Full Sail Partners Blog | Deltek Vantagepoint (5)

How do you know when it is time for your professional services firm to move to enterprise project management tools or ERP? There are many factors to consider in your decision. Although you may be familiar with the name Deltek, you might not be aware of its latest solution, Vantagepoint. You might be surprised by all of its new capabilities. Not to mention that Deltek Vantagepoint’s cloud pricing ensures your firm stays up to date with the latest enhancements and reduces the burden on your IT team. We've outlined 11 important items to think about when looking at new project accounting, resource management, and client relationship management (CRM) software tools for your business.   

1) Not Your Mama’s Accounting Software

The first thing you will notice about Deltek Vantagepoint is that it’s very approachable with a modern look and feel. AE firms have come to know Deltek for its robust capabilities, but now users of Vantagepoint are talking more about its intuitive and user-friendly capabilities. This new solution is breaking down silos and getting teams to work more collaboratively because of its new project lifecycle design.  

2) Simplified Access Anywhere, Anytime

Let’s face it, not everyone works from his or her desk these days. Being able to access information anywhere and anytime is no longer a luxury, rather, it is an expectation. Deltek Vantagepoint provides users the ability to enter their time and expense data right from their phone or tablet rather than having to get on a computer and access the system directly. Users with CRM can also view and log Contacts, Activities, and Pursuit information. Deltek Vantagepoint also now includes an integration with Outlook that provides two-way synchronization of your contacts and calendar items within your Outlook email application.  

3) Reduce Manual Entry  

One of the best new features of Deltek Vantagepoint is its Intelligence Character Recognition (ICR) capabilities which simplify and improves the accuracy of expense reporting by reading text from receipts and populating the information into your expense report. This capability is also used to allow users to capture business cards or to create a new contact. The “Hey Deltek” feature allows users to speak directly to Vantagepoint and acts similarly to “Siri,” “Alexa” or “Google.” Users can use the feature to quickly find a record or to quickly add a new contact, pursuit, activity, or reminder.   

4) Streamlined Processes  

When Deltek approached the design of Vantagepoint, it had two decades of providing the gold standard of project-based solutions under its belt. Additionally, feedback and suggestions were received over those years on areas that users wanted to see improved. Some of these key areas included:  

• Merging Clients/Vendors, Leads/Contacts, and Opportunities/Plans/Projects to reduce redundancy 

• Ability to manage project performance in one centralized area  
• Easily assign and reassign resources and redistribute plan hours 
• Plan for the unpredictable changes - Deltek Vantagepoint allows project managers to control the details of their projects, whether they want to look back at JTD or look forward with ETC 
• Improved billing tools notify invoice approvers electronically that a draft is ready for review, and approvers can use the draft invoice approval feature to mark up and enter comments using the new PDF editor function 
• Approvals happen electronically with no more paper approval or emails to keep track of any longer 

• Email templates are available when sending electronic payment remittances in the Vendor Payments, Employee Payments, and Payroll Payments applications saving accounting users' time. 
• Automated bank feed improves efficiency with bank reconciliation 

5) Decision Ready Information 

Deltek continues to provide more improvements to filters, dashparts, and dashboards for ease of use for the end user. To get the most out of your software, firms need the ability to easily create, manage, and monitor projects, since projects are at the core of any project-based company. Deltek Vantagepoint delivers just that. Through a streamlined project creation process, using visuals and dashboards, project managers are able to focus on project performance through a centralized project hub. Those using Resource Planning have further capabilities through a highly developed and scalable resource management tool.  

6) Easily Create Automated Routines with Workflows 

Even though Deltek Vantagepoint is purpose-built with professional services firms in mind, firms may still need the ability to further automate processes and functions. With built-in workflows, your firm can automate front-end processes like sending emails, and alerts, updating fields, and running processes or reports automatically. In addition, stored procedures can be customized to automate non-standard processes on the back end.  

7) Integrated Systems 

Many firms have data silos with disparate systems. This separation between team members can increase inefficiencies and keep the firm from reporting on one truth for the company. Many of Deltek’s competitor ERPs are separate systems that have to share data back and forth through integration. Deltek Vantagepoint provides accounting, planning, resource management, and CRM all in one system. Firms can work as a team and build upon each other's data to gain a holistic view of the company and processes.  
 
However, there are times when firms will need to connect separate systems. For example, to their HR or marketing solutions. That is when Deltek Vantagepoint’s open APIs can be utilized. Vantagepoint has a RESTful API service, which is perhaps the most popular approach to building APIs. The RESTful service for Deltek Vantagepoint empowers programmers to build custom applications that interact with Vantagepoint. Integrations help ensure firms get the most out of their investment by sharing data between critical systems. Sometimes firms have in-house programmers that can leverage Deltek Unionpoint, while others prefer a seasoned development team, like the Blackbox Connector team, to build out their solutions.  

8) Work Breakdown Structure 

Enterprise project management accounting software becomes a “must-have” for firms that want to track detailed information around deliverables. How do you know if it is suitable for your firm? Your firm may need the ability to:  

• Break down a project into manageable work elements by separating out the deliverables for the project 

• Identify the start and end time of each deliverable 
• Define the overall budget for the deliverables as well as the entire project 
• Attach key persons to the project for reporting 
• Set up work breakdown structures to show the effort required to achieve an objective 

By having the right software for your firm, you gain the ability to track detailed cost estimating and provide guidance for future development and controls. The ability to break a project into manageable work elements, and track the elements, allows firms to better estimate future projects while maintaining the projects that exist today.  

9) Accrual and Cash Capabilities 

Many firms want the ability to run cash books alongside accrual books to get the most accurate view of where the business stands with income and debts. Income and expense tracking is integral to project accounting software. While a cash basis may give you a better idea of where the firm stands with actual cash, the accrual method can show the ebb and flow of the overall business income and debts for the most accurate view of the overall organization and long-term profitability.  

10) Audit Trail 

Many firms require modifications that fit their project-based firm. In QuickBooks and other software, Excel workarounds with manual manipulation are required outside of the software. This can impact the firm’s audit trail. Vantagepoint has the capability of running reports for changes made in key records as well as the ability to see the financial audit trail, which is important for the firm to be compliant with GAAP, IFRS/FASB, or any other requirements.  

11) Security 

Security is one of the most important features of a program because it either allows or restricts employees from seeing sensitive information such as costs or other employees' sensitive information. Your firm will need to be able to provide access to the system for many roles in the company to work holistically with the organization’s needs. Without this ability, there is no visibility, and management of the system and processes becomes very difficult. It is important for all players to have access to the information they require to manage their duties and keep the business running smoothly.   

