Full Sail Partners Blog | Deltek Vantagepoint (9)

Full Sail Partners has worked with 200+ firms related to their Deltek Vision to Vantagepoint upgrade process in different capacities over the past two years. Full Sail Partners’ goal is to help our clients gain more insight on how to have a smooth and successful upgrade. From the experience and insight gleamed from helping these firms, these five tips have been developed to keep your firm calm.

However, there are two big caveats to consider before diving into the tips for a calm upgrade process.

One of the biggest challenges faced when working with clients is misinformation. It’s like the game telephone. Someone whispers something to the person next to them and it keeps going down the line. By the time it gets to the end person, the information is completely different. This is happening with information regarding Deltek Vantagepoint. Full Sail Partners strongly encourages firms to get their information from the source. Ask Deltek, Full Sail Partners, or another approved Deltek partner.

Next, is to take a deep breath. Some of our clients come to us in a complete panic. Some clients are concerned about how they will get through the Vision to Vantagepoint upgrade process. Some other clients are worried non-stop. So, let’s all take a deep breath. Understand that firms are not alone. Remember, Full Sail Partners is here to help as a trusted partner.

To quote Martha Lira with Impact Sciences that upgraded from Vision to Vantagepoint. “It was easier than I thought. It was smoother than I thought.”

Tip #1 – This is an Upgrade, Not a Migration

One thing to remember is this is an upgrade not a migration. This is a key point to understand and communicate to the rest of the company. Misinformation can come from anywhere. It’s important that the company’s primary contact is communicating to others within the organization.

Furthermore, there is an installer that allows the company to push every single Vision field over to Vantagepoint. This even includes custom field, tabs, and user defined info centers. There is work involved, but significantly less than there is when starting from scratch for a migration.

For finance the processes are very similar. There might be some things that are moved around and there are added enhancements to make it easier, but the learning curve is minimal for finance.

For project managers and CRM users, Deltek has been listening. All the things you have been asking for over the years are being answered. Items like:

• Streamlined flow for project managers,
• Improved usability,
• User-friendly, modern look and feel,
• Improved Outlook integration; and
• AI capabilities with Hey Deltek! to make doing tasks easier.

Tip #2 – Take Advantage of All the Resources Available

Deltek and Full Sail Partners have many resources, most of them free. If you haven’t viewed any resources, you are doing yourself and team a disservice. Share the resources to all departments of your company. These resources include:

• Deltek’s Vantagepoint Readiness Portal | Firms can access this through their customer care login. Inside there is an upgrade checklist along with training videos by role and Vantagepoint updates.
• Preparing for the Upgrade Series by Full Sail Partners | This is a webinar series that provides clients with the answers and clarification on how the upgrade will impact their firm.
• Client Assistance Program (CAP) Program | This program, hosted by Deltek, reviews the upgrade checklists found in the readiness portal. Over several weeks, it covers each area of Vantagepoint and how to prepare in moving from Vision to Vantagepoint.
• Powering Project Success Mini Demonstrations created by Full Sail Partners | Not only has Deltek provided videos available on the readiness portal, but Full Sail Partners has taken it a step further. Mini demonstration videos range from four to 21 minutes and show different areas of the system and how different users would utilize those areas. The videos focus on sharing new features and functions.
• Vantagepoint Upgrade page | Visit this page to find all the resources in on place including those mentioned above and to schedule a consultation with a member of the Full Sail Partners Crew.

Tip #3 - Engage All User Groups

This is the opportunity to become the “hero” of collaboration by bringing in other departments and users. This is done by understanding that the upgrade from Vision to Vantagepoint is less technical and more about inclusion. Vantagepoint is a complete ERP and ERP is about the company, so every role needs to participate to have a calm upgrade process.

Engage with them by sharing the resources in Tip #2 that are related to their responsibilities. Require users in all departments to view and engage with those resources. Take time to understand how each team member will be part of the project lifecycle. Some may be at the beginning. Some at the middle or others at the end. Making sure each of them understands how their information and actions impact others–from marketing to project managers to accounting.

This is a great opportunity to get new employees and people not previously involved with Vision to become ‘bought-in’ and advocates for Vantagepoint.

Tip #4 – Trust the Process

In assisting 200+ firms in their Deltek Vision to Vantagepoint upgrades over the past two years, Full Sail Partners has fine tuned the upgrade process for firms. While each client’s process is specific for them, Full Sail Partners has worked hard to remove the mystery to create a transparent process. This process includes:

1. Personalized Readiness Report - Readiness Report – This is a tool run against Vision and reports the specific things that the firm needs to address. Every firm is different. The report shows exactly what to clean up. Firms have found this priceless.
2. Train the Team and Make Adjustments – Get your system in gear and refine the team’s knowledge of managing Vantagepoint for a seamless transition.
3. Make the Shift to Full Production – Leverage transition copy scripts to automate the conversion process from preview environment to production.

Tip #5 – Manage Attitudes and Messaging

With every process, change management is always important to plan for. A big part of change management is attitude. The attitude impacts the success or failure of the change. And, when firm leaderships approaches change negatively, the team will pick up on that attitude. If leadership approaches it positively, the team will feel more confident about the change. Success is impacted by the attitude displayed when approaching the change. Promote this change positively because it’s really a good change. Get others excited. The only ways things can be successful is excitement, positivity and getting people to understand benefits they get that will help them in their role. Deltek has been listening, and these changes with Vantagepoint are happening because of feedback from firms like yours.

