In the News

Full Sail Partners, a Client Feedback Tool and Deltek Premier Partner, has been recognized by Deltek as a member of the Million Dollar Club. Additionally, Deltek has selected Full Sail Partners as a 2015 Premier Partner. Deltek Premier Partners provide sales, implementation, consulting, support and customization services for project-oriented Professional Services organizations and are required to meet and maintain a number of standards with respect to sales and marketing goals.

Deltek Vision is a leading enterprise software solution designed for project-based professional services firms to improve business performance, streamline operations and win new business. Deltek Vision uniquely integrates end-to-end business processes by automating the marketing, financial management, planning, tracking and administration of resources and projects.

“We are proud to be recognized by Deltek as a valued partner,” said Sarah Gonnella, VP of Marketing and Sales from Full Sail Partners. “Our success is a result of listening and developing a detailed understanding of our clients’ current and future needs and keeping their best interest first. Our dedicated team is focused on providing creative solutions, to extend Deltek Vision’s already robust ERP solution, to maximize our client’s investment.”

In 2015 Full Sail Partners will continue to partner with Deltek and the Client Feedback Tool to help businesses integrate their process in to one singular system, better understand and retain current customers, increase market share, and differentiate through targeted relevant and consistent conversations across systems and channels.

“Full Sail Partners successfully demonstrated its excellence in marketing, selling, implementing and supporting Deltek Vision, helping its customers successfully grow and manage their businesses with the Deltek solution,” said Andy Christenson, Deltek’s Senior Director of Global Alliances. “It is our great pleasure to have Full Sail Partners as a 2015 Deltek Premier Partner.”

As a virtual employee I often have a computer within arm’s reach. The need to access Deltek Vision on a mobile device has largely been non-existent for my work situation. However, recently I attended back-to-back conferences and I quickly found myself behind on my timesheets and desperately needing to submit an expense report. So one afternoon, as traffic died down while manning a tradeshow booth, I decided to install the Deltek Touch Time and Expense app on my phone.

The following blog outlines my thoughts and experiences using the app!

Deltek Touch Time and Expense:  What’s All the Buzz About?

This app is really easy to use! No seriously, it is. The clean smooth detailed design of the user experience shines through immediately. I quickly found myself navigating the menus and feeling a sense of insight regarding where I stood on past, present, and current timesheets and expense reports.

Expense reports have never been less of a hassle. I typically experience a lot of anxiety when it comes to doing expense reports. The idea of managing multiple, high value, expenses can be stressful to say the least. For me, Deltek’s Touch Time and Expense app took the stress out. I was able to quickly take a photo of my receipts with my smart phone, attach them to my expense report in Touch T&E, and voila – expense complete!

After long stints out of the office timesheets are no longer something I dread. Nothing sucks worse than being out of the office for days at a time. Oh wait – you know what sucks more? Trying to figure out how to bill all that time that you spent out of the office!

Managing my time on-site at these conferences with Deltek Touch Time and Expense could not have been easier. During down times I found myself quickly plugging my time in to Vision from my mobile device. No more sticky notes or emails to myself with logs of my time. This process was so easy that I now find myself using the application to log my day-to- day time after work while watching TV with my wife.

Like any application on a mobile device, Wi-Fi helps! The conference I was at had so many people using their phones that the 4G networks were basically useless. I quickly found a Wi-Fi hotspot and connected up and noticed a considerable increase in performance. Stay aware of the environment you are in and the technology you have available and make the most out of it!

This Deltek Touch Time and Expense App is Pretty Cool!

Overall I was extremely impressed with this application. The ability to instantly access my timesheets and expense reports on a mobile device was a life saver!  I’d encourage you to try the app out for yourself and let me know what you think.

Ready to start using the app? Watch this Deltek Touch Time and Expense Application tutorial and start doing more with your Vision system from a mobile device:

The much anticipated wait for Deltek Vision 7.4 is finally over! To kick off 2015 on a high note, Deltek is releasing the most powerful version of Vision ever. So what features and enhancements are included with the newest version of Vision? Let’s see!