Gold Standard of Project-based ERP Systems for Professional Services Firms 

If you haven’t seen Deltek Vantagepoint, it is time to talk to a partner like Full Sail Partners to see why Deltek Vantagepoint is the flagship ERP solution when it comes to professional services firms. Whether you’re a 10-person or a 2,000-person firm, Deltek Vantagepoint is designed to help manage the entire project lifecycle better than any of its competitors. This intuitive, powerful solution puts your people and projects at the center of your business so you can be more efficient, productive, and profitable. Be sure to check out our latest mini-demonstration by clicking the image below or reach out to us today. 

As a “Power User” or Deltek Vantagepoint System Administrator, you will often get requests from users for information from the system. Project Managers may need revenue totals, labor spent compared to budgets, or planned versus actual data. Executives may want to understand key performance indicators (KPIs) such as utilization, and revenue compared to budget or cash balances.  

Each user has a variety of needs, and as a Power User, it is your job to interpret their requests and provide the users with the best report in the ideal format to assist them in making business decisions. This article will walk you through the 6 steps you should take to create an accurate report and reduce the need for multiple report iterations. Use these steps next time a user asks for a report! 

1. Understand the Question(s) the Report is Supposed to Answer  

When someone thinks they need some sort of data, often they just ask for the data itself like “Can you get me a project detail report for XYZ Project?” However, you don’t know what they want to use it for, or what question they are trying to answer by using the report, the report they are asking for may be the wrong solution for their actual need. They will then come back and ask for another report until they get the data, so they really need to answer their question(s) or solve their problem.   

If you get a generic request for a report, first stop and ask what they are looking to use it for. Ask questions like: 

• What is the issue you are trying to solve with the report?  
• What data point(s) are you looking for – actuals, budgets, contract/compensation, revenue, profit, etc.?  
• Do you need transactional details vs. just summary totals? What timeframe are you looking for (current month, YTD, JTD)?  
• Which projects/records do they need?  
• What output do you want it in?  

• Is this data you need on a regular basis, and if so, at what interval? Based on this question, maybe they need a scheduled report or even a Dashpart instead.  

All these questions will help you give the user the data they are looking for, and hopefully eliminate revisions needed if you hadn’t asked the questions upfront. 

2. Decide on Deltek Vantagepoint Standard Report Base to Utilize 

Based on the questions asked, you will then need to decide what Vantagepoint Standard Report to utilize as the base of the report. Here is an example of how to go through some of the questions: 

Question: Tell me a little about what you are trying to use this report for. What question or issue is it to help you answer? Answer: I have a project that isn’t performing as well as I thought it should; the profit margin is low. I’m trying to figure out what phase of the project is going “south.” 

Question: OK, what specific data points are you looking for? Answer: Project Actuals compared to Compensation and Budget by phase. If you don’t know if their budget is from the plan or project budget worksheet, you would need to verify this data point. 

Question: Do you need transactional detail or summary totals? Answer: Summary totals will work. OK, I’m now leaning toward the Project Earnings or Project Progress report, not a Project Detail report.   

Question: What timeframe(s) do you need the data for? Answer: JTD will work.    

Question: Since you said you need to compare to your budget; do you want to see the overall budget amount or ETC and EAC? Answer: Good question; I’d like to see JTD, ETC, and EAC.   

As you can see, you start building the report as the questions get clarified. In fact, their initial request for a Project Detail report may have been entirely inaccurate for what they truly need this report for. 

3. Select the Records Needed 

In the example I have been using, the user was asking about one project. However, often you need to verify which records you need. After you have clarified that, I recommend selecting your records first. This recommendation is for two reasons: (1) record selection is at the top of the screen, so why not fill it in first? and (2) when I am done selecting my options, I want to run the report right away. If I don’t select the records first, I may accidentally run the report for ALL records…YIKES, No thanks!   

4. Review the Options Needed 

With Deltek Vantagepoint, the reporting options menu is now consolidated to two tabs – Columns & Groups and Options. On occasion, you may want a chart or to change the layout but for the most part, these first two tabs are all you need. Since the options are condensed, the best practice is to start at the top and hit all of them. This way you won’t miss something like selecting final totals, the correct budget option, or if you needed to uncheck the “activity” option. 

5. Preview for Accuracy 

ALWAYS! Prior to giving a user a report, even if it is a report that you have used many times, always preview the report first. Missing one little box, like not unchecking the activity box, will result in a blank report. Preview the report. Make sure it answers the question in the first step. Are all the data points needed represented? Are the records correct? 

6. Confirm the Output 

The most popular type of output for a report is a PDF or physical printout. However, there are many other options available. Deltek Vantagepoint can export reports to Excel, Word, and even PowerPoint. Additionally, now that Vantagepoint has dynamic dashparts, many firms are finding that when a user is asking for a report, they may find it useful to create a dashpart to have on-demand access to this information quickly and easily.   

Once you are satisfied with the report, contact the user with output options and confirm the best output. Sometimes after you present the draft report to the user, you may find that this is a report that should be scheduled out on a regular basis or shared with a group of individuals’ favorite report list. Or maybe a dashpart would be useful to access the information on a regular “on demand” basis? 

You may also want to ask questions like “Is this information something you would like on your projects weekly, monthly, on-demand?" or “Is this information something you feel other managers also could use on a regular basis?”  

Accurate Reporting With Deltek Vantagepoint Allows for More Efficient Decision-Making 

In conclusion, accurate reporting is essential for making informed business decisions in Deltek Vantagepoint. As a Power User or System Administrator, it is crucial to understand the user's needs and interpret their requests to provide them with the best report in the ideal format. By following the six steps outlined in this article, you can create accurate reports that answer the user's questions, reduce the need for multiple report iterations, and eliminate the possibility of errors. Always preview the report before sharing it with the user and confirm the output options that suit their needs. Accurate reporting in Deltek Vantagepoint is vital to help your organization make informed decisions and improve overall business efficiency. 

Deltek Vantagepoint features a free Planning tool that is available for use by EVERY user on ANY type of project. That’s right! The Vantagepoint Project Planning application is free with Back Office and ready to use without additional licensing costs! 

Your team can enjoy the benefits of using a modern project planning tool with no messy integrations or boring training sessions. With just a few steps, your firm can go from looking in the rearview mirror to careening toward excellence using a modern predictive planning tool. Just open the software, get a little Best Practices assistance from your friendly Deltek Vantagepoint Planning Consultant, and get users trained. Then watch how it improves awareness and performance. 

Login now and you can access… 

• Plans for any Project Charge Type. 
• Overhead Projects – Wonder where the IT time goes? Use the Plan to review JTD Spending on Labor and Expenses! 
• Promotional Projects – Need to be conscious of the spend on pursuing projects? Create a plan to set expectations and monitor spending! 
• Regular Projects – Set up the plan and budget for resources and review at any time.
  