Next is to prepare the internal teams. Communicate to them that it’s important to understand that this isn’t a month-long process. Take a deep breath and remove the worry first by taking the time to know what needs to be tackled as part of the upgrade process. Use the Readiness Report to know the areas to be addressed and outline the steps required. Identify team members responsible and a target date of completion. Then start working on cleaning up data, as needed. It’s always better to tackle dirty data sooner rather than later. With the upgrade, firms can clean up data before or after the upgrade, but Full Sail Partners has found it better to do it before. Don’t forget to outline training and remember this is a great time to take time to make your processes even better.

Make sure to celebrate milestones and the end success. This can be done by letting others in the firm know about those accomplishments and be sure to thank those that dedicated their time and effort along the way.

Keep Calm and Just Breathe

Often, users tend to build up unnecessary worry and think things are going to be worse than they really are. The best way to tackle worry is to write down the challenge and then break it down into smaller steps. Hopefully using these five tips will show the way to a calm Vision to Vantagepoint upgrade.

Deltek’s new Vantagepoint product has been completely reimagined. It’s a true showstopper. Why? Because it supports the entire project lifecycle from start to finish. And the Full Sail Partners Crew is proud and thankful to give project-based firms the power and the tools they’ve been seeking, all thanks to the power of Deltek Vantagepoint.

More specifically, the Full Sail Partners Crew was asked about the specific Vantagepoint features they were most thankful, and this article shares some of those.

Ability to Get Vantagepoint CRM Insight in the Email Inbox

“I am thankful for Vantagepoint Outlook Connect to see the history of clients and ability to log emails while in Outlook.” Sarah Gonnella, Vice President of Marketing and Sales

With the Deltek Vantagepoint Outlook Connect, users can see the interaction history between contacts, clients, and projects as well as quickly log emails into Vantagepoint. Basically, this feature allows users to bring Vantagepoint into their Outlook inboxes. And this tool comes with other features like the ability to sync calendars and schedule meetings while saving them in Vantagepoint at the same time.

To learn more about the Vantagepoint Outlook Connect, watch this video.

Simple, Intuitive User Experience

“I’m thankful for the modern look and feel of Deltek Vantagepoint.” Cate Phillips, Relationship Manager

“I am thankful for browser agnostic access, so we are not tied to Internet Explorer anymore.” Heath Harris, IT Consultant

“I am thankful for the navigation tree menu search. It makes getting around in the system so much easier and faster!” Nicole Temple, Principal Consultant

“The left summary pane in each hub keeps the most relevant information in view. This is helpful to keep high level information in view when tabbing through records.” Amanda Roussel, Senior Consultant

It’s no surprise that several Crew members were thankful for the modern design and accessibility of Deltek Vantagepoint. It is truly a solution that is a more efficient way to work. Vantagepoint enables teamwork and collaboration via a single tool and empowers users with a simple, intuitive experience.

Access Information to Make Better, Faster Business Decisions

“I am thankful for all reporting options in one area with filtering capabilities.” Terri Agnew, Senior Consultant

“I’m thankful for out-of-the-box, role-based dashboards!” Rick Childs, Principal Consultant

Deltek Vantagepoint allows firms to monitor the health of the business in one place. It provides complete visibility into every aspect of the business by measuring performance by project, client, team and more. As a result, firms can make faster, better decisions with all the information in a single view on interactive dashboards.

See how to quickly business intuitive reporting in this mini-demo.

Vantagepoint Streamlines Expense Report Creation

I’m grateful of the fact that Deltek Vantagepoint can automatically match credit card charges with expense items. It’s functionality that many clients out there have come to expect and Deltek can now deliver directly.” Joel Slater, Product Sales Manager

With Deltek Vantagepoint, users can automatically match credit card charges with expense items. They can do this using a desktop, a tablet, or a mobile device. Once matched, Vantagepoint makes recommendation for close dates, amounts, etc. Users can also add the expenses to existing reports or create new reports.

“Along the same lines of Expense Reporting, I’m also grateful that Deltek Vantagepoint has included ICR functionality. Today it’s only available for expense receipts, but who knows what the future holds for this capability.” Joel Slater, Product Sales Manager

Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) for expenses simplifies expenses and improves the accuracy of expense reports. It does this by reading text from receipts and populates the expense in the Vantagepoint mobile app. It also reads handwriting and leverages machine learning.

To learn more about ICR and why Joel is so excited about the future possibilities of ICR, read this blog article.

Easily See Remaining Effort on Projects, without Complex Reports

“Easy planning focused on the remaining effort and its ability to report very clearly on all I need to manage the financials on a project without running a report!” Rana Blair, Principal Consultant

The key to ensuring that the most current data is visible to other users is to allow project mangers the ability to update their projects quickly. When project managers act, such as changes to dates, resources, and scope, beneficiaries can rest assured they are reviewing the most current information.

Check out this mini demonstration, to see how project managers and accountants can quickly update components of the project and plan while instantly updating the results in project performance and Resource Utilization.