Deltek Vision 7.4 Features and Enhancements:

• Increase project management accuracy with new task dependencies | Plan projects with Task Dependencies, change dates and choose the Predecessor and Successor date changes along with it. Additionally, added right-click functionality to easily move dates.
   
• Deliver consistent opportunity estimates even faster with the new fee estimate tool | Standardize the way professional services firms develop fee based scopes:

1. Create Fee Estimate for the Opportunity based on templates
2. Create reports to include with proposals
3. Create projects from the Fee Estimate mapping compensation values and Work Breakdown Structure
4. Project Fee estimates stay intact in Project Info Center
    

1. Include User Defined Fields on Invoices
2. Control your Invoice Subtotals
3. Group your billing phases for your fee invoices
    

• Associate All button - Quickly associate a supporting document with all voucher lines
• Key Convert and Combine Records even if they have planning data.
• Audit Trail for Closing/Opening Accounting Periods
• Create and schedule recurring/reversing Journal Entries

I think by now we can all agree: The ability to automate proposals with InDesign and Deltek Vision is the greatest thing to happen to proposal creation since the copy and paste function! In this blog we are going to dive deeper in to the realm of automating information out of Vision in to InDesign and take a look at the two coolest ‘outside of the box’ features currently available. If you are just looking to get started with automating information from Vision to InDesign be sure to check out this previous blog.

It is important to continue looking at ways to increase efficiency throughout the entire procurement process. From proposals to the short-list interview, integrating Deltek Vision and Adobe InDesign can give your firm the competitive advantage needed to wow the client. Answer in days, not weeks. Spend less time on boilerplate material and more time on compelling, tailored responses that will further set your firm apart from the competition.

So, how can we use the Adobe InDesign and Deltek Vision integration in new powerful ways? Let’s get started with my two favorite outside of the box features:

1.  Create new, customized, cover sheets while preserving your firm branding.

Utilize the power of integration to create customized cover sheets for each new proposal. By utilizing the powerful template system created by Deltek you are able to wow the client by creating a beautiful combination of your firm branding and project specific information.  This marriage of project-specific information and targeted marketing media will allow you to quickly separate your firm from the competition with the first thing the client sees – the proposal cover!

2.  Stand above the rest and break away from the chains of PowerPoint

You’ve landed that ever elusive short-list presentation. Congratulations! Now you have to win it, or all of the work that you did was for naught. This is your opportunity to separate yourself from the competition. You can basically guarantee that the other short-listed firms are going to present a boring old standardized PowerPoint presentation. This is your chance to stand out and relate to the client on a personal level.

How does the Adobe InDesign and Deltek Vision integration help your presentations stand out from the rest? Simple:

• First impressions are everything | Too many professional services firms fail to differentiate their firm from the competition and let the client mistakenly believe that the decision boils down to price. By creating your presentation in InDesign, you are able to break away from the design restrictions of PowerPoint and instantly differentiate yourself from the competition.
• Eliminate mistakes | How embarrassing is it when our proposals and presentations reflect two different sets of data? Avoid this pitfall by automating all client and project specific information directly from your Deltek Vision system.
• Reinforce your firm branding | Your firm spent countless combined man hours putting together a proposal that got you to the short-list stage. At this point the client likely feels like they know your firm on a basic level. So why change your overall branding now, and start anew? By creating your proposal and presentation from the same set of templates and data-sources, you reinforce your firm branding at every stage of the sales process.

These are two of my favorite ways to use the Adobe InDesign and Deltek Vision integration to make my life easier. Are you thinking outside of the box and using this functionality in any neat ways? We would love to hear - please comment below.

Not currently integrating your Deltek Vision system with Adobe InDesign? Click below to learn how to begin:

Full Sail Partners, a Deltek Premier Partner, is pleased to announce that Heath Harris, and Wayne Johnstone, have joined the Full Sail Partners’ team. These new hires highlight a continuing effort to further bolster the information technology service offerings of the firm. Both of these employees have the skills and knowledge to help clients optimize their IT solution systems to grow and enhance their operations.