Contract Information 

Planning provides users with key information on the contract values stored in the Contract Management section of the Project. When the Contract is updated in the project, it is updated in the plan automatically! WOW! 
 

Labor JTD Review and ETC Planning 

Using the plan to view JTD Labor and enter the remaining hours needed to complete the work is simple and provides immediate feedback on the expected total hours. 

This information automatically calculates dollars spent and projected at Billing or Cost values and generates a forecast of project performance. 

Planning for Expenses and Consultants 

Expense & Consultant budgets can be planned in dollars, and like the Labor, the posted amounts are updated in the plan automatically. 

Visibility EVERYWHERE! 

Viewing project performance in the plan effectively replaces the boring black & white reporting we’ve been forced to use all these years! It’s so exciting!  

Want to keep your reports? You can have them at no extra charge. The data from the plans can be used in most Project reports by simply changing the Budget Details to Project Planning Budget and choosing the right columns. 

But Wait, There’s More!  

Want a reporting tool that updates automatically when your plan changes? You can have it! See the same information from the plan in a colorful Deltek Vantagepoint Dashboard! Just wow! 

Do you feel like you must choose between the Budget tool and the Planning application? Well, you can have both! Review Planned Data next to Budget data in the new Vantagepoint Project Review. Accountants can have their place and Project Managers can too! 

And there’s even more! Implementing use of the Planning tool allows your firm to extend the investment with Planning Resource and Budget Alerts. Planning data can even be used to streamline and validate Timesheet Entries. 

All This for ZERO Easy Payments 

Let’s review the features you get for ZERO Easy Payments! 

1. Labor, Consultant, and Expense Planning  

1. Planning by Employee and Generic Resource 

1. Real-time Labor visibility (including unposted time!) 

1. Data Visibility in applications, reports, dashboards 

How Can So Much Be Free? 

It’s simple, the tool has been scaled to fit the current needs of firms of all sizes. Adoption of the basic tool is easy, and the benefits easily recognized. Today, you can dabble in the Planning tool with little investment. And when you are ready for more, simply add licenses without losing any of the momentum you have achieved. 

What is included in the licensed Vantagepoint Planning and Resource Management application? 

As of Vantagepoint 5.5, features available to licensed users fall into four categories: 

• Usability Features 
  • Schedule Tab with exportable Gantt chart 
  • Schedule (Task) Dependencies  
  • Planning Subrows to display Planned and Actual values for Hours, Cost, Billing in time scale periods 
  • Planning Assignments displayed on the Employee Card 
  • Bulk Redistribution of Hours and Variance Spreading 
• System Extensions 
  • Project Pursuit Stages 
  • Revenue Forecast Application 
  • Estimated Fee and Probability fields 
  • Planning Exports 
• Visibility 
  • Project Planning Reports 
  • Planning Dashparts such as My Upcoming Assignments  
  • Resource Planning Data in the Calendar Timesheet 
• Resource Management  
  • Resource View, Project View, and Reporting 
  • Generic Assignments Dashparts 

Getting So Much for So Little 

You might be wondering, “How can so much come for so little?” It’s simple, the tool has been scaled to fit your needs now and in the future. Today, you can dabble in the Planning tool with little investment or risk. And when you are ready for more, simply add licenses without losing any of the momentum you have achieved. 

Whether your firm has zero or hundreds of licenses for Deltek Vantagepoint Resource Planning, the need to manage project performance is universal. The steps for input and maintenance are all the same regardless of how far you want to take the data.  Act Now!  Get started with Planning today!  

As a project management software, Deltek Vantagepoint offers many capabilities for managing projects and teams. One of the most important aspects of managing a project is ensuring that the team is able to work together seamlessly. This is where Deltek Vantagepoint's integration with ADP Workforce Now comes in. 

ADP Workforce Now is a human resources management system that offers a variety of features for managing employee data. By integrating Deltek Vantagepoint with ADP Workforce Now, organizations can take advantage of both systems' capabilities to manage projects and people more effectively. 

From the moment of first hire, you can keep your employee data in sync with the ADP Workforce Now Connector for Deltek Vantagepoint. This allows for a single source of truth with the need for only a one-time data entry occurrence. 

The integration between Deltek Vantagepoint and ADP Workforce Now allows organizations to: 

• View employee data from both systems in one place 
• Update employee information in both systems from one central location 
• Create and manage employee profiles from either system 

One Source of Truth for Core Employee Information 

With this integration, there is one single source of truth for the origin or updates of core employee information. By having one point of entry, duplication of entry and possibility of errors is reduced.   

Because ADP has a self-service portal, employees can update information as they need to in their record, and the Blackbox Connector will pick up the changes on the next scheduled synchronization, which is set based on your business needs.   

If an update to a single employee record is needed sooner than the scheduled synchronization, then that record can be synchronized on demand via a Workflow button within the Employees Hub in Deltek Vantagepoint. 

You Decide What Information Is Mapped Between Systems 

With the initial setup process, you will assist with a mapping exercise that will determine which fields in ADP are mapped to their respective fields within Deltek Vantagepoint. If there is a field within ADP that has a respective field within Vantagepoint then the Blackbox Connector can pick it up. Example standard mappings include: 

• Workers in ADP are inserted or updated within the Employees Hub in Deltek Vantagepoint. 

• Degrees in ADP can be mapped to the Degrees/Education grid within Vantagepoint. 
• Skills in ADP can be mapped to the Skills grid in Vantagepoint. 
• Licenses in ADP map to the Licenses grid in Vantagepoint. 
• Emergency contacts are mapped to the Emergency contacts grid in Vantagepoint.   
• PTO balances can be taken from ADP and mapped into Vantagepoint.  

• Cash Disbursement GL entries can also be retrieved from ADP and put into Vantagepoint. This process can also automate the upload of payroll data to ADP. 

Easily Adapts as Your Business Adapts 

As your business evolves, no code changes are needed. If you add custom fields or change relationships between ADP columns and Deltek Vantagepoint columns, dynamic mapping is available within the Blackbox Connector. This drag and drop process includes advanced mapping capabilities if they are needed. 

No More Flat Files with This API-Driven Connector 

The Blackbox Connector connects ADP and Deltek Vantagepoint via API. This means that all Employee synchronizations are done electronically, which eliminates the need for flat files and overnight processes. To restrict the impact on your system, only records that are newly created or changed within ADP are brought across during synchronization. Your synchronization can be scheduled multiple times per day. 

