement. 
2. Requisition Request and Approval | Automating the requisition and approval process ensures the team knows about a new hire request. This process also gives team members one last opportunity to evaluate the job description and provides tracking for the position moving forward.
3. Write Once, Share Often | One of the biggest benefits of an automated talent system is the ability to share the job request in multiple locations without duplicating efforts. HR professionals can now streamline the publishing process by posting the position on the firm website, job boards, and social media, while enabling employees to share via their social networks. 
4. One Place for Qualified Candidate Pool | A talent acquisition system ensures candidate submissions go into one centralized location. When candidates submit their resumes online, their information is associated to the requisition and can also be assigned to future pools for searching. No more excel spreadsheets needed nor keeping up with random emails and submissions from various locations. 
5. Quick Candidate Notifications | Letting a candidate know his application was received and is being reviewed can make a positive impression. Even if a candidate doesn’t fit this position, he may fit a future position. The ability to send quick notifications to multiple candidates streamlines the recruitment process because candidate contact is automatically maintained. 
6. Standardized Letters | Standardized letters (offer, decline, interview, etc.) allow HR to respond automatically to all candidates. These letters are significant to the candidate experience, and the automatic response reduces the work it would take to individually contact each candidate.
7. Electronic Forms and Checklists | Reducing the amount of physical paperwork needed throughout the application and onboarding process is necessary for efficiency. Electronic forms and checklists make sure all necessary information is gathered, and that the process is seamless. 
8. Internal Notifications | The first week of a new hire is the most important time to make a good impression. Automated internal notifications keep everyone involved with the new hire in the loop, so no one drops the ball.
9. Let It Flow | The beauty of an automated talent acquisition process is that the flow of information eliminates duplicate entry. Once the candidate enters his information on the job application, it continues to flow through to the on-boarding process thus reducing manual entry. 

Automate Your Talent Acquisition Process 

Every HR professional wants to find and match the right candidates to open positions as quickly as possible. However, they also want the candidate experience to be a positive one for lasting relationships. Having an efficient talent acquisition process can improve new hire readiness and decrease time to revenue, while keeping the candidate experience in mind. Is your firm ready for an automated system?

Ready or not, here year-end comes. With some organization and planning, however, it doesn’t have to be stressful. Let’s look at some critical tasks your firm should complete as part of the year-end process.

Preparing to Close 2017

First off, the most important task is to document your year-end procedures. Not only those performed in your Deltek system, but all of them so that you have a comprehensive guide to refer to on a year to year basis. You should also create a calendar and develop a year-end checklist as part of your year-end procedures.

Some of the more common year-end tasks for most companies are:

• Reconcile all cash accounts - Verify all transactions have been posted into Vision/DPS to ensure your general ledger balance matches your bank statements adjusting as required.
• Final invoicing – Process all client invoices for the fiscal year.
• Review outstanding accounts receivable - Follow up with clients who have outstanding accounts receivable beyond 30 days. Send past due statements and give them a call. Enter the results of your collection efforts in the comments section of Deltek Vision or Deltek for Professional Services (DPS) invoice review. Year-end is an excellent time to collect your outstanding receivables. If you determine there is uncollectable accounts receivable, be sure to write those invoices off.
• Review unbilled detail - Time and expense transactions that cannot be invoiced to clients should be written off at this time.
• Fixed assets – Fixed assets are larger purchases that are made throughout the year (i.e. equipment, automobiles, furniture, computers, etc.). Are all fixed assets reported on the balance sheet still owned? If not, record the sale or disposal of these fixed assets. Additionally, verify the depreciation on your fixed assets and make any necessary adjustments.
• Employee expenses and accounts payable - Verify that all accounts payable vouchers have been recorded in Vision or DPS. Make your 401(k), SEP IRA, and simple IRA contributions, if you have not done so. Also, try to pay all your vendors and employee expense reports by year-end.
• Notes payable - Verify notes payable (i.e. loans) amounts on your balance sheet match the statements from your lenders adjusting if necessary.
• W-9s – Order 1099 forms and make sure all W-9s from your vendors and/or contractors that are paid $600 or more throughout the year are on file. Don’t forget, 1099s should be mailed on January 31st. 1099 forms can be purchased from most office supply stores or you can order them for free from the IRS (gov).
• W-2s –If you run payroll in Vision or DPS, you’ll need to order W-2 forms which can be purchased from most office supply stores. W-2s should be mailed by January 31st.
• Budget for next year - Create your general ledger budget for 2018.

