Plumbline Solutions - Software Consulting Services

Newsletter - August 2006


Plumbline Solutions provides software engineering services for Microsoft Certified Partners and Microsoft® Independent Software Vendors (ISVs). We offer software development, application support, and technology consulting, with a dedicated focus on delivering excellence and building lasting relationships.
BIO will help you analyze your data in several ways by looking at it from different angles and then make changes that will increase growth and profitability. This simple and easy-to-use tool will add a new level of intelligence to your business activities. For assistance demonstrating and implementing BIO, e-mail us or call us toll free at 1-866-510-7826. BIO for Microsoft Dynamics SL– Think of the Possibilities There are always more questions than answers surrounding our lives, especially in business, where competition and demands keep increasing. Business Information Optimization (BIO^®) is designed to produce the answers. Once you’ve identified the information that you need, let BIO work for you. It displays the answers in cubes that you can analyze from several perspectives to get the big picture of where your business is performing well and where it needs improvement. Common metrics include: • Project profitability • Resource availability • Billable versus non-billable forecasts • Order and sales projections and actuals. After implementing BIO, you’ll find yourself with more answers than questions and making better business decisions based on the analysis of your existing data. Increase the value of your organization by having one set of accurate numbers for everyone to use. Choose from a variety of offerings to fit your needs: BIO Foundation – Analyzes financial data, including general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash, and payroll. Twenty-five predefined views come with this module. This is the minimum module required. BIO Advanced – Extends your ability to analyze data from project, distribution, and field service. Sixty predefined views of the data, organized into fourteen roles, are yours with this module. BIO Extender – Helps you create new analysis cubes from templates. You start with a predefined cube, modify it to meet your needs, and keep the original for future use. Plumbline Solutions provides consulting services to help you determine your needs and implement BIO to meet those requirements. E-mail us or call us toll free at 1-866-510-7826 for more details. At Plumbline Solutions, we value hearing from you. Are there specific Hints & Tips, Solutions of the Month, or other information you would like to see in our monthly newsletter? If so, please e-mail us, and we will do our best to fulfill them.	Name: Suzanne Farquharson Role: Developer Team: Strategic and Emerging Technologies (SET) Background: As a member of Plumbline Solutions, I provide consulting and development services in the areas of Business Portal, Microsoft Dynamics SL, and automated testing. Prior to joining Plumbline Solutions, I worked in a number of different developer and development-related roles for Solomon Software, Great Plains Software, and Microsoft, for a total of more than 20 years. Likes best about consulting: I enjoy working closely with our partners, learning the requirements of their customers’ business processes, and applying software solutions to help them meet their goals. The variety of projects we work on in SET keeps the work interesting and challenging. Hobbies: Sailing, motorcycling, rollerblading, yoga, and skiing. Looking for a third-party application or vertical solution that can be used with Microsoft Dynamics™ SL (formerly Microsoft^® Business Solutions—Solomon)? Access Plumbline Solutions’ ISV Link Exchange for a list of add-on products. It’s a fast, friendly way to help you find what you need. If you would like to participate in the ISV Link Exchange Program, e-mail us or call us at 419-421-0270, extension 119. To read previous issues of our Newsletter click here. To unsubscribe from the newsletter, click here.

BIO for Microsoft Dynamics SL

Business Information Optimization (BIO^®) for Microsoft Dynamics™ SL is designed to be used across departments and throughout the management chain to provide self-service analysis. BIO enables business leaders to convert Microsoft Dynamics SL data into enterprise-wide analytics and make intelligent business decisions without requiring business leaders to be familiar with Microsoft Dynamics SL.

Five things to do before implementing BIO:

1. Review your business activity. Whether you make critical decisions daily, weekly, or yearly, understanding the drivers that impact your business is important. Understanding your business today will help you drive it for growth tomorrow.

2. Identify the measurements that are needed. Continuous improvement happens as you get closer to your data. If you find yourself asking questions about your business that you can’t get answers to, you probably need to add new measurements to your analysis or change the ones you currently use.

3. Define the measurements. Be critical. Define precise criteria that will reveal more clearly where your business is overperforming and underperforming. The better knowledge you have of your strengths and weaknesses, the better decisions you can make.

4. Assign the analysis to the appropriate roles. If you want better analysis of your cash flow, go to the CFO. If you need better information about which products are selling best in a region, go to the sales manager. If you have unanswered questions about project costs, assign the analysis to the project managers.

5. Make changes. If your data is telling you to make changes, make them. Don’t be afraid to try something new. You are investing your time with the purpose of better understanding your business. Get started today and make a difference tomorrow. It will be an investment that keeps giving back to you as long as you keep measuring your performance.

Select BIO for Microsoft Dynamics SL as the resource to help your organization become more effective in its roles.

BIO: The Intelligent Way to Analyze Your Business

There is a saying, “Your system is only as good as the data you put into it.” This is especially true of Business Information Optimization (BIO^®). The value that BIO brings to your organization is based on the data you capture. Implementing BIO provides you with a new way of looking at your data and helps you understand where your business is performing well and where there is room to grow. BIO helps you make intelligent business decisions.

Without the ability to see how you are performing, changes you make have a 50% chance of improving your performance. With the proper insight provided by BIO, the ability to make the right changes at the right time is at your fingertips.