The Benefits Are Clear 

The benefits of the Blackbox Connector between ADP Workforce Now and Deltek Vantagepoint are clear: 

• By having a single source of truth, duplication of entry and errors are reduced.   
• With the interval based scheduled or on demand synchronizations, you stay up to date with your staff information. 
• This enterprise grade technology is being offered at reasonable prices and comes with the full support of the Full Sail Partners’ team of Deltek experts. 

• The Blackbox Connector is also future-proof which alleviates any fear of upgrades or changes. All of that is handled for you.   

The integration between these two systems makes it easy for organizations to manage their projects and teams more effectively. By being able to view and update employee information in one central location, organizations can save time and resources. 

To see the Deltek Vantagepoint Blackbox Connector for ADP Workforce Now in action click the image below. 

As we kick off the New Year, many people make resolutions. Some people create personal resolutions like exercising more or saving money for a vacation and some create professional resolutions such as striving for a promotion. Many firms also set organizational resolutions, usually called goals. Common goals are to improve profitability or implement more efficient processes. One goal that can both improve profitability and create efficiencies in an organization is to go paperless in your accounting department.   

Does your firm have a goal to go paperless? Going paperless or at least striving to significantly reduce paper in your organization can benefit a firm in the following ways: 

• Cost reductions – One obvious item is the reduced expense of the paper itself, but other items could include a reduction of printer ink, file folders, file cabinets, and storage rental to save records. If going paperless includes paying vendors by EFT, as discussed below, the expense reduction can also include the cost of check stock, envelopes, and postage to mail checks.   
• Efficiencies gained – Many firms spend time printing reports, invoices, and checks and then have to manage to distribute these items and sometimes track that items have been returned. Eliminating printing these items and allowing the system to “manage the distribution” will streamline the process.   

Here are some examples of how Deltek Vantagepoint can help you get your firm to go paperless! 

Utilize Deltek’s AP Approval Process  

One of the first tools you can utilize to assist your firm in going paperless is to implement the AP Approval process. If your firm is currently routing invoices around the office in a file folder and tracking which invoices are “out for approval,” the AP approval will significantly help your firm! The AP Approval process allows firms to approve consultant or trade invoices within the system based on your firm’s approval philosophy. The approval workflow is very flexible, meaning you can route invoices based on a variety of options such as the vendor, project being charged, purchase order criteria if used, or to a specific employee. The workflow can also have multiple steps, such as having secondary approvals based on the dollar amount of the voucher.   

The first step of the AP Approval process is to attach the invoice electronically to the voucher. Therefore, it is recommended that the firm requests all invoices be sent to an email box, eliminating paper invoices even coming in the door! The system will track which step each approval is at, at any given time, so your AP staff will not have to track which invoices have been approved or which ones they need to track down. The AP Approval process is the first step to getting the accounts payable process to be paperless. 

Pay Vendors by ACH/EFT 

Paying vendors electronically by ACH/EFT is the most efficient method of payment processing. Electronic payments will eliminate the need for check stock, envelopes, copies of checks, and file cabinets for storage, not to mention adding efficiency to the payment process.  It is best practice to request banking information as well as a contact to email the payment remittance from all vendors. This information is then saved in the Vendor Hub. When processing payments, no checks or check copies will need to be printed. Instead of mailing the check and remittance to the vendor, the system can email the remittance to the email address entered in the Vendor Hub. The EFT file can then be saved directly from the payment screen and uploaded to your bank.   

If your current process is to print checks, print check copies, attach invoice backup to checks, sign checks, mail checks, and file the backup in file cabinets then implementing electronic AP payments will significantly reduce the time needed for your AP payment processing. Your new process would be something like this:

• Process automatic payment run,
• Email remittances to vendors,
• Process EFT file, and
• Upload to the bank website. 

Easy and fast!  

There are some “pro-check people” that say they like to physically sign a paper check to ensure the invoice and payment are accurate and they want to see all the approvals. The answer to that is to first put in place the AP Approval process as mentioned above, and if the check signer would like to approve the actual invoices, that person could be a step in the AP Approval workflow. Additionally, the “former” check signer can review the payments through the Payment Review screen prior to uploading the ACH/EFT file to the bank. The Payment Review screen will allow the approver to see each payment made, click on the vouchers, and drill into Voucher Review to view the documents and approvals as they wish. 

Implement Billing Approval Process  

Another process that allows firms to go paperless is to implement the Billing Approval process to invoice your clients. Many firms print draft invoices and give them to the PM or Principals to markup and approve by passing around folders. How long has the PM had to approve the invoices? Who has not given the biller the folder back? Did they give the biller all the draft invoices back that were in the folder, to begin with? Stop this manual process and start using the Billing Approval process in the system!   

The Billing Approval process allows firms to route the invoice to the approver within the Deltek Vantagepoint system, markup and approve the invoice electronically and route the invoice back to the biller for final review. The biller will always know which invoices are approved or still “in process.” There is also a report that can be produced to show how many days it took from the submittal of the invoice to final approval. Additionally, Deltek Vantagepoint has the ability to email the client the invoice directly from the system, so the invoice never has to be printed.   

How much paper would your firm save by not printing any draft invoices month after month!?!  It could be reams of paper, so it adds up fast! 

Consider Going Paperless as a Goal for New Year  

After you close out 2022, evaluate your firm’s 2023 goals. Consider adding “Going Paperless” to your 2023 agenda and utilizing some of these tools. Not only will you reduce paper, but your processes will also be more efficient! Cheers to a successful and profitable 2023! 

As we begin a new year, it’s important to look back and reflect on the past. What better way to do that than to watch the top 5 Deltek Vantagepoint mini demos from last year? 2022 was a bit of a grab bag, so this list includes everything from features that have been in Vantagepoint for a while to add-ons for the programs we use every day. Without further ado, here are the top 5 Deltek Vantagepoint mini demos of 2022!  

#5: Utilizing the Search Functionality 

The search functionality is one of the most overlooked features in Deltek Vantagepoint. There are categories of searches: standard searches, my searches, shared searches, and legacy searches. Standard search has a few different types of searches, such as the selection and active search, and generally apply to a variety of the hubs throughout Vantagepoint. My searches are your personal searches that you have saved for future use. Shared searches are ones that have been shared with you by your administrator or other power users in your firm and serve to create a standardization in your searches. The last type of search, legacy searches, is one that only applies to firms that made the switch from Deltek Vision to Deltek Vantagepoint. These are read only, so they will need to be rebuilt in order to modify them. 

Want to learn how to make and utilize these different types of searches effectively? Take a look at our demo here: Utilizing the Search Functionality. 

#4: Redistribute Planned Project Hours 

More often than not, a project’s budget and schedule change throughout its life cycle. Luckily, Deltek Vantagepoint allows users to easily adjust a project’s plan to fit their needs. The first step in this process is to change the dates for the project. After the dates are in order, the planned hours for the project should be changed. Some extra columns like contract and planned billing might be needed to determine the amount to adjust the planned hours by, so make sure to enable them when doing this step. 