As part of the year-end process, a new benefit year will need to be opened to roll over any PTO or vacation time into the next year and to start accruals for the new benefit year. 

Initialization Utilities in Deltek Vision and Deltek for Professional Services

There are numerous initialization utilities that need to be performed in Deltek Vision and DPS. Take note that these utilities need to be completed once per fiscal year. Vision and DPS will generate a posting log for the initialization utilities which is available in the transaction center under the posting review report. If your Vision or DPS database is set up with multi-company functionality, the initialization utilities need to run in each company. Make sure to watch this video for more information.

In Vision and DPS, opening the 1st period of your fiscal year also opens the new fiscal year. Depending on your security rights, you can still process in the prior fiscal year if needed.

Is Your Firm Ready for 2018?

Efficiently complete the tasks required for 2017 year-end, and you will be ready. If your firm is having any difficulties performing year-end tasks in Deltek Vision or DPS, Full Sail Partners can be of assistance! Also, remember to check out the new Deltek Customer Care portal for numerous resources available to you.

Data here, data there - this seems to be a continuous issue for professional services firms as more technology solutions designed to overcome specific business challenges enter the market. Luckily, there is an answer to this problem for Deltek Vision and Deltek for Professional Services (DPS) users - the Blackbox Connector. Simply stated, the Blackbox Connector allows users to embrace the power of third-party technology solutions using the data in their Deltek Vision or DPS database. Here’s a look at the current and upcoming integrations available from the Blackbox Connector.

Outbound Marketing Connectors

Email marketing has revolutionized how businesses stay connected with clients. Even more, being able to know who opens and clicks on links in the email becomes valuable business intelligence. With Constant Contact and MailChimp, this information is attainable, and all that is needed for these solutions currently resides in your Deltek database. Click here to learn about email marketing.

With the Blackbox Connector, your Deltek CRM data is easily integrated with Constant Contact or MailChimp. Just create the email in your chosen email marketing solution, and with a push of a button, your target contacts in your Deltek CRM quickly populate the email target list in the email marketing solution. The open and click data for each email campaign will appear in the associated marketing campaign in your Deltek CRM.  

Spend Management Connector

Maximizing your profit means controlling how your business spends money. Spend management requires having timely and actual spend information. The Concur solution allows businesses to automate the expenses process from receipt to reimbursement and to gain visibility into travel expenses. Additionally, the Concur solution provides businesses with the ability to automate accounts payable and see spending before it’s spent. Learn more about spend management here.

The Blackbox Connector for Concur connects these key accounting responsibilities with the accounting tools in Deltek Vision and DPS. The current version of this Connector allows expense data collected in Concur, including receipt images, to automatically populate in the expense module in Deltek Vision or DPS. This enables your firm to take advantage of the powerful expense management capabilities of Concur. The automated accounts payable capabilities from Concur will soon be integrated with Deltek Vision and DPS.

Customer Success Connector

As a firm finishes a project, it doesn’t always mean the client felt it was a success. Ensuring your project delivery was successful requires managing client expectations throughout the lifecycle of the project. The Client Feedback Tool allows businesses to capture feedback periodically throughout the project lifecycle. As a result, your project managers can better manage client expectations. Find out more about client feedback in this article.

Using the Client Feedback Tool Connector, project managers can easily obtain feedback at specific milestones of a project from the project info center or hub in Deltek Vision or DPS. The Client Feedback Tool Connector allows for surveys to send based on multiple criteria such as billing milestones or at a set timeframe utilizing the existing data in Deltek Vision or DPS.

Inbound Marketing Connector

In today’s world, every business is competing to be found on the internet and discovering how your inbound marketing efforts are attracting clients is essential to developing meaningful relationships with prospects. Using the HubSpot marketing software, your firm has access to all the tools it needs to run an inbound marketing campaign. Soon, business development teams will be able to acquire this vital information from HubSpot.

Coming in 2018, the HubSpot Blackbox Connector for Deltek Vision and DPS will allow data collected in HubSpot to populate the associated marketing campaigns in your Deltek CRM. When your inbound marketing efforts generate new contacts, their information will create new contacts in your Deltek CRM. With the Blackbox Connector for HubSpot, your business development team will have great new insight into your firm’s inbound marketing efforts.

Business Intelligence Connector

Having the ability to quickly analyze data to make informed decisions is a necessity to stay ahead of the competition. With Informer 5, users can create, analyze, visualize and collaborate in a user intuitive environment to make data-driven decisions. Informer 5 is a new generation of business intelligence and data analytics.   