Heath Harris is a well-rounded network specialist with 10 years of experience focused on providing Deltek Vision installations, data migrations, upgrades, and customization for small to medium sized firms. As an IT Consultant, Heath will help firms leverage their investments in the Deltek Vision platform by ensuring that systems are optimized for efficiency and advising clients on how to use technology solutions to meet their business objectives.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Full Sail Partners’ team," said Heath Harris. “I am excited to join a company with the passion for helping clients utilize technology to drive and manage profitable growth. I look forward to collaborating with clients and implementing the right solution for their needs.”

As a Product Developer, Wayne Johnstone assists in the development of custom solutions to automate critical business processes for professional services firms. His extensive background in .NET development, SQL programming, and solution architecture surrounding Web based development technologies provides Full Sail Partners with the expertise required to provide solutions that will bridge the gap between independent silos of information.

"Becoming a part of the Full Sail Partners’ team is a wonderful opportunity," said Wayne Johnstone. "In both the professional services industry and the technology community, the Full Sail Partners’ team is known for developing innovative technology solutions to assist professional service firms optimize their business. I'm really looking forward to working with the talented product development group to advance our offerings and continue to deliver solutions that help our customers grow their firms, and get better business results."

As business continues to grow for professional services firms, these recent hiring’s are indicative of Full Sail Partners’ commitment to helping clients excel in today’s quickly-changing economic environment

“Historically, automation has focused on the reduction of manual processes internal to Deltek Vision,” said Wes Renfroe, VP of Technology, “but many of our clients are embracing next generation solutions in the cloud to further augment their processes. With the addition of Wayne and Heath, Full Sail Partners’ development efforts are focusing on enabling clients to integrate their data in Deltek Vision to and from other disparate sources.”

Interested in meeting the rest of the crew? Check out are updated staff page!

To thrive in the professional services industry, client satisfaction must always remain a top concern. All successful project-based firms have the resources and ability to deliver high quality projects. This ability does not separate truly successful firms – it is the bare minimum needed to enter the conversation.

What truly separates one professional services firm from another is the capability to understand how they are perceived by their clients and utilize this information to build more meaningful relationships. How many people reading this blog can truly say that they know how their clients perceive them? I’d guess not many of us could answer that question.

Unfortunately most firms fail to recognize the impact that the client experience throughout the lifespan of the project plays on the overall perception of the firm in the clients mind. This failure to leverage feedback and ensure a positive project experience equates to a failure in your brand.

Utilize feedback to dig in to the client mind

So – how DO we utilize feedback to establish our brand in the clients mind, and differentiate ourselves from our competition? Let’s examine three key factors:

• Open the lines of communications between your clients and your project managers – The experience your clients have with your firm is based on communication.  Provide the means for clear, honest and timely communication. 

• Put your clients mind at ease - Improve your bottom line knowing your clients expectations. Avoid dissatisfied clients that can too often become “former clients”. 

• Go above and beyond the standard - Strengthen project delivery by focusing on specific client expectations that can only be identified through open communication channels. Know your deliverables. 

Improved communication between your project managers and your client is crucial to the ongoing profitability and viability of your firm – coincidentally, it just so happens to be a key factor to establishing your brand in the mind of the client and winning new business. So, how do we continue to develop our brand, and improve the lines of communications with our clients? Register for this free webinar on March 4^th to find out:

My momma was always full of advice. Some I took with great results, but others … well let’s just say I had to learn the lesson the hard way. At this stage in our lives, we’ve all moved on from those tender years where momma was our greatest guide, but we are all still attuned to receiving advice from those more experienced. Or at least we should be. Take for example, the ERP Implementation process:

Most savvy business professionals know the ERP acronym, but not all have taken the advice.  But why?  What’s keeping some companies from “pulling the trigger” and bringing this all important piece to their success puzzle – especially when their competitors are?  In my years talking and working with a variety of firms, I have gathered the top five fears why companies, like yours, haven’t completed an ERP Implementation. 