This function is easy to use and saves a huge amount of time for everyone! For a step by step walkthrough on redistributing planned project hours, check out our demo here: Redistribute Planned Project Hours. 

#3: A Small, but Mighty Enhancement with Saved Views 

In previous iterations, Deltek Vantagepoint would save the last list view that you were in when you exited the program. Then when you re-opened Vantagepoint you would be returned to that same list view. In the Vantagepoint 5.5 update, a new feature has been added that allows multiple list views to be saved. This enhancement is useful in many areas such as hubs, expense reports and even interactive billing. Take a look around and find where saved views can help you! 

For a more in-depth look at how to create these lists and put them to use, watch our demo here: A Small, but Mighty Enhancement with Saved Views. 

#2: Introduction to Contract Management 

 The contract management tool in Deltek Vantagepoint is a fan favorite. It is useful for taking all the guesswork out of compensation with detailed breakdowns of how the total amount came to be. To get the absolute most out of this feature, it is imperative that the “Project Entering Method” is set to “Lowest Level Only” and “Synchronize Contract Values to Project Compensation” is set to “Yes.” Contract Type and Contract Status should also be configured in labels and list area. 

There are many more features and functions in the Contract Management tab. To hear about them all be sure to tune into our demo here: Introduction to Contract Management. 

#1: CRM Contact Accessibility Directly with Outlook 

Having to flip between two applications to find a contact is tedious and tiresome. Instead of wasting time trying to track someone down, connect Deltek Vantagepoint to your Outlook inbox. With this enhancement, Outlook will provide information from Vantagepoint on the contact, as well as information on related contacts. If there is no contact in the system, Vantagepoint will give the option to create a new contact and fill out the relevant fields. Projects can even be created from Outlook! 

There’s more than meets the eye with this upgrade. Watch our demo to see what you’re missing out on and how it works here: CRM Contact Accessibility Directly with Outlook. 

What’s Up Next? 

We hope you’ve enjoyed our blogs, Deltek Vantagepoint mini demos, and other content this past year! We’ve been cooking up a bunch of new content for 2023, so keep an eye on our social media accounts for more announcements. Looking forward to another productive year with you! 

As a Deltek representative, we have heard all kinds of misconceptions about Deltek Vantagepoint. Despite our monthly newsletters, webinar series, and continued communication, we are still speaking to firms that are confused or have been advised incorrect information about transitioning from Vision to Vantagepoint. Most are honest mistakes conveyed by all kinds of people. However, many of these "untruths" come from competitors spreading incorrect rumors so they can take advantage of your firm and convince you to leave Deltek. 

We need your help! Please send this blog to everyone at your firm. Share it with user groups you are involved with and other firms that you know use Deltek Vision. Below are the real facts about upgrading from Deltek Vision to Deltek Vantagepoint. Please help us to dispel the misconceptions.

What is Deltek Vantagepoint?

• Deltek's reimagined flagship project-based solution, the next version of Deltek Vision for architects, engineers, and other professional services businesses. 
• Designed to help you manage the entire project lifecycle better than before. 
• Based on feedback from Deltek customers over the past 10 years. 
• An intuitive, powerful solution that puts your people and projects at the center of your business so you can be more efficient, productive, and profitable. 

For executives or employees wanting to view the upcoming changes, we recommend checking out our hour-long monthly Deltek Vantagepoint demonstration. Additionally, our team has put together tons of resources to help firms including our Deltek Vantagepoint mini demonstrations. In each of these demos, viewers will see how Deltek Vantagepoint empowers the different roles within your firm. Each demo goes into detail on a specific feature of Vantagepoint, with each video being 4-20 minutes long. 

Dispelling the Misconceptions about Deltek Vantagepoint

Q: Is Deltek Vantagepoint a new product?

A: It is a continuation of the Vision product. Think Vision 10!

Q: Will our firm need to repurchase to move to Deltek Vantagepoint?

A: No! If you are current on maintenance, it is free. This does not mean upgrading to Vantagepoint should be done without a strategic plan in mind.

Q: How long will Deltek Vision continue to be supported?

A: The short answer is Deltek hasn't set a date.   

The long answer is that under the Deltek Support Assurance program, Deltek provides three distinct phases and levels of support: Active, Maintenance, and Sustaining. Even when the product moves to Maintenance and Sustaining Support, your firm is still supported and will have plenty of time to upgrade. The product is currently under Active Support, which means that software enhancements, hot fixes and service packs are supported. Maintenance Support still receives hot fixes for severity 1 issues and tax, legal and regulatory updates and lasts 12 months. Sustaining Support is where you still have access to all of the pervious fixes and service packs. Additionally, Deltek has stated they will give us at least a year's notice before moving it to Maintenance Support. So, that provides your firm plenty of time. 

Q: To get Deltek Vantagepoint, do I have to move to the cloud?

A: No! However, it might make sense, so reach out to your account manager if you are interested.

Q: Will Deltek Vantagepoint be available on-premise?

A: Yes!

Q: Will Deltek Vantagepoint require me to migrate my data?

A: No! Your data will move over. There are considerations due to the way that Vantagepoint handles data differently than Vision, especially if you have repurposed any info centers.  

Q: Will all of my user-defined fields and user-defined info centers move over?

A:  Yes!

Q: Will Vantagepoint contain the exact functionality as Vision 7.6?

A: No. The product is being reimagined and improved. There are certain areas that will not move forward. Please read on for more details.

Q: Can my firm request to upgrade to Deltek Vantagepoint and move next week?

A: We do not recommend that. There are considerations that need to be made. We highly recommend starting with reviewing Deltek and Full Sail Partners’ resources and requesting a Vantagepoint Upgrade Consultation. 

What Are My Options for Getting a Vantagepoint Test Environment?

For firms that are seeking to obtain a Vantagepoint test environment, the answer to this question depends on your current deployment method. Below are the options: 

My firm is hosted by Deltek Cloud or On-Premise: Visit the Vantagepoint Upgrade Resources page on the Deltek website, and scroll about three-quarters of the way down the page to the “Get Preview Environment” section of the page. 

My firm is hosted by Full Sail Partners: If your firm is hosted by Full Sail Partners, email your Account Manager or hosting@fullsailpartners.com. 

My firm is hosted by an external hosting provider: If your firm is hosted by an external hosting provider, request that your provider set up a test environment. If they have not set up a Vantagepoint environment before, then we recommend you reach out to Full Sail Partners or your partner of record. It might make sense to consider moving to Deltek's cloud, hosting permanently with Full Sail Partners, or utilizing Full Sail Partners' transition hosting service. Contact us if you are interested in any of these options. 