In early 2018, Deltek Vision and DPS users will now be able to use Informer 5 to cleanse, merge, and analyze the data in their Deltek database. Firms using the Informer 5 Blackbox Connector will have an edge over their competition using timely and actionable insights.

Integrate Your Data with the Blackbox Connector

Deltek Vision and DPS are powerful solutions designed to help professional services firms win more business and better manage resources by tracking, editing, and analyzing project details. Despite the overwhelming capabilities of an ERP or PSA solution, further technology solutions are sometimes required. This is why the Blackbox Connector was created.  It is specifically designed to allow your firm to maximize the capabilities of your Deltek products, while also taking advantage of these other world class solutions, all along keeping your data in one system. Learn more about how your firm can bring data together.

As I travel around and work with clients implementing Vision Resource Planning, the issue of what makes a good project manager (PM) is often discussed. The PM track has always been perceived as a measurement of success in one’s career. As employees become more tenured within a firm, there seems to be a natural progression to the PM role. However, not everyone who is strong technically is able to effectively manage projects. Based on my experience, to be a good PM requires proficiency in certain key areas.

Scope Management

A good PM must be involved in defining the scope of the project and needs to play a role in the proposal process. Scope can be narrowed down to what has been promised to the client, or in other words, what is to be delivered. The various components of scope are usually defined and controlled by a project’s work breakdown structure and can include interim deliverables and milestones. 

Equally, if not more important, a good PM should be aware of what is not in the scope. Scope creep is the number one killer of profit. To avoid this, a good PM needs to be very familiar with what is in the contract and when to ask for change orders. 

Schedule Management 

Schedule is the order in which the scope needs to be delivered. This is also called a critical path which defines what and when things need to happen to ensure all interim and final scope delivery. A good PM needs to understand the concept of task dependency and how delays and disruptions can impact future delivery. Scope and schedule management work in tandem and scope creep can impact a schedule. 

Team Management 

A good PM needs to be a committed leader. While “leading by example” may seem cliché, it is a solid guideline to follow as a PM. Even more, a PM must make sure the entire team understands scope and schedule and will keep them inside the white lines to avoid scope creep. 

Financial Management 

To make prudent, yet quick decisions about the financial health of projects, a PM should be provided reliable data. A good PM should understand what indicators are needed to make this health assessment. I believe earned value is the best indicator. By comparing a project’s physical to financial percent complete, a PM and others can measure the “direction” that the project is heading. Once again, scope creep should easily be identified using this measurement.

Client Management 

The human component of project management can be challenging. A good PM should be able to make every client feel important while also filtering and prioritizing so that the scope, schedule and financial components of all projects are properly tended too. A good PM must also be effective in communicating scope creep to the client and should utilize the relationship to secure the change orders that are warranted. 

Quality Management 

Finally, a good PM must have his “hands” on the product whether it be a report, widget, skyscraper or bridge. He must have the technical knowledge to guarantee the product can pass inspections and be accepted by the client. He must also be able to trouble shoot issues, manage challenges that arise, and always be cognizant of the scope to ensure the work performed is within the contractual obligation to avoid scope creep. 

Are Your Project Managers the Right Fit? 

All the above must be considered to determine whether someone makes a good PM. A PM may not have mastered all areas, but needs to be effective in each. These key areas are interrelated and critical to one another. Strong technical knowledge does not necessarily translate to successful PM skills. How do your PMs stack up?

Deltek rolled out its new customer support center on Monday, October 9^th, 2017. The support center has been improved allowing users to learn, connect and more effectively manage their experiences. Entering the Deltek Support Center after October 9^th, you now see a message that looks like this:

Deltek Support Center Welcome Screen

New Login Feature

There is a new login feature when using the enhanced support center. You will still navigate to the same URL that you previously used. Prior to the new help center, you would have seen a login button and an account assistance button. However, you will notice that, where the account assistance button used to be, it now says “Need Help?”

Deltek Support Center Login Screen

When you click on “Need Help?,” you now have the option to chat with someone. This feature offers the real-time ability to speak with a Deltek professional who can assist you. To access the chat, you will need to enter your email address and then click “Start a Chat.”

Deltek Support Center Login Assistance Screen

To get back to the login page from this page, you will need to click the silhouette  in the top right corner. This will enable you to log into the support center.

Stay Up to Date with Notifications

After logging in, you will receive the critical info pop-up announcing the new site. When you close this pop-up, or if you are logging in after the alert has been removed, you will immediately be presented with a list of notifications.

