Microsoft Great Plains PM: Payables Management

Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains is marketed for mid-size companies as well as Navision (which has very good positions in Europe and emerging markets where it can be easily localized).

Great Plains Payables Management (PM) module improves control over your payables. With easy access to comprehensive vendor information, payment scheduling and tracking, and up-to-the minute answer to your cash flow status, this module allows you to manage your expenses more effectively.

PM maximizes operational efficiency by empowering employees with advanced search capabilities that provide quick and easy access to the information they need. This module also simplifies expense allocation like deferring payments or costs over multiple periods with automatically managed calculations and journal entries customized to fit your business needs.

Features:

  • Extensive Drill-Down – Cross-module drill-down capabilities give you the ability to locate the exact details you need.
  • Comprehensive Vendor Information – Streamline your vendor information with vendor categories for consistent record maintenance and comprehensive data, including addresses, shipping methods, default purchase accounts, and user-defined information.
  • Installment Management – Automate your vendor installment payments by creating schedules, calculating interest, amortizing amounts, and forecasting the impact of variable interest rates, payment amounts, and installment changes.
  • Expenditure Control – Manage expenditures with full control over check runs and tracking of after-the-fact payments that use manual check entries, credit cards, or cash for transactions.
  • Control Account Management – Manage your payables control accounts by reporting segments, such as cost center, division, department, program or fund, and display a breakdown by segment values of your central control payables account. Eliminate the need to manually reconcile reporting segments and get a true account of amounts owing by segment value.
  • Automatic Posting - Automate posting for each vendor to designated General Ledger accounts for recurring transactions, or streamline distribution for vendors without specified purchase accounts.
  • Complete Payables Reporting – Create a comprehensive suite of payable reports that can be sorted by calendar or fiscal year with on-screen display and search, or combine with Microsoft® Business Solutions–Great Plains® applications such as Report Writer or Crystal Reports® for greater reporting flexibility.

Good luck with implementation, customization and integration and if you have issues or concerns – we are here to help! If you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-630-961-5918 or 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

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About Vincent Ong

Vincent is a Great Plains specialist in Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ) – USA nationwide Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company, serving clients in Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Miami, New Orleans, Toronto, Montreal and having locations in multiple states and internationally


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Masterminding Your Way To Greater Success

Napoleon Hill coined the concept of the mastermind alliance in his classic book Think and Grow Rich. He believed that a group of like-minded, achievement-oriented individuals could dramatically leverage each other's success.

The old adages still hold true today, "the sum of the whole is greater than its parts" and "two heads are better than one". More and more today people in business are harnessing the power of mastermind groups to think bigger. Combining the power of several minds to solve problems, seek advice, different perspectives and achieve goals, simply creates greater results than "going it alone".

Mastermind groups commit to showing up and contributing to the success of each other. They become trusted confidants who rely on each other for priceless insights, candid feedback, valuable ideas, encouragement, inspiration and motivation.

Mastermind Group Types

Essentially, the types of groups are as endless as your imagination. Mastermind groups in large companies frequently consist of managers from different divisions, internal client groups who serve each other, or new leaders who want to further their development. Some mastermind groups are industry specific. They can be Financial Planners, Coaches, or Supply Chain Managers who commit to learning from each other. Small business owners often create mastermind groups to develop strategies, share lessons learned and resources.

The Planning Process

The first and most important step in forming a successful mastermind group is planning. Details can be fine-tuned once the group is formed, but having a clear picture up front will increase your chances of getting the right people the first time around. It will also help you communicate with potential members.

What will be the group's purpose and objectives? Be sure to think through both "what it is" and "what it is not". For example, a mastermind group is typically not a leads network.

What are the ground rules and boundaries? What's ok and not ok? And don't forget to plan for how the ground rules will be enforced.

How large will the group be? Groups typically have less than 10 members.

Where, how often, and how long will you meet? Some groups meet virtually through teleconference or the internet. The virtual groups usually meet more often. Other groups meet in person. They typically meet monthly or quarterly for a couple of hours.

How will meetings be structured? Some are structured with a facilitator and an agenda, some allot equal time to each member, some simply focus on the most pressing issues.

Who is the "ideal" member for your group? What are their characteristics? What is their expertise? What value will they add to the group?

Where To Find Members

Don't forget, finding the "ideal" member is the goal. Warm bodies do not equal "ideal" members. Some places to look for "ideal" members: Your existing network; Professional Associations; Chamber of Commerce; Your place of worship; Internet bulletin boards or networking groups; etc.

Managing Expectations

Everyone in the group needs to understand that there is a development curve in forming a mastermind group. While you're ramping up, members need to have open and honest conversations about group norms and expectations. These conversations solidify buy-in, begin to build bonds, and lay the foundation for trust.

Being a part of a successful mastermind group can be an invaluable and enriching experience, both personally and professionally. Some groups have literally shared the evolution of entire careers with each other. Wouldn't that be an amazing experience to look back on? Now that's what I call "power".

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About Lora J Adrianse

Lora Adrianse is passionate about inspiring the enrichment of growth and development in others. As the owner of Essential Connections, she is a catalyst for clients who aspire to achieve extraordinary results. She is the coach of choice for people who desire to unleash their potential and maximize their personal and professional development. She is accomplished in developing employees at all levels, a seasoned business manager, and an expert in building solid business relationships with customers as well as other business partners. Her natural instincts enrich her ability to get to the heart of the real business issues people face today. She can be reached through her website www.connectionscoach.com
coach@connectionscoach.com