1)      You say: “It’s going to cost too much.”

We hear:  Fear of Being Out of Control

We solve: An ERP system will address this fear by managing costs and stopping       financial leaks.

Problem:  The industry says that ERP implementation can be expensive and many companies wonder where the money is coming from. Many function under the notion that it’s easier to just do the quick fix and move on.

Solution:  The right ERP system, implemented correctly with the aid of the right consultants, will fix those expensive leaks in processes. Furthermore, with a detailed IT growth plan and the information from the new ERP, the initial costs will be recouped and you’ll be well on your way to a better financial and technologically focused picture.

2)      You say: “I don’t have the time to research an ERP.”

We hear:  Fear of Where to Start

We solve:  Taking the first step with an ERP and controlling your future will eliminate this fear.

Problem:  It can be daunting to think about the work it will require to research and discover the right consulting firm who will help find and implement the right ERP. But, in this scenario, consumers are being reactive rather than proactive - spending days living those old clichés “with your head in the sand putting out fires.” 

Solution:  It’s time to take action - focus on goals and the future. An ERP is a planning, forward-looking mechanism designed to give control over an organization’s future. If the research and work is done at the beginning of the ERP implementation, energy will be focused on the future. 

3)      You say:  “It’s going to take too long to implement.”

We hear:  Fear of Failure

We solve:  An ERP system helps you succeed by pulling together all your information for a clear picture of your newly improved organization.

Problem:  When you run a lean organization, all internal resources are at full capacity unable to see the big picture which makes for silo’d company data inhibiting the ability to see the big picture. Not having a clear picture serves only to stunt a firm’s growth:  it’s this lack of encompassing visibility which keeps a firm from being able to make intelligent decisions or to understand trends, because they are lacking departments and systems that are connected to each other.

Solution:  A good ERP system will pull together all this disparate data giving users the clear picture they need to move forward and giving everyone the gift of time. Yes, ERP implementations require some work and time to evaluate and establish new processes, establish goals, and get everything running smoothly, but the more attention is focused on the consultants and the implementation, the faster you will reap the benefits and feel the relief.

4)      You say:  “It’s going to require too much change in my current processes.”

We hear:  Fear of Change

We solve:  An ERP consultant will guide you through change.

Problem:  Even a bad process can feel comfortable, familiar. And in the fast-paced business world, we all have to find comfort where we can. It’s understandable to want to avoid the work, unfamiliarity, and making changes to numerous business processes. But what’s more important is that your competitors are already using their ERP systems. They will be on “the latest and greatest” while you are still floundering with “this is the way we’ve always done it.”

Solution:  Here’s where the right consultant can really help. Someone who knows their way through the maze of settings; who knows the latest and most relevant business processes; and who, most of all, knows YOUR business and YOUR industry. Once the consultant tailors the ERP implementation to what are now highly efficient business processes, you’ll be able to appreciate the value of the phrase, “change is good.”

5)      You say:  “No one will use the system, anyway.”

We hear:  Fear of Unknown

We solve:  An ERP is such a supportive tool, it will quickly become a familiar part of your world.

Problem:  So after all the trouble of researching and implementing and ERP; the real fear is, “Will I really use it or just revert back to our old ways?”  Once the shine wears off of a new ERP system, there will be some effort every person will have to make to make the changes permanent. HuffPost Healthy article, “How Long Does It Actually Take to Form a New Habit? (Backed by Science)” tells us that, “On average, it takes more than two months before a new behavior becomes automatic -- 66 days to be exact.” 

Solution:  That’s great news, because in a little over two months, with a focused effort, everyone, including you, will have turned these new processes into automatic actions. What’s more, the new processes will have included regular reviews of data giving a clear picture of the entire organization allowing responsible action for your future. We also recommend understanding more about the 8 key ways to make your implementation a success. 