Keep in mind, the upgrade to Deltek Vantagepoint requires a new install and has new installment requirements. For on-premise clients, please check out our past webinar: Is Your Firm Technically Prepared for Deltek Vantagepoint? 

Who Do I Contact?

If your firm is seeking assistance with upgrading to Vantagepoint, our team is here to help. Request a Vantagepoint Upgrade Consultation. Additionally, here are other resources to know.     

Deltek Vantagepoint Resources Page: Please click here to check it out, and to clarify some distinct areas on this page, please read below: 

What is the Customer Assistance Program (CAP)? 

CAP is focused on helping Vision customers prepare for their upgrade to Vantagepoint. This is a complementary program for Deltek Vision customers. It runs for eight weeks, and you can have as many people as you want from your company participate. This program will cover specific upgrade topics and best practices. You will also be able to join live sessions with the experts to ask questions. You can register here for any of the sessions. The next sessions from Deltek in 2023 will be session 14 starting January 25, 2023, and session 15 starting April 19, 2023. 

What is the Vantagepoint Readiness Portal? 

The Vantagepoint Readiness Portal is your go-to resource for all things Vantagepoint. This portal includes videos, demonstrations, and presentations by Deltek experts to give you a perspective of how things have changed from Vision to Vantagepoint. This is the first step on your journey toward understanding Vantagepoint. There are also resources specifically for administrators including details about preview environments. The Portal has info about CAP too. To access the portal, just follow these simple steps: 

1. Log into the Deltek Learning Zone (DLZ) platform with your DLZ account credentials. 
2. On the opening Dashboard screen, use the “Enter Search keyword” feature to search for the “Readiness Portal.” 
3. The “Deltek Vantagepoint Readiness Portal” will come up as the top result for all Vision and Vantagepoint product users, and you can simply click to enroll and launch the portal. 
4. Once enrolled, you can access the portal at any time from your personal Learning Profile where it will appear on your “Courses” list. 

Deltek Vantagepoint Resources

Make sure to check out our webinar series about preparing for the upgrade to Deltek Vantagepoint. In this series, our team of consultants covers a variety of topics such as technical requirements, resource planning, and project management, new CRM functions, and the improved accounting interface. This webinar series page also includes demonstrations of Deltek Vantagepoint. If you prefer to read about the enhancements, check out all the articles we have posted about the enhancements Vantagepoint offers to firms that upgrade from Vision! 

Deltek Vantagepoint is a powerful tool with many capabilities to ensure the success of project-based firms. Despite the availability, many users often don’t use the system to its full capacity or simply overlook some of the features of Vantagepoint that will make their jobs easier. In this article, I’ll just scratch the surface of Vantagepoint’s capabilities by sharing 10 tips and tricks. Hopefully one or two of these will help you get more out of your system.  

#1 – Use the Application Finder to Get to Your Information Faster 

As part of its re-imagination process, Deltek took the redesign of the user interface seriously. This means getting the information you need faster and more streamlined. One way they did this was by adding an Application Finder or search bar to the left-hand navigation. You can use this application finder to type in a few characters of what hub you want to open. For example, if you want to open a project record, you can begin typing “Pro...” and it will display all the areas with the word project in it.  

And, with Vantagepoint 5.5, you’ll find little stars next to each sub-menu and you can click to fill in the star and make it available in the favorite menu. To toggle between the favorites menu and the normal menu, use icons directly below the find application and above the menus. Find application is active no matter which icon is selected. See below for an example. 

#2 – Personalize Vantagepoint in My Preferences 

While the Deltek admin can configure the settings for the company, security roles, and even specific users, you can personalize some of the Vantagepoint experience just for you! By clicking on the gear in the top right corner, then selecting “My Preferences,” there are some ways that you can personalize your experience. Some of those include:  

• Set your preferred project search sort order. You can choose to sort the project lists by Project Name or Project Number.  
• Choose whether you select saved searches or records when running a report. 
• Choose whether you want to default to an accounting period or be prompted to select an accounting period upon initial log-on to Vantagepoint.  
• If your firm has turned on the Contact Qualification settings, you can choose the default Qualified status as either New Lead or Qualified Lead.  
• You can set your default Country for all addresses in the system.  
• You can choose what you want to load initially when you log into Vantagepoint. Options include the Application last used, the default Welcome Page, or you can select a specific application.    
  

#3 – Access Vantagepoint from Your Phone 

This is often one of the most overlooked features of Vantagepoint – the mobile apps! Deltek has created two mobile apps specifically for Vantagepoint. One is for time and expense and one is specifically for CRM. Both are available for both iPhone and Android users. Stop what you’re doing right now, open your phone, go to your app store, and then search and download at least the Deltek T&E for Vantagepoint.  

The Deltek T&E for Vantagepoint allows you to complete and submit your timesheet on the go! And, with Vantagepoint 5.5, Deltek improved the navigation menu and usability to make completing your timesheet even easier. The T&E app also allows you to submit expenses from your phone too. It utilizes ICR so that you can snap a photo of a receipt and the app intelligently reads text and handwriting to populate the form using machine learning.  

Please note that you’ll need the CRM license to access the Deltek CRM for the Vantagepoint app. With this app, you’ll be able to view, add and edit records including firms, contacts, projects, and activities. And, with Vantagepoint 5.5 or later, you can snap a photo of a business card, and using the same ICR technology, it will either add or update the contact information.  

#4 – Don’t Miss an Important Alert or Assignment 

The notification center allows you to instantly see how many outstanding action items and notifications you have. You’ll know you have an important notification when a red number appears in the top right corner of Vantagepoint. This notification center is organized by Action Items and Notifications. The Action Items area includes activities, approval assignments, and past-due timesheets. The Notifications area includes workflow notifications, alerts, and failed and completed process server jobs. 

#5 – Use List View to See and Update Many Records at Once 

Every Hub area in Vantagepoint has the ability to show one record at a time or multiple records at once using List View. No matter what Hub you’re in, to toggle between record and list view, click the button with the three lines just to the right of the record numbers (see screenshot below). 

When you go into List View, you’ll see all of the records you have opened based on your search criteria. And, once you’re in List View, you can do a few different things. Below are just a few of the list view functions.  

• Quickly sort and filter the records by clicking the little funnel icon on the right-hand side.  
• Choose which columns (or fields) you want to see in list view by clicking the gear just above the list of records
• Update the information in each cell by clicking in it.  
• Download the records as they currently appear on the screen by clicking the down arrow just above the list of records. 
• Save the view so you can apply it again or save different views based on the task for that session.   