Deltek Support Center Notifications Popup

Key highlights of the notifications popup include:

• The notifications are equivalent to the old alerts and announcements section
• You can hide the notifications popup if you do not wish for it to popup every time you open the support center
• Global notifications are color coded: high (red), med (yellow) and low (green)
• You will only see alerts for the products that you own
• You can click on the number in the orange square at the top of the screen which indicates how many notifications there are if you choose to hide the notifications

Manage Your Deltek Support Center Account

In the upper right, you will see the gear icon. This icon allows you to open the “My Account” section. This is where you update your profile settings, and you can also see the current support plan you have.

Deltek Support Center Account Management Screen

The account management section allows you to change the following:

• Password
• Preferred language
• If you want or do not want to see notifications

Get Support for Your Deltek Products

The search bar offers you the ability to look for forums, posts and knowledge based articles using specific words or phrases. Everyone will see the learn and connect information boxes, and if you are an administrator, there will be an additional box that will be available. Below the information boxes are “Trending Topics,” which show the top ten articles for the products that you own for the last thirty days. You will only see the topics in this list that relate to the products that you own.

Deltek Support Center Main Page

Depending on the level of support you have, you will possibly see up to six icons. The icons you view are driven by permissions. If you can’t find the answer, submit a case. Deltek will then research your inquiry. Availability, however, depends on the type of service plan you have purchased. Here are the options you will see depending on your license agreements:

• Cloud Solutions- You will see this is if you own a Saas product. When clicking this icon, you will be able to choose the cloud solution you are needing help with. This will open a wide range of help topics specific to your needs.
• Initiate a Chat- This icon allows you to enter a chat with Deltek staff. Be sure to check the bottom of the chat page for specific hours of availability.
• Product Downloads- The Deltek Software Manager (DSM) is your central place to download all the Deltek products you own, including all service packs and hot fixes.
• Manage Cases- Here you can check the status, view details, and update your support cases. Previously called, “My Support Cases.”
• Purchase On-Demand - Deltek's “On-Demand Support” is available for situations that require brief, one-time access to our support experts for situations that are not covered by your annual maintenance fee.

If you have less than three icons available, they will not show. You can still access the available options by going to the upper left-hand corner of the screen and utilizing the menu to navigate to your desired destination.

Enjoy the New Deltek Support Center

As you can see, the new customer service center is not only user friendly, but it eliminates information that does not pertain to you. The updated service center’s ultimate goal is to help you continue to get the most out of your Deltek product. Click here for more information about the Deltek Support Center.

At a recent client meeting, it was brought to light how many of my clients don’t use Deltek Vision’s approval engine capabilities. I thought how crazy that notion was because using the approval engine can save clients so much paper and time. Let me share with you what this firm experienced in dealing with approvals, and let’s see how many of you can think outside the box and see the benefits of Deltek Vision’s approval engine.

Packed with Paper 

Here’s where the story begins. A little time back, I was with a client when a principal walked in with a banker’s box full of papers. He was preparing to leave for vacation and had carefully assembled all the paperwork he needed to take care of while he was away. I asked what was in the box, and he explained that he had to approve the consultant invoices and then review the client invoices. He had packed all the project folders and everything was ready so he could speed through them on vacation and bring them back to accounting when he returned. 

In my mind, I was screaming for several reasons. First, who wants to work on your vacation? Next, so many things could happen to those papers like losing some on the plane or spilling wine when reviewing them. Not to mention, accounting is put on hold until he returns, the consultant’s invoices can’t get entered until billing is processed and how will he really know when he is done. By the way, how does he even keep track of action items using his box and paper system? 

Let’s Think Out of the Box 

Not wanting to overwhelm this principal just hours before he was set to go, I calmed the voices in my head and simply said, “You know, one day I am going to take your box away from you and you won’t miss it.” With a perplexed look, he asked me how. I explained that we could process the consultant invoices electronically. Accounting could scan the invoices, and after being scanned into the system, various parties would then do their part to approve or reject the invoice in Deltek Vision based on the business rules. 

The entire process could be done in the Deltek Vision system, and the status and notes would be visible to everyone along the way. As soon as there was final approval, accounting could continue processing the invoice and post it in Vision. The copy would be attached to the next Invoice and no box would be required. 

Coming into the Light 

Despite my description of the approval engine process, the principal remained unconvinced. He instantly presented a list of objections which I confidently addressed one by one: 

“I need to see project details as I am reviewing.” “No problem, use the project review tool in the approval application.” 

“Sometimes I want the project manager to look at it before I approve it.” “The system is designed so you can delegate or reassign approvals.” 