One Project Record, Fosters Collaboration Across Departments

“One project record from the earliest pursuit through project closeout and beyond. This brings numerous groups together within a firm and removes many information barriers.” Amanda Roussel, Senior Consultant

Projects are critical to the success of professional services firms. Deltek Vantagepoint gives these firms insight to into the entire project lifecycle. With the project command center, all the project information is in one place—from pursuit and proposal, through project planning and financial management.

Create Timesheet Entries from Outlook Calendar

“I’m thankful that you can create timesheet entries from your Outlook calendar.” Gina Stamper, Account Manager

Employees have countless tasks that they are responsible for including keeping timesheets up to date. Even more, staying organized with meetings and client appointments adds to the burden. However, Deltek Vantagepoint’s calendar feature will help eliminate these struggles.

The Deltek Vantagepoint Calendar allows users to keep track of their billable engagements and allows this information to easily be added to a timesheet with a few clicks. See it in action in this mini demonstration.

Thankful for Deltek Vantagepoint

There are a wide variety of features added to Deltek Vantagepoint that maximize productivity, boost collaboration, improve efficiency, and increase profitability. And the Full Sail Partners Crew highlights just a few of the features they are thankful for, many of which improve the work lives of multiple departments in the firm.

If you’ve already upgraded to Vantagepoint, share the feature you’re most thankful for in the comments below.

If you’re still considering Vantagepoint, feel free to watch the Powering Project Success with Deltek Vantagepoint demo series.

2021 year-end is rapidly approaching, and it is vital to begin your year-end processes to ensure a timely close. For some finance and accounting professionals, the year-end process can be a struggle and a daunting endeavor. However, Deltek Vantagepoint and Vision clients can breathe a sigh of relief with some handy suggestions.

Below are some recommended areas and process to be sure to review to help complete a thorough year-end close. It is also recommended to develop deadlines for each area prior to opening the new year to help stay on track and minimize the stress around wrapping up year end.

Create a Year-End Checklist

The first step in the year-end process is to develop a personal list of processes by noting all modules owned in the system and compiling information from Deltek Vantagepoint or Vision as well. It is also wise to review the weekly and monthly deadlines in the checklists to be sure all items have been completed.

Additionally, be sure to visit the year-end info center in the Deltek Customer Care Portal. Here, Deltek clients can gather checklists and step-by-step procedures for getting Vantagepoint or Vision ready to close out the year and begin a new year. This is updated yearly and is an invaluable source of information for the necessary processes based on the modules owned by each firm.

Year-End Process Considerations

In addition to the items and recommendations found in the Deltek Customer Care Portal, outlined below are some standard tasks to complete when preparing for year-end.

• Enter and complete posting of all 2021 transactions.
• Review the fiscal year checklist prior to completing the calendar year closeout.
• Complete all cash account and bank reconciliations and verify that the reconciled GL matches the GL balance.
• Review and complete all credit card reconciliations. This will require getting the expenses into the expense reports and posted in the year they happened - this is important for both reconciliation and for invoicing.
• Run the file reconciliation report and troubleshoot as well as correct any differences. Review the profit and lost statement and balance sheet to verify proper categorization in accounts.
• Run the unposted labor report and address any timesheets that require posting. Complete an interactive billing cleanup of any outstanding WIP that will not be invoiced, or that has been invoiced and not removed from the billing module by marking to be deleted and accepting a zero-dollar invoice.
• Make any projects dormant that are no longer active.
• Be sure to review all terminated employees for a termination date and setting the admin level for timesheet and expense reports to staff. Review all active employees and set valid company domain email addresses, hours per day, and timesheet and expense admin levels.
• Evaluate the 2021 budgets to determine if 2021 goals were met. Set goals for 2022 and gather GL budget information that needs to be entered into the system.
• Set up new holidays for the upcoming year in the holiday configuration/settings. This allows the timesheet to show the new holidays as well as for the utilization ratios to correctly calculate each year.
• Review employee vacation time reporting to send out notifications needed for employees who may lose vacation time in the cut over to the new year. Now is a good time to have employees decide what to do with approaching maxes, limits, and upcoming vacations.
• Collect on past due invoices!
• Pay all vendors due to be paid and initialize the 1099 process before opening a new year. Void outstanding checks that may have expired. Make sure to order 1099 preprinted forms NOW before it’s too late.
• Save all audit reports as PDFs for info center/hub changes.

Close Out 2021 with Deltek Vantagepoint and Vision

Following the recommended steps by Deltek and trusted consultants, year-end should not only run in a timely manner, but can also run smoothly and with less stress for Vantagepoint and Vision clients. Developing a good process flow now makes each following year even smoother and allows some of the process to be delegated out with confidence that is will be completed in timely manner year after year. Help is just a click away! Use the image button below to find year-end resources available from Deltek.

The world of professional services firms revolves around clients and projects. It’s a daily process of finding new clients and pursuing them for new work with hopes that all this effort equates to a winning project. While some firms chose to treat this like a rat race, others have learned that it’s more efficient to be strategic and intentional with their tactics. The latter has also likely adopted Deltek Vantagepoint CRM. Which enables professional services firms to use data to make actionable decisions that generate profitable projects.

Use Deltek Vantagepoint CRM to Track Client Relationships

Touchpoints galore! That’s right, professional services firms have touchpoints with numerous people at client firms and the information gained during these interactions needs to be collected and stored in one common place. By having these insights stored in a centralized system, firm marketing and business development teams can identify new pipeline opportunities and nurture key relationships.

