Dynamics GP Second Opinion: How to Recover Failed Implementation

In addition, Great Plains Dynamics often is intended to be placed in the center of your IT infrastructure with such peripheral applications as eCommerce, Supply Chain Management, Warehouse Management System (with extensive barcoding), CRM, Groupware (such as Lotus Notes), simple in-house programmed Manufacturing or Light Assembly applications.  If this is your case, you should check out if your prospective Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner has expertise in such technologies as Great Plains Dexterity, eConnect, Integration Manager, Extender, Modifier with VBA, Crystal Reports, SSRS, Report Writer and be very comfortable with GP table structure and ad-hoc SQL data querying and repair.  If your implementation is about to fail and at this point is in limbo, here are proposed steps for the way out:
1. Should I record my losses and choose another ERP?  Well, in our opinion, Great Plains Dynamics is one of the most reliable applications on the US Corporate ERP market and it is matured (meaning that most of the bugs are fixed and reported by existing GP users).  The failure is probably attributed to the desire of your Dynamics GP VAR to take sort of challenging project (hoping that they will learn the functionality and technology as it goes).  In other words, it is often a temptation for newcomer to the consulting market to take a challenge and suggest even sometimes discounted hourly rates (this might be presented as pilot implementation)
2. Who is my rescuer?  Call Microsoft Business Solutions to describe them the situation and ask for next Dynamics GP VAR recommendation.  Explain your industry requirements, technology challenge (if this is also a concern).  And, then do not take the recommended VAR without checking references.  If you have to stick to challenging technical requirements, please, think about picking Nationwide Dynamics GP Partner, where support is via web session and required short visits onsite – but who has expertise in implementing Dynamics GP for your industry or even industry niche
3. Failed Data Conversion.  This is one of the most typical cases, causing implementation to go into over budget limbo.  Data massage and migration should be reasonable, if you order to your Dynamics GP Reseller – convert everything from my old accounting application to GP – this might be the cause of the failure.  Every Corporate ERP application is different and data migration is recommended on the level of current transactions (Sales Invoices, Purchase Receipts, General Ledger Entries) and master records (customer, vendor, employee).  We recommend you to take the strategy, where you keep your old accounting (Accpac, GPA for DOS, MYOB, PeachTree, QuickBooks) for inquiry only and possible future audit
4. Failed Integration.  This scenario often seen when you are trying to integrate external data processing system, such as WMS, SCM, eCommerce, EDI, Lotus Notes with Dynamics GP modules.  If this is your case, your Dynamics GP Consultant should have strong expertise in Integration Manager and its advanced features, such as VBA even scripting and ODBC Queries.  If you require real time integration, eConnect is the technology to consider or even direct SQL insert statements
5. Failed version upgrade.  Here you are likely to be on the archaic Great Plains version, and your Dynamics GP Partner doesn’t have expertise on it.  Call to you next perspective partner and verify if they already done that type of version upgrade and the consultant, who did this job is available for your project.  Especially challenging upgrades when you are moving away from Great Plains Accounting for DOS, or from Great Plains on Pervasive SQL 2000 or Ctree and updating to Dynamics GP current version 2010/11.0 or 10.0.  There is also some challenge to migrate from Microsoft Small Business Financials 8.0 or 9.0 to Dynamic GP 10.0
6. Failed Reporting.  There is known issue with newcomer to Corporate ERP consulting market, where they try to rely too much on various report design wizard approaches.  That fact often results in overselling and setting customer expectation that reporting is not a question.  In our opinion, reporting is not about nice logos, but rather about the skills to compile reporting data set via SQL Select statement, View or Stored Procedure (where Crystal Reports, MS Access, Microsoft SQL Reposting Services have just basic connection wizard functionality and professional Dynamics GP report designer should be comfortable in SQL querying)