#6 – Stop Wasting Time Searching for Your Information 

If you find yourself constantly looking for the same records or the same type of records over and over again, I encourage you to create a saved search. You can create saved searches for yourself or for others (based on your security settings) to quickly find the records you need. Some popular saved searches include: 

• Projects where I am the Project Manager (or Principal or Marketing Manager), 
• Contacts located in a certain city or state,  
• Clients where I am the client manager, and 
• Active pursuits which can be a list of projects in certain stages. 

Watch this mini-demo to learn more about searching and saving frequently used searches. 

#7 – Set Up Projects Faster Using Project Templates  

With Deltek Vantagepoint, there are most likely going to be more people creating new project records. This includes marketing, business development, project managers, and accounting. This differs from other ERP systems, including Deltek’s previous Vision system, where mostly finance or accounting open new projects. Because of Vantagepoint’s streamlined project lifecycle, you only need to open one project record that will be used from pursuit to project delivery.  

Make the project creation process faster and more consistent by utilizing project templates. When you create a project from either another project or a project template with a structure already determined, Vantagepoint will build that new project with that same structure and/or allow you to choose to edit the structure during the project creation process.    

Through this process, you can choose the levels of the project that you want to use as well as add additional levels and edit values as needed before saving.  

#8 – Use the Calendar to Complete Your Timesheet 

If you’re like me and find visual displays easier to read than line-item displays, then the Calendar is for you! The calendar feature is found under My Stuff and allows you to create, edit, and schedule events and activities as well as their associated tasks and timesheet entries. You can use the Calendar Timesheet Pane to add timesheet entries. In this view, you can see recent projects and upcoming assignments and drag these items to the calendar.  

#9 – Share Vantagepoint Records Easily 

Because Deltek Vantagepoint is a web browser-based application, each record or screen has its own URL that is specific to your Vantagepoint instance. You can save your Vantagepoint URLs to specific applications, Hubs, or records similar to how you save other favorite websites, or you can share them with your coworkers.  

See the screenshot below, specifically the URL at the top of the image. I can copy and paste that URL link to send in a Teams Chat or email to one of my coworkers. When they click on the link, they will be prompted to log into Vantagepoint but then be taken directly to that project record.  

#10 – Get the Right Help, When You Need It 

Another part of Deltek’s reimagining was the help or support portal for Vantagepoint. No matter where you are in the system, you can click on the question mark in the top right corner and the Help options will change dynamically based on what Hub or application area you’re currently in. The example below shows project-related information including links to Online Help, Learning Aids, Information Center, and more.  

If you find yourself not knowing what a specific record or application does, what to do next, or if you want to learn more, make sure the next step is to click the question mark in the top right corner.   

Do More with Deltek Vantagepoint 

These are just 10 tips and tricks to help you get more value from Deltek Vantagepoint. To see these and others in action, please click the image below to view our mini-demo series – Powering Project Success with Deltek Vantagepoint. Each mini-demo is less than 15 minutes and will show you how Vantagepoint empowers the different roles in your firm.  

This year’s Deltek ProjectCon, formerly known as Insight, was a successful return to an in-person conference after two years of being virtual. With great anticipation, Deltek users converged in Nashville at the Gaylord Opryland November 15-17th. Choosing from over 390 sessions across 11 tracks, all Deltek users were able to discover many tips and identify actionable items to help their firms maximize business performance and revenue while also figuring out how to use their Deltek solutions in innovative ways. 

Deltek Vantagepoint and Vision users had the opportunity to learn all about the latest product enhancements as well as network with peers during the various educational sessions offered. The sessions that Full Sail Partners’ team members attended varied from finance to resource planning to marketing and business development. Also, seven experts from Full Sail Partners presented at a few sessions this year. Here is a recap of some of the exciting things that were taken away from ProjectCon 2022.

Single Source of Truth Between Deltek Vantagepoint and ADP 

Full Sail Partners’ very own Rick Childs, Principal Consultant, Jennifer Wilson, SQL Developer, and Scott Seal, VP of Consulting, shared details on the newest Blackbox Connector offering at ProjectCon. Attendees here learned how Deltek Vantagepoint and ADP could work together to enhance the payroll experience. They saw how this new Blackbox Connector securely and seamlessly integrates the ADP platform with Vantagepoint and how the Vantagepoint Payroll Interface allows firms to efficiently move Vantagepoint project hours to ADP payroll hours based on business rules. Furthermore, attendees discovered that employee data can now be integrated between ADP Workforce Now and Vantagepoint with a single point of entry upon the employee hiring process. 

From this session, attendees took away the following: 

• Understood approaches between Deltek Vantagepoint and ADP Workforce Now for employee PTO accruals and PTO requests & approvals 
• Found out how to automatically provision a Vantagepoint User ID & Role based on a hiring event in ADP Workforce Now  
• Saw how a GL Payroll Distribution Journal Entry seamlessly returns to Vantagepoint as a reviewable and postable file 

New and Improved Deltek Vantagepoint Accounting Features to Automate Business 

Here, Terri Agnew, Principal Consultant, and Theresa DePew, Senior Consultant, with the Full Sail Partners’ team reviewed ways to use Vantagepoint to automate accounting departments at project-based firms. Attendees familiarized themselves with improved features in Vantagepoint and discovered the latest and greatest features including approvals, billing, AR, reporting, and dashboard features. Moreover, having spent more than 1,000 hours helping more than 100 companies upgrade from Vision to Vantagepoint, these two consultants provided expert advice to those financial teams in attendance. 

Create a More Collaborative and Efficient Team with Deltek Vantagepoint 

In a third presentation by members of the Full Sail Partners’ team, Amanda Roussel, Senior Consultant, and Rana Blair, Principal Consultant, helped to show ProjectCon attendees how to create a more collaborative and efficient team environment with Deltek Vantagepoint using one firm’s story. Professional services firms strive to efficiently manage project lifecycles and attendees here got to see how one firm created a more cohesive and streamlined method for operating their project-based business.  

JCJ Architecture took attendees on a journey through their new project lifecycle and saw how their team reimagined their processes from pursuit identification to final project execution, resulting in a more collaborative team environment. Having better data provided better analysis, which resulted in better decision-making. Attendees furthermore discovered ways to bring teams together and gain knowledge about the visibility Vantagepoint brings. 

Better Vantagepoint CRM and Business Development Dashboards 

Amanda Roussel, a Full Sail Partners’ Senior Consultant, found a lot of value in this session. She learned tips for marketing and business development leaders to use and adjust CRM dashboards in Deltek Vantagepoint. Pre-defined dashboards for CRM provide insights for active pursuits, previous quarter pursuits and other significant CRM data. To discover more, simply make minor adjustments. 