Additionally, Deltek Vantagepoint CRM is the only real project-based CRM and supports the “seller-doer” model. The “seller-doer” model is when project managers and/or consultants are responsible for providing their services as well as generating new work. With Vantagepoint, “seller-doers” can easily record client touchpoints since they are in the same system being used to deliver and manage projects and engagements.

Gain Insights into Client Interests

Creating the right messaging and keeping clients engaged is a daily battle for marketers. Each victory is one step closer to winning the war, or in this case, new work. In this modern-day business development warfare, insights into client behavior are the weapons to success. Marketing campaigns in Deltek Vantagepoint can be used to track and measure the success of particular marketing efforts. Initiatives such as email blasts, webinars, industry conference sponsorships and more can all be tracked in Vantagepoint marketing campaigns.

Using these insights, marketers can determine which techniques and messages are working best to keep clients engaged. Business development teams can identify firms and contacts that are demonstrating high levels of interest and know what is getting their attention. As a result, relationships can be nurtured, and proposals can be more tailored to address the unique needs of a client.

Identify Opportunities and Create Winning Proposals

Often, it’s not just about finding new work, but it’s also about picking which request for proposals (RFPs) to pursue. Let’s admit, proposals are time consuming and often require the involvement of staff from several departments. Furthermore, firms often lack a go/no go process that is based on actual data. However, that doesn’t need to be the case if firms are using Deltek Vantagepoint.

Vantagepoint is a single source of truth since it contains project pursuit and opportunity information. Prior to picking which RFPs to pursue, business development teams using Vantagepoint can:

• Identify if internal resources are available to assist with the response.
• Apply lessons learned from previous wins and losses.
• Use quantifiable data to determine if an opportunity is financially beneficial for the firm.

After deciding which new RFPs to pursue, Vantagepoint remains a handy tool for the team responsible for preparing the proposal response. Being a project-focused CRM tool, the new pursuit stage begins by capturing project information in a new project. This allows the team to build an actual project plan with assigned resources, timelines, and budgets to ensure the final proposed project can be delivered in a profitable manner.

Additionally, past project information with descriptions, pictures, budgets and more can be included as reference project information. As is the same for resumes of employees that are identified as key resources for the project.

Automate Activities, Notifications and More with Workflows in Deltek Vantagepoint CRM

Updating data and maintaining clean accurate data is a daily struggle. More importantly, without taking the time to keep data up to date, it eventually becomes useless. Workflows are essential for automating repetitive tasks and notifying people about actions that need to be taken. In Deltek Vantagepoint workflows can:

• Update a client record when a change to the client field is made in a user defined grid.
• Provide an error notification with a user fails to update a required field or uses a wrong value.
• Trigger follow-up reminders for predefined activities in a marketing campaign.
• Automate the RFP go/no go process.

While these are just a few examples of workflows available in Vantagepoint, a Full Sail Partners’ consultant can help identify more workflows a firm can utilize to meet their unique needs. Click here to reach a crew member.

Win More Work with Deltek Vantagepoint CRM

Being that Deltek Vantagepoint is a project-centric CRM, it’s built and designed for the way professional services firms do business. Firms using Vantagepoint CRM gain a clear vision into their business development pipeline, nurture the right client relationships at the right time, and can propose competitive and reliable project bids. Now is the time to adopt Vantagepoint CRM and all its capabilities to win more business.

With each new version of Deltek Vantagepoint, professional services firms are given more tools and features to deliver profitable projects. While version 4.0 mainly focused on supporting accounting functions, 4.5 addressed all the roles that support the success of project-based firms. Here are some of the top new enhancements and features Vantagepoint users can now begin to use.

Edit and Save with Ease in Deltek Vantagepoint

Editing and saving updates have been simplified. In Deltek Vantagepoint 4.5, the two saving modes, implicit saving (autosave) and explicit saving, have been combined. With this update, a “Save” and “Cancel” button will appear whenever a change or edit has been made to a field

Speaking of edits, Vantagepoint users will no longer need to click on a pencil icon in a field to make a change. Simply click anywhere in a field that needs to be updated to make the required changes.

Create Winning Proposals and Better Track Clients

In Deltek Vantagepoint 4.5, enhancements to proposal automation will help marketing professionals create formatted documents more easily. First, Deltek has added the ability to link text elements, so text continues to flow from one page to the next similar to the functionality Adobe InDesign users are accustomed to. Additionally, Vantagepoint can now export proposals to PDFs and Word, and the proposal will retain the formatting established in Vantagepoint while creating the document.

Vantagepoint 4.5 now allows a contact to be associated with a project with a different firm that is linked to a contact in the Contacts hub. This is helpful when a contact is a consultant for more than one firm or needs to be associated with a joint venture for a project.

A small but very helpful change also got added to the Mobile CRM. Before 4.5, when a user wanted to edit and open a text field in the Mobile CRM app, it would take them to another screen that enlarged the text and the field. Now users can stay on the original screen to make changes without having to go to a new screen to make the changes, and then select Done to return the entire record. This is helpful for saving time.

Plan and Track Profitable Projects with Deltek Vantagepoint

Projects don’t always go to plan and Deltek realizes this issue. With the release of Deltek Vantagepoint 4.5, project managers can now go back and replace planned time with actual time, spread the difference if needed, or change planned hours altogether. While some firms may not want employees to be able to do this, it is an option available in the security settings and can be turned on at the discretion of firm leadership.