7. Failed Warehouse Management System (WMS) Integration.  This case is often related to the fact that you decided to stake on external WMS, which has standalone platform, and has connectors or integration modules to major ERP platforms, such as Dynamics GP, Axapta, Navision, SAP Business One, Oracle Applications.  We saw complains from our customers and prospects that integration is nightmare and exceeds budget expectations and timelines.  We recommend you to consider direct WMS extensions to Dynamics GP, where integration phase is not required
8. Failed ecommerce.  Such ecommerce shopping carts as Magento/PHP, ASP.Net Storefront have various connection technologies to Dynamics GP Sales Order Processing transaction.  If you are developing your own shopping cart (common scenario for larger ecommerce retailers, and even to say to mayor ecommerce players on the US market), you really need Dynamics GP ISV Partner who carries Dynamics GP gurus in its technical consulting department
9. Failed EDI (Electronic Document Interchange).  It is not really a challenge to pick Dynamics GP ISV, who is specializing in EDI.  The challenge might be deeper, when you are trying to find out-of-the-shelf EDI integration to Dynamics GP, and you are requiring EDI for such GP modules,  as Manufacturing, Bill of Materials, Payroll.  Custom EDI requires custom programming, typically not very challenging, such as precisely formatted SQL Select statement
10. Failed Barcoding.  Corporate ERP application is typically on the several levels abstracting from such technologies as Barcode labels and scanners.  Please, refer to our articles where we are addressing Barcoding technologies for Microsoft Dynamics GP (simply enter these keywords in goolge)
11. Failed Interoperability with Lotus Notes.  Lotus is open for ODBC data querying, but Lotus concept is more flexible and goes beyond SQL standards.  This is why it is important to request your Lotus Domino users to stick to repetitive data entry techniques – if you do so – ODBC driver will be able to pull data from Lotus, if not – data export from Lotus might be choppy
12. Failed Dynamics GP Implementation on the integration market.  There you might be into Corporate ERP localization questions and answers.  Historically Great Plains Dynamics was available in such countries, as Russia, Poland, Brazil, Africa, Germany, France, all Spanish speaking Latin America.  With Dynamics GP 7.5 and later versions Microsoft Business Solutions decided to orient GP to North American Corporate ERP market with options available in Latin America.  If you are trying to force Dynamics GP implementation in the country where Great Plains Dynamics is not localizing, chances are high, that you are moving opposite to the stream
13. Failed implementation related to China.  Dynamics GP Dexterity does not support Unicode compliant alphabets, such as Chinese Cantonese, Mandarin, traditional or simplified.  If your Headquarters in USA or Canada deploys Dynamics GP, we recommend you to consider SAP Business One in China, as it is reasonably simple to integrate to Great Plains Database via Excel export and Integration Manager
14. Failed Implementation related to Philippines.  Alba Spectrum carries Dynamics GP Dexterity Software Development Factory on Manila and suburbs.  We are comfortable to help you out there and in the whole South East Asia and Oceania
15. Failed Implementation Internationally.  Here we would like to make special stress on South, Central America and Caribbean region, where Spanish language is dominant.  Reasonable support for Dynamics GP and earlier versions of Great Plains Dynamics such as 9.0, 8.0, 7.5, 7.0, 6.0, 5.5, 5.0 is available in such countries as Costa Rica, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela,  Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Nicaragua, Salvador, Belize, Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay
16. Dynamics GP and Russian ERP market.  Here the story is probably too complex.  Microsoft Business Solutions decided to promote initially Navision and then later on Axapta (around 2007) Dynamics AX Axapta is seems to be the most popular at that time, August 2010.  Regarding to Russian Moscow situation we are really sorry to hear about deadly smog and turf swamps burning, as it is known in the summer of 2010
17. To get additional info, please call us 1-866-528-0577 or 1-630-961-5918 or email us help@albaspectrum.com  As there are just a few hundred Great Plains Accounting for DOS, Windows and Mac installations are still in production, we serve you nationwide via web sessions and phone conferences