Attendees explored additional configuration options like calculated and user-defined fields and workflows, so data is captured and used to chart historical trends for key business development metrics. No more need for Excel! Amanda additionally felt that the session did a great job of teaching how to focus on filters and confirmed the best practice of always copying a dashboard/part before editing. Furthermore, Amanda felt that attendees gained great insight into tracking stage changes. 

CRM and Business Development Dashboards 

Amanda Roussel, Senior Consultant, also attended this session which reminded attendees that most business development activity happens outside of the office. With Deltek Vantagepoint CRM, business development activities can be managed from wherever. Attendees of this session learned how Vantagepoint Connect for Outlook or Gmail and Mobile CRM help nurture client relationships, firms remain competitive, and ensure that the right projects are being managed while on the road. Moreover, attendees reviewed the critical tools for business development and tips to best leverage those tools to maximize marketing and BD efforts. Amanda noted that most of the session focused on Outlook which showcased its fluid functionality with the bidirectional sync with Outlook and Vantagepoint.  

What’s New and Coming in Financial Management 

Theresa DePew, Senior Consultant with Full Sail Partners, attended this session. Here attendees learned exciting enhancements focused on improving the experience of the finance team. This included ways to streamline the current billing process with the use of email templates as well as having further support for the billing client changing over the life of the project. Finance teams can also improve the collection process with AR dashboards and can automate manual processes with automatic bank feed. 

Attendees at this session: 

• Were able to identify new features and enhancements for more efficient financial management in Deltek Vantagepoint 4.5, 5.0 and 5.5 2 
• Saw a sneak peek of upcoming releases 
• Understood how to prepare and take advantage of the best features for the finance team 

Resource Management and Planning – It's Not Just for Staffing 

For those interested in Deltek Vantagepoint Resource Planning, this session was a great opportunity to hear another firm’s story with using it. Attendees here learned about Kahler Slater’s 14-year experience having implemented Resource Planning in 2008. The firm uses it for staffing, but it is also an integral part of the firm’s culture and processes. The firm’s process begins with a plan for nearly every project with all staff having access to resource management. This empowers teams to better manage resource allocation. To ensure project resource needs are managed, project managers and staffing advocates meet weekly. Using a staffing advocate bridges the requirements of staff career development, passion, and wellness with the needs of a project. Immediately after creating a plan, firm leaders access staffing, revenue forecasting and project probability which helps to ensure project success. 

Key takeaways for attendees at this session: 

• Pinpointed how to identify the right personnel to work toward achieving firm objectives 
• Discovered how to create more accurate revenue recognition 
• Learned how to maintain and produce a backlog through revenue forecast 

Save the Date for ProjectCon 2023 

With all that Deltek users learned at the conference this year, 2023 should continue to be a stellar year for project-based firms. Deltek has already announced dates for next year’s ProjectCon which will be in Orlando, October 16-19, 2023, at the Gaylord Palms. Don’t forget to mark your calendars!

The new features in Deltek Vantagepoint 5.5 enhance usability, increase personalization for individual users and streamline project management and accounting workflows. It’s easier than ever for professional services firms to access the right information and complete common tasks quickly. Here’s an overview of what’s new.

Schedule Dependencies

Users with the Resource Planning Module can create dependencies in the Gantt chart and manage a project’s critical path. Project managers can quickly visualize and modify the project schedule, work breakdown structure elements and the relationship between those elements. When an update is made at one level, all of the dependent levels are automatically updated.

Dependencies are also accessible in the Project Planning report. Users can view information about dependency relationships between work breakdown structure elements, projects and associated labor codes.

Drill-Down Paths

Help users access the right information quickly with drill-down paths. Users can determine which information is shown when they drill down into key summary metrics on a chart or table. For example, when a user clicks on a column displaying outstanding accounts receivable data, Deltek Vantagepoint can be configured to show them a dashpart with AR invoice detail.

Personal Dashboards

Users can now create their own personalized dashboards without engaging an administrator or manager. This added flexibility will help expand adoption and free up administrator time since users can customize more of their experience with Deltek Vantagepoint.

Update Percent Complete from the Dashboard

With Deltek Vantagepoint 5.5, project managers can easily manage percent complete with fewer clicks, ultimately improving reporting and billing accuracy. There are new columns in the project dashpart base for Weighted Percent Complete and Weighted Percent Complete Cost. Users can see and modify the percentage of completion per project billing or cost amount right from the dashboard.

Streamlined Purchasing

Deltek Vantagepoint 5.5 enables staff to perform purchase requisitions and process approvals within any browser. Purchasing Requisitions, Purchase Orders, Items and Items Master are now accessible in the navigation pane of the browser application.

Other Purchasing Updates

Additional purchasing updates in Deltek Vantagepoint 5.5 include: 

• New layout for suggested vendors
• Ability to add a vendor on the fly
• Ability to attach documents of any status
• Ability to view purchasing reports
• Redesigned interface for the purchase requisition form

Accounting Updates

Deltek Vantagepoint 5.5 offers several new features that streamline accounting processes. Users can now post cash receipts that were created in bank reconciliation. This option is available for those that have rights granted to their role in the Accounting tab from Settings >Security> Role. The Transaction Center Approval option must also be set to “No” in Settings and Accounting Transactions.

Other Accounting Updates

The other accounting updates in Deltek Vantagepoint 5.5 include: 

• Expanded reporting in timesheets and billing
• Print capability for Billing Category Rate Table reports
• New overtime premium calculation that uses the cost rate in the Billing Labor Override Table instead of the Cost Rate in the Employee Hub for the employee

Email Templates

To help support digital payment processes, Deltek Vantagepoint 5.5 allows users to use email templates when sending electronic payment remittances by email. Templates can be configured to reuse standard information, such as regular text or database fields. Email templates are available in the Vendor Payments, Employee Payments and Payroll Payments applications. Users can save templates for personal use, for all users with the same role, or for all users within the firm.

Approval Center Updates

Users can restart approvals for timesheets and expense reports. This process removes all approved history and comments that are associated with the record and begins the process from the first step, no matter where the record is in the approval process.

General Usability Updates

Deltek Vantagepoint 5.5 also comes with a number of usability updates:

• See notifications immediately instead of every five minutes with real-time alerts.
• See all users viewing a record.
• Set favorites in navigation to find commonly viewed applications with ease.
• Set minimum/maximum and default values for standard numeric fields.
• Use predefined searches within Advanced Search.
• Print timesheet reports from the Floor Check dialogue box.
• Access Labor Planning videos in Online Help.

Learn More About the New Features in Deltek Vantagepoint 5.5

This is just a high-level overview of the many new features in Vantagepoint 5.5. To learn more about what Vantagepoint has to offer, click below to talk to one of our consultants today.