ERP Implementation Fears Laid To Rest!

Some (or all) of these fears may have indeed been on your mind as you contemplated your company’s future success. To learn more about ERP implementation, the benefits and the return on the financial and time investment, check out Full Sail Partners’ whitepaper, “Could Your Firm Benefit from an Enterprise Resource Planning System?”

In the end, while momma’s advice may not have included an ERP implementation, her wise words still resonate and are perfectly applicable to this journey “Nothing tried, nothing gained!” Obstacles are just opportunities waiting to be discovered!

Project based ERP.  You’re probably wondering to yourself, “what is this anyway?”  We’ve all heard of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, but now the industry added the words “project based.”  It probably feels like they are just layering more words … and difficulty.  So let me make some sense out of this for you. 

Project Based ERP Straight Talk

Traditionally, ERP’s have primarily been associated with companies manufacturing products: a key factor in ERP is the merging of IT, HR, Finance, and Marketing data with product operations and inventory management. 

In services firms and consulting businesses like yours, however, some alterations must be made for the ERP system to show the data they need to achieve their goal – high profit and high revenue in a skills based environment – hence the addition of “project based” to our discussion about ERP systems.  Your services business deals with a model where intellectual property is what you produce.  You don’t have the evils of shelf life, production lines, or parts departments.  Instead, your lives are geared toward a consistent evaluation of process, of skill, and of running the perfect project.   

Get Down to Business

Project based firms are exceedingly good at running projects.  They can create a GANNT chart that’s a thing of beauty, they can set achievable deliverables, and they meet or exceed every deadline.  But finding an ERP system that’s attuned especially to services and not manufacturing – now that’s tougher.  It takes dedication, knowledge and the focused energy of the right team to get it all together.  

• An ERP Consultant whose job is to master-mind all the necessary pieces to banish redundant, useless old processes and make your project’s business goals a realty.

• A Project Manager focused solely on gathering and maneuvering all the professionals to make achieving your project goals a success.

• Your IT, HR, Marketing/Sales, Finance as the true heroes to making things happen.

So What Are You Going To Get Out Of It?

I know, I know.  “It’s expensive to add new software.”  “It’s a lot of work and we’re already pretty busy.”  I’ve heard this and more.  But let me tell you – you can’t afford NOT to add a project based ERP system!  The table below details those differences:

Brass Tacks

Still need more?  Here’s the slam-dunk.  According to “Managing Your Consulting Firm for Growth,” an IDC Info-doc, ERP systems built from the ground up with projects as a core process give firms the tools to make the most effective decisions in these critical areas:

• Lifecycle process across customers, projects and employees.

• Details on projects that help optimize profitability and lower risks.

• Manage and optimize an integrated portfolio of services – using data to learn how to do more of what “works” and eliminate what isn’t “working” (i.e. what’s not profitable).

• Find the “right” customers and have the data to eliminate unprofitable customers.

• Manage the future by understanding the past and using data to make fast, accurate course corrections.

A project based ERP system will combine the
strengths of Marketing/Sales, IT, HR, Finance together with
project management software to help eliminate project waste.

Bottom Line

Your dedicated employees joined with the support of organizations like Full Sail Partners, Inc.  will make your project based firm as successful as possible by using your greatest resource – a specifically designed project based ERP system.  And while it’s rad here in California to just “ride the waves,” when it comes to running your project based firm, using a project based ERP is your best choice.  Dude. 

It’s time to break away from the chains of your desk, and get mobile with Deltek Touch Time & Expense, and Touch CRM 1.3. With these apps, both available in iTunes and in the Play Store, it is now easier than ever to research (and update) contact records, as well as capture expenses and track time on the go. Take advantage of the following features, and provide your staff with the most powerful remote tools and utilities to do their jobs to the fullest:

Deltek Touch Time & Expense 1.3:

• New Name, New Features, Same Reliability | In this release, expenses were added to the Touch Time application, and the application name has officially changed to ‘Touch Time and Expense’. No more waiting to manage timesheets and create expense reports. Avoid forgetting the details or losing receipts by entering as you go. Wherever your mobile device is, Touch Time & Expense follows.
  