“There are also times that I need accounting to send the invoice back to the consultant.” “That’s why when you reject it, you must notate why in the dialog box. The system sends the message to accounting for you.” 

“We must have paper copies for taxes and legal things.” “Maybe, but IRS has been accepting electronic copies since 1995.” 

After my most excellent retorts to his arguments, the principal finally realized that using Deltek Vision’s approval engine capabilities was a viable option. I further explained that with his current Vision system, he can use electronic approvals to handle vacation requests, departmental budgets, expense reports and more. Before, he just hadn’t seen the value of thinking outside of his box. Now his box could instead be used for vacation souvenirs. 

Use Deltek Vision’s Approval Engine 

This is a true story, but not at all unique. In the past, there was not a fully integrated system. Many firms had given up on going paperless, and the final handshake always required touching that piece of paper one last time. However, with Deltek Vision’s approval engine, firms can now truly eliminate the need to physically transport documents in their boxes. Rather, thinking outside of their boxes, they can reduce processing times and provide unprecedented visibility into status and condition of their invoices.

Charles Darwin once said, “it is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” In the 21^st century, with constantly evolving technology and ever present social media, competition for the same resources has dramatically increased. Firms must adapt to their new environments or risk extinction. Change management, the approach used to prepare, equip and support individuals to successfully adopt change and thus drive organizational success, is vital to a firm’s continued existence.

Reasons for Change

So, in today’s environment, what are some reasons firms must change? Well, there are many different reasons change is necessary. It could be to improve productivity or the quality of products to meet customer demands. Perhaps change is necessary to reduce costs or increase revenue to keep up with the competition? Maybe revised processes are required due to the enactment of new policies or laws? Regardless of the reason, change is necessary and is a constant.

Overcome the Challenge of Change

Of course, often hearing the word “change” strikes fear in the hearts of many as an employee. It is inevitable that the rumor mills will begin and embellished stories will be passed around the firm. The best way to thwart the challenge of change is for leadership to be proactive using a change management strategy. Change management includes several key components:

• Clear vision from management
• A detailed action plan
• Transparency to minimize uncertainty
• Employee involvement
• Skills and resources provided for employees to handle the change
• Buy-in from employees

As long as these components are part of your firm’s change management plan, it is up your particular firm’s discretion to choose the method to handle the specific change required. If needed, there are several models available for review by firm leadership.

Change Management Models

Here are three change management models:

• The Eight Steps to Successful Change by John Kotter - begins by establishing a sense of urgency and ends with institutionalizing the change
• The Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle by W. Edwards Deming - four steps
• Change Management Foundation - shaped like a pyramid with leadership at the top setting direction and people implementing change at the bottom 

Don’t Fear the Change

In the words of Winston Churchill, “to improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often.” Firms will spend years in pursuit of perfection as the world continues to evolve. However, with a change management strategy in place, your firm can continue to successfully tackle the unknown without fear.

Full Sail Partners, a Deltek Platinum Partner, is proud to announce that it has been recognized by Accounting Today on the top 100 VAR list for 2017. Accounting Today annually chooses the top value-added resellers (VARs), and Full Sail Partners has been ranked in the top 100 again this year. Not only was Full Sail Partners named on the 2017 list, but it impressively moved up in ranking by fifteen. 

“We are thrilled to move up the ranks on Accounting Today’s VAR 100 list,” stated Sarah Gonnella, VP of Marketing & Sales at Full Sail Partners. “This accomplishment is a result of having a diverse and talented team that can address not only today’s challenges, but tomorrow’s challenges as well. Over the past couple of years, we have invested in building the right team and developing our Blackbox Connector to allow project-based firms to connect Deltek products to other best of breed solutions. We can’t wait to see what 2018 brings.”   

Accounting Today also reported recognized trends from this year's top 100 VARs. Some of those trends included responding to talent demands, adapting to the cloud, and smaller clients demanding better technology and analytics. Full Sail Partners has positioned itself to respond to these exact needs. With its Blackbox Connector capabilities and emerging business intelligence offerings, Full Sail Partners intends to keep developing solutions to fit client growth and desires.

Here is the full 2017 VAR list: http://pages.marketing.accountingtoday.com/act_77836_sr_lp.html 

Accounting Today is a leading provider of online business news for the accounting community, offering breaking news, in-depth features, and a host of resources and services. The VAR 100 list is annual report developed to rank the top technology resellers in the account and ERP space.  

For more information, please contact Full Sail Partners’ Marketing and Communications Department.