Estimate at completion (EAC) values are critical in planning because they help predict what a firm is going to spend at the end of a project. The problem today is that planning is the job to date (JTD) as of today and the estimate to completion (ETC) starts tomorrow. If one or more people have not updated their timesheet for any days before today, those hours are missing from the EAC. In Vantagepoint 4.5, JTD can be changed to pull from a specific day. For instance, the standard setting in Vantagepoint is to pull JTD from today, but now firms have the option to choose from yesterday or even the end of the week from the previous week.

Two small but convenient features have also been added for project managers. The first is the sharable search feature. Previously, users could create and save searches for themselves only. Now, saved and custom searches can now be shared with coworkers. Secondly, purchase orders with approvals have been added to the browser version of Vantagepoint. This allows the majority of project managers to work exclusively in the browser version.

Improved Invoice Approvals to Increase Draft Turn Around and New AR Reporting Enhancements

Deltek Vantagepoint 4.5 now allows for tracking invoices by billing client when the billing client changes during the life of the project. In Vantagepoint versions 4.0 or earlier, when the billing client changed for a project on the Accounting tab in the Projects hub, the change was applied to all existing invoices, cash receipts, voided invoices, and credit memos. This can create some confusion. Now, the change only applies to new invoices, voids, and credit memos after the change takes place. Essentially allowing account receivables to track information separately for each billing client.

Draft invoice approvals also gained improved visibility into annotation and comment history when saved draft invoices were resubmitted. The process in 4.5 allows an approver to review a draft invoice, make changes, and add comments as necessary. Now the change will apply to invoices, voids, and credit memos when a new billing client has been assigned. Essentially allowing you to track accounts receivable information separately for each billing client on a given project.

Start Using More Features in Deltek Vantagepoint 4.5

Deltek Vantagepoint 4.5 is one of the biggest releases ever to roll out since its inception. With that said, there are more improvements and enhancements that weren’t discussed in this article. For more information, check out the Deltek Learning Zone and click the button link below to learn more about Vantagepoint.

Finding helpful and insightful information just got easier for Deltek Vantagepoint clients. The Powering Project Success with Deltek Vantagepoint mini demonstration series is a growing library of video content for Vantagepoint users of all roles and skill levels. Each video is five to twenty minutes long and about a specific feature and function available in Vantagepoint that many are unaware exist or are unsure how to use.

Projects Start with Business Development

Winning work is the first step to initiating a project and Deltek Vantagepoint helps business development (BD) professionals generate and close opportunities. Even on the go! With the mobile CRM functionality, BD team members can easily access and update client information from anywhere using a mobile device. Check out this demo to see how simple it is to review and update client information right on your mobile smart device.

In addition to the great benefits of mobile CRM, tracking Outlook emails and calendar appointments in Vantagepoint CRM is seamless with Deltek Vantagepoint Connect for Outlook. With a few simple clicks, BD team members can conduct typical CRM tasks directly in Outlook. Watch this demo to see how easy it is to create contacts, manage appointments and schedule meetings directly in Outlook.

Simplify Project Startup and Creation

Before work can begin, a client must pay a retainer fee. As simple as this sounds, there can be many parties involved throughout the process. During this mini demo, Vantagepoint accounting professionals can learn how to easily process retainers using cash receipts all while automatically keeping the project manager in the loop through the entire process. As simple as this sounds, it’s a favorite obscure feature for many accounting professionals.

Setting up new project and plan can be a time-consuming process that can be avoided using Vantagepoint Project Templates and Plan Settings. Instead of starting each project from scratch, Project Templates and Plan Settings allow firms to use pre-defined work breakdown structures to quickly set up complex projects. Essentially, simplifying the project creation process and ensuring consistency of project records. Watch this demo to see a project set up in less than 10 minutes.

Track Time for Timesheets Easier

Managing projects and clients is already a lot of work for billable employees. On top of that, they are required to track and update their timesheets on a regular basis. Deltek can’t create more time in a day, but Vantagepoint can make updating timesheets easier. Using the Calendar feature, users can track their billable time and add it to their timesheet with a few clicks. Check out this mini demo to see how.

Manage Talent Acquisition and Learning

Growing firms need to hire quickly and onboard new talent fast. Attracting and recruiting new talent requires getting the message out about new open employment opportunities. During this demo, human resources (HR) professionals will see how to post open positions across multiple job listing platforms with a simple click.

Once a new employee is hired, getting them started and setting up their training needs to be as simple as advertising for the position. In this demo, HR staff will learn how to set up the new hire onboarding process in an online environment. Additionally, the demo covers how employees can submit required paperwork and info as well as complete self-guided online training.

Get Paid Easier

Before billing a client, it’s important to make sure the invoice is correct. This internal back and forth process between project managers and accounting can become time and paper consuming. After watching this demo, accounting professionals and project managers will both be relieved once they see how easy it is to digitally markup invoices and resubmit them to accounting.

The ugly side of accounting is having to bill and collect interest from clients. Well, Deltek Vantagepoint can’t talk with clients about late payments, but it can make charging interest easier. Learn how to set up billing terms in Vantagepoint to make collecting and tracking past due balances easier in this demo.