  
• A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words | Touch Time and Expense allows you to create a new report, and then associate expense with that report. Take pictures of receipts, and upload them directly!
  
  
• Numerous User Experience and User Interface Upgrades | A number of improvements have been made to the application to improve your experience. Upgrades include:
  
  
  • A sliding menu to replace all tabs and provide quick access to Help and Log Out.
     
  • A menu button to allow you to perform specific tasks for timesheets and expense reports.
    
    
• Math is Hard, Let Your Apps Figure it Out | Touch Time & Expense allows you to select or update default transaction currency and exchange rate for an expense report. This screen, however, only displays if Multicurrency is enabled in Vision core.

Deltek Touch CRM 1.3:

• Touch Knows How to Push Your Buttons | Touch CRM now has buttons, with icons, to replace labels on certain screens. Examples of new buttons include:
  
  
  • ‘List Button’ - Tap this button to display options specific for the contacts, clients, and opportunities screens.
     
  • ‘Pen Button’ – Tapping this button allows you to edit contact, client, and opportunity information.
    
    
• No Mobile Limitations | Touch CRM allows you to search, edit, and add clients on the go. In addition, add or update Opportunities with the touch of a button.
   
• Syncing Made Easy | Touch CRM automatically syncs up with your Deltek Vision system, and allows you to create activities and calendar events on the desktop, and access them on your mobile device.
   
• Full Visibility | See user defined fields in contacts, clients, and opportunities. Additionally, Touch CRM 1.3 gives you the ability to view activities!
   
• It’s All One Touch Away | Make a phone call, send an email, or map an address with the touch of a button.
  
  
• And more | Interested in learning more about the features and functionality included in Touch 1.3? Reach out to us today for a demo, and start operating better!

Are you currently using the Touch applications? If so, respond below and let us know what your experience has been like so far.

The newest version of Deltek Vision (7.3) has been released, and along with it comes a new slew of powerful features and functionality. As always, operating on the newest version of Vision gives your firm the ability to manage better, achieve more, and improve your ability to better track your projects and efforts. Let’s take an overview glance of the new benefits.

Vision 7.3 Product Enhancement Synopsis

• Manage company paid credit cards | 7.3’s new credit card functionality streamlines cost accounting. Features include the ability to setup credit cards, import credit card charges, and reconcile credit cards.
• Expanded internationalization and localization features | New globalization functionality included in 7.3 gives your firm the tools needed to expand into new markets, and win more work!
• Improved compensation break out | Gain additional insights into fee structures with detailed compensation breakouts.
• Dashpart enhancements | Users can now choose which columns to include in info center dashparts; including user defined info center dashparts. Additionally, the dashpart can be populated with work breakdown structure level two or three record data.  Lastly, users can create an Invoice Review dashpart; providing a quick summary of outstanding receivables for chosen projects.
• Core CRM | Users can now edit activities directly in the grid. Many new text editor features have been improved; including highlighting misspelled words and the ability to add words to the spelling dictionary.  Enhancements to the Opportunity Forecast Report; including revenue allocation for fiscal years.
• And more | Interested in learning more about the features and functionality included in 7.3? Reach out to us today for a demo, and start operating better!

Is Your Firm Prepared for Deltek Vision 7.3?

Because of Microsoft’s de-support of Windows XP in April 2014, Deltek can no longer support the Windows XP client operating system beginning with Vision 7.3 and extending to future releases.

The following client operating systems will be supported for Vision 7.3:

• Windows 8 or 8.1
• Windows 7
• Windows Vista

Additionally, to use this new version you must ensure that .NET Framework 4.5 or 4.5.1 is installed. For more information on the .NET Framework and to determine how best to deploy the 4.5 or 4.5.1 release within your organization, please refer to the Microsoft web site at http://www.microsoft.com/net.