Deltek Vantagepoint Provides Answers

Reports after report, Deltek Vantagepoint as them which is great. However, picking the right report can be confusing which is not Deltek’s intentions. In this demo, picking the right project planning related report is thoroughly explained along with the context about how each report is created. This demo is great for those tasked with forecasting project performance.

What seemed like a dream for project managers is a reality in Vantagepoint. With the combination of project planning and budgeting in one hub, project managers can quickly review project success based on both of these data inputs. The Project Review demo shows how Vantagepoints pulls from both these data sources to help ensure projects are profitable.  

Maximize the Benefits of Deltek Vantagepoint

Getting work done just got easier for Deltek Vantagepoint users! While these are just a few of the mini demos available in the Powering Project Success with Deltek Vantagepoint series, more are available using the link button below. Make sure to regularly check out the growing demo library for updates and share these with coworkers.

Why do project-based firms struggle with billing, time, expense, and transaction entries? Simply stated, firms lack the systems to support the unique challenges of professional services firms. Accounting professionals at project-based firms depend on the timely billing of their projects for the success of their firms’ bottom line. By streamlining accounting processes with Deltek Vantagepoint, project-based firms can increase cash flow and profitability.

1. Efficient Entering of Timesheets and Expense Reports

Using Deltek Vantagepoint, project-based firms can reduce the time it takes for employees to enter timesheets and expense reports using the Time & Expense Mobile App. Using the Vantagepoint Time & Expense App, employees can submit timesheets and expense reports while travelling. As a result, there is no more waiting until employees are back in the office to scan receipts; just snap a picture on a mobile device and the app will use intelligent character recognition (ICR) to start the expense line. Now, submitting and approving time and expenses on the go is simple which reduces the burden for employees as they enter time and expenses. Ultimately, this improves the process of client invoicing.

2. Improved Firm Cash Flow with Document Management

Project-based firms can improve their cash flow with Deltek Vantagepoint by speeding up the invoice process with document management. Within Vantagepoint, users can utilize the database to store receipts and AP Invoices by attaching them to each transaction. Additionally, they can utilize billing terms to include back-up documentation with the client invoice which greatly reduces the time it takes for billers to search and copy all supporting documentation that needs to be sent to the client.

Another added bonus of a virtual document management solution within Deltek Vantagepoint is that there are no more piles of papers needing to be recycled. If receiving AP invoices electronically or journal entry requests via email, there is no need to print; simply save and attach in Vantagepoint. Documents can be attached in AP vouchers, expense reports, units and journal entries. Vantagepoint is bringing firms a lot closer to a paperless and remote-working world!

3. Digitized Client Invoices Speed Up Billing Process

The interactive and batch billing tools in Deltek Vantagepoint digitize the client invoice process which speeds up the billing process and shortens average collection time. Vantagepoint allows billers to submit draft invoices electronically and use saved searches in batch billing to group invoice by project manager, principal, or by invoice approver. The 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 also happen electronically with no more paper approval or emails to keep track of any longer. The system will keep an approval audit trail, and billers can see all comments and mark-ups made to drafts in Interactive Billing. Billers make the changes and produce the final invoice in either Batch or Interactive Billing. Ensuring all firms have a billing contact, invoices can be emailed, with back-up attached, directly to the billing contact out of the database.

4. Reduced Manual Data Entry with Workflows and Approvals

With Deltek Vantagepoint, leveraging workflows and approvals streamline transaction processing, and reduce manual data entry. Vantagepoint users can utilize electronic approvals for timesheets and expense reports. Furthermore, approval workflows are flexible and can accommodate many steps if needed, and approvers can approve timesheets and expense reports anywhere by using the mobile app. The accounts payable workflow provides an electronic approval audit trail and document management within the database leaving no stacks of papers. Even more, the absence request workflow allows managers to keep track of each employee’s schedule which helps with ensuring coverage on projects when needed.

5. Streamlined Repetitive Tasks Using Recurring Transactions

Recurring transaction entries can be done to streamline repetitive tasks for Deltek Vantagepoint users. Utilizing recurring transactions in Deltek Vantagepoint will reduce the time it takes each month to enter the same transaction. Additionally, using transactional imports for multi-line transactions will ensure accuracy and allow more time for other tasks.

Save Time, Save Paper, Save Money with Deltek Vantagepoint  

Interactive billing, automation, and leveraging workflows means less wasted time and more time to focus on the bottom line. These features are all available with Deltek Vantagepoint, and with this intuitive solution, managing billing, time, expense, and transaction entries becomes that much easier saving firms lots of money. Not to mention so many trees! Don’t forget to check out the other features offered to users by Deltek Vantagepoint.

What is better than a purpose-built modern ERP with functionality to streamline and consolidate business processes? More features! With the latest release of Vantagepoint 4.0, Deltek offers even more features to make it easier for firms to deliver better projects, analyze business performance, and create more accurate invoices. Let’s check out some of these new features and see how they will be beneficial to Vantagepoint users.

Digital Markup of Draft Invoices

Clients have been asking for the ability to markup draft invoices for some time. Now with the latest Vantagepoint release, draft invoices can be digitally marked up. This allows the biller to view and edit annotations within interactive billing and markups are saved for future reference. As a result, the digital markup feature allows for improved collaboration between project managers and accounting.

Expanded Interactive Billing Capabilities

This newest version of Vantagepoint continues enhancing the user experience and ease of use. With enhanced interactive billing, you can view marked-up drafts including comments from final invoices in prior periods. Also, when invoices are voided, Vantagepoint will keep a record of the void and the date the invoice was voided.

Store Final Invoices as PDFs in Vantagepoint

With Deltek Vantagepoint 4.0, final invoices can be stored as a PDF when they are accepted in interactive billing or final creation in batch billing. Since a PDF is created at the time of final invoice creation, you actually have a duplicate record of what you sent to the client originally. Now, with this enhancement, all invoices stored in Vantagepoint will exactly match the invoices that you sent to your client.

New Expense Report Screen Designer Capabilities

Deltek Vantagepoint 4.0 features now help with increasing expense report accuracy. Now, the Expense Report has a “lite” screen designer. This allows users to build in business rules within the expense report. Also, you can add additional columns or choose the columns you want to display on the expense report and change their descriptions. You can even make tooltips to help with accurate reporting by users. Additionally, screen designer changes apply to mobile expenses as well.

Expanded Expense Approval Features

The latest version of Vantagepoint focuses on increased usability. For expense report approvals, there is a new toggle to show all approval types or completed approvals. This gives the approver the ability to just see expense reports that need to be approved. Also, there is a new Print Lines Approval Report button for both timesheets and expense reports. This report gives the approver, at a glance, line items that still require approval.

Timesheet Status Update with Floor Checks

Vantagepoint 4.0 also helps with managing employee timesheet completion. If you are responsible for making sure employee time entry is completed on time, you can do a “floor check” to review the status of time entry for your employees for a specific timesheet period or day. This feature allows users to quickly see which employees still have outstanding timesheets and includes the ability to create a reminder email template to send to employees.

Mobile Enhancements Including Biometrics

In previous versions of Deltek Vantagepoint, users could upload receipts from a mobile device using Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR). With 4.0, users can now automatically match a line created from a receipt with a credit card charge. Biometric authentication has also been added to Time & Expense and CRM mobile capabilities. Using this new feature, users can now utilize fingerprint ID or face recognition to make it more convenient and more secure to access their Vantagepoint system. These new enhancements simplify the process making it easier for end users to complete their expense reports. Therefore, allowing for more accurate reports benefits accounting.

Dashboard Enhancements for Clearer Insights

With Vantagepoint 4.0, Deltek continues to provide more improvements to filters, dashparts, and dashboards for ease of use for the end user. The latest release provides further visibility into project details and labor planning. One of those enhancements to dashparts is the ability to drill down to the details to see unposted labor hours at cost and/or billing rates.

Always Looking Forward with Deltek Vantagepoint 4.0 

With each release of Vantagepoint, Deltek seeks to reimagine functionality and leverage innovation to provide usable and practical value for accounting. The latest release steps up with features that work on improving user experience, ease of use, and accuracy. As always, the newest Vantagepoint 4.0 enhancements make managing and delivering projects that much better for all users and there are many more to come.

Congratulations for upgrading to Deltek Vantagepoint, the reimagined and greater version of Vision! For starters, you’ve probably already noticed that Vantagepoint is different from Vision in its appearance. This new and greatly improved user interface just scratches the surface though. Did you know that there are several process enhancements designed to streamline your firm’s day-to-day operations?

While Deltek Vision was the gold standard for project-based ERP systems, its successor, Vantagepoint, is raising the benchmark. Check out what you may not know Vantagepoint can do to improve your firm’s processes.

Did you know Deltek Vantagepoint can…?

Did you know you can customize the timesheet approval process?

Do you need one or more approval steps? No problem!  Do you need line-item approval? No problem!  

Using a Vantagepoint timesheet approval workflow is simple and flexible. Additionally, using an approval workflow tends to shorten the time it takes to get timesheets approved and posted, everything is done electronically either from a desktop or on a mobile device. Timesheet approvals have never been easier!

Did you know that Vantagepoint now allows for draft invoice markup?

Say goodbye to emailing and/or printing draft invoices for approval! With the new “Markup on Draft Invoices” feature, approvers can review, markup and approve directly in Vantagepoint. The draft invoice will show all the information needed for an approver to verify billing. The approver can also use the PDF editor that is built into Vantagepoint so they can make notes right on the draft and resubmit. Waiting days or weeks for invoice approval a thing of the past!

Did you know that you no longer need to post batch transactions?

Have you ever wanted to post one Voucher or one Cash Receipt without creating a whole batch? With Vantagepoint’s new “Single Transaction Posting” option, this is now possible. If this option is enabled, control totals will no longer be needed. As a result, there is no need to leave the transaction entry screen to post, just enter your data and click post. With Vantagepoint, entering and posting transactions has never been this quick and easy!

Did you know that you can have multiple dashboards in Vantagepoint?

Since Project Managers often wear multiple hats in a firm, they can now have different dashboards to represent those different hats. For example, there can be a dashboard for business development activities and pipeline management in addition to a separate dashboard for project financials. Thus, allowing Project Managers or other firm employees that wear multiple hats to have critical decision-making information at their fingertips.

Did you know that information from the project budget and project planning tool are in one view?

In the Project Hub in Vantagepoint, the Project Review option allows project managers to view the Contract Fee, EAC Budgeted Cost, ETC Planned Cost and the Planned Profit in one single view. Additionally, Key Performance Indicators can be tracked on the same view and are continuously tracked and updated as information is changed in the budget and project tool.

Did you know that the professional licenses that your employees hold can be tracked in Deltek Vantagepoint?

For professional services firms, there are often credentials that must be held for some types of work. Examples include professional engineer, professional land surveyor, registered architect, and more. It’s imperative that licenses such as these and other certifications are kept active. Some firms rely on the employees to maintain their licensures while other firms may ask their human resources or marketing teams to capture this information.

Deltek Vantagepoint allows users to capture and track this information in the Credentials grid in the Employee Hub. Available fields cover the credential description, type of credential, license number, state and country, date earned, expiration date, last renewed date, and a check box for proposal use. With the use of workflows, employees can be notified 60 days, 30 days, or another chosen number of days prior to an expiration date.

Did you know that Vantagepoint has a seamless transition process from project pursuit to award?

In Vantagepoint, there are no more mapping exercises after a project is won. You can enter estimates, plans, budgets and contract amounts at any tine in the project lifecycle. As a result, project information is already captured and ready to use at the start of the project.

Get the Most out of Deltek Vantagepoint!

Simplifying and improving your firm’s operations is the intent and purpose of Deltek Vantagepoint. But with anything new, a lot of these enhancements may never be utilized if firms are unaware that they exist. If you’re interested in learning more about the features and tools that are part of Vantagepoint, check out our Vantagepoint video demonstration series. Additionally, make sure to read our monthly newsletter with a new “Did You Know” in each edition.

Is my firm ready to make the transition from Deltek Vision to Vantagepoint? The answer to this trending question remains the same – it depends on your firm’s needs since there are several factors that should be taken into consideration when determining your upgrade timeline. Deltek has recently shared that Vision will be supported beyond January 2023. This means firms can upgrade in a timeframe that aligns with their calendars and needs. Let’s take a look at some of the factors that are affecting decisions around a target upgrade date.

Team Capacity

We all have various times of the year that are busier than others. Upgrading to Deltek Vantagepoint isn’t necessarily hard. However, readying your firm for the upgrade does take time, important conversations need to take place, and impactful decisions have to be made.

The upgrade is ultimately a project that stakeholders must spend time on and converse about process improvements. Consider the timeframe of year-end processes. End-of-year processes can consume finance teams for weeks, or even months. Therefore, choosing a time when the finance team has some schedule flexibility is very important. For some firms, this may affect the timing in the first quarter as well.

Additionally, marketing and project management teams rely heavily on the system as they use CRM and Resource Planning. As processes are tweaked and reestablished, also think about end-user training. How will you train power users and end-users? Would that be in your preview environment or after going live in Vantagepoint? The answers to these questions vary from firm to firm. However, one trend noticed is that many firms are committing resources and time to education and training as they go through the upgrade process. This is all in an effort to equip their teams with the latest technology as they manage and deliver projects.

System Complexity

Deltek Vision and Vantagepoint have impactful features out of the box. There are often times when firms need to add fields, workflows, and custom hubs. Depending on the amount of customization, that can affect the length of their transition timeline. This may include workflows, custom fields, and robust processes.

In addition, some firms integrate their Deltek system with third-party systems to streamline processes and data entry. Examples include payroll services, email marketing platforms, external expense and invoicing services, firm intranets, and more. Firms should seek confirmation from their third-party solutions that they, too, are ready for the upgrade. These integrations can impact the timing of a firm’s upgrade and testing should be incorporated into the timeline.  

The complexity in which a firm uses Deltek can also affect a firm’s upgrade date. The time a team spends in the preview environment should be measured. Whether it’s in screen designer, security, rebuilding reports, or creating useful dashboards, that work won’t automatically carry forward to a data refresh or going live. Instead, those settings would rewind to the default. There is a tool called transition copy scripts that can copy and apply those configurations and settings forward.

Firm Culture

Many firms are leveraging the upgrade as a time to evaluate and modify processes. Although some view these changes as improvements, others may become intimidated. For some features, the changes can actually be incorporated into Deltek Vision and put into action now. Other improvements, including new module implementations, maybe more efficiently put into practice after going live in Vantagepoint.

Getting teams on board and all on the same page may take some conversations around change management. Furthermore, be sure to include some of the “department cheerleaders” throughout the firm as you determine who will be leading the upgrade efforts. A variety of roles and experiences is effective as it brings up new conversations, squashes “change” concerns, and breaks down silos that may exist.

Firms are also taking this opportunity to increase the potential of their Deltek solution and train their staff for more hands-on usage. In the past, Deltek may have been more heavily used for accounting functions. However, we are finding that some firms are now consolidating some outside resources and using features in Vantagepoint that have become more approachable and inviting.

Plan for Successful Vantagepoint Upgrade

Planning for the upgrade is of great importance, and it may be easier than you may think. There are many resources available to start familiarizing firms and teams with Deltek Vantagepoint. Deltek offers the Deltek Learning Zone (DLZ) and the Client Assistance Program (CAP) to help teams prepare for the upgrade.

At Full Sail Partners, we are taking a personalized approach with firms that are looking for some assistance with the upgrade. From planning efforts to training after going live in Vantagepoint (and everything in between), we are guiding firms through a successful upgrade. We also feel that education is key, so helping firms better understand and utilize Deltek Vantagepoint will stick with our clients far beyond the upgrade.