When evaluating an
accounting system, the simple process of setting up a single inventory
item is very telling. This process allows the user to explore the look
and feel of the accounting system, gain an understanding of the depth of
features within an advance core module, and in general, take the system
for a ride. This process helps you determine how intuitive the system is
laid out. For example:
- Is the starting menu
obvious?
- Can you easily find
the correct screen on which to begin this process?
- Upon finding the
inventory item setup screen, try clicking the help button. Does the
help screen offer step-by-step instructions?
Some products have
organized the inventory data entry screens very logically – they are
easy to understand and use. Others are not so easy. Some products force
the user to visit multiple screens to set up a single inventory item. In
Microsoft Great Plains for example, there are ten separate screens for
entering a single inventory item. This is very powerful mind you and I
applaud Microsoft for their wide breadth of features; still, the data
entry process can be time consuming, especially when you have thousands
of items to set up. As you set up the inventory item, ask yourself the
following questions:
- Is Matrix pricing
supported?
- Are Multiple
Warehouses supported?
- Is Bar code Tracking
supported?
- Is Consignment
Inventory supported?
- Are Exploding &
Imploding Quantities supported?
- How
long is the description field? (256 characters is preferred)
- Is
there a second description field?
- Does
the product support Bill of Materials?
- If
so, how many levels?
- Are
Inventory Classes supported?
- Is
Price Unit Conversion supported?
- Are
Shelf/Bin Numbers supported?
- Are
Sales Quantity Discounts supported?
- Are
Commissions supported?
- Are
Margin Pricing and Markup Pricing supported?
- Is a
Default Vendor supported?
- Are
Lead Times supported?
- Area
Reorder Points supported?
- Are
Reorder Quantities supported?
- Are
Minimum Order Quantities supported?
- Are
Maximum Order Quantities supported?
- Is
Safety Lead Time supported?
- Are
Alternative items or Substitutes supported?
- Is
the Item Weight supported?
- Is a
Default Freight Type supported?
- Are
Country Purchased Codes supported?
- Are
Product Comments supported?
- Are
Drop Shipments supported?
- Are
Item Pictures supported?
- Are
Lots supported?
- Are
Serial Numbers supported?
- Are
Scrap Percentages supported?
- Are
Multiple Bins supported?
By the time you have
completed the process of entering a single inventory item, you should
have a fairly good feel for the inventory module in terms of navigation,
look and feel, usability, and breadth of features. In the case of Great
Plains, all of these features are provided. The screens below show how
to access the Great Plains inventory screens.
Presented below is the
primary data input screen, and links to the eight other screens which
the user must visit to set up inventory items in Microsoft Great Plains.
Before this immense task overwhelms you, please be aware that Great
Plains makes it possible to enter your inventory data into an Excel
spreadsheet and then import the results directly into Great Plains. This
is typically the preferred approach if you have a large amount of
inventory data. In the screen below, we start out with the main Item
Maintenance screen.
There are many nice
features available in these screens such as shipping weight, control
over the number of decimal places, standard costing, quantity on hand
and available, class maintenance, type maintenance, etc.
The next screen below
shows where the user manages multiple currencies. You
would use this Item Currency Maintenance window to assign currencies to
items – perhaps this is a big yawn to many people. However, don’t
overlook this feature too quickly. With the advent of the Internet, the
loosening of border restrictions via NAFTA, and merger mania that
transcends countries, you could find yourself doing business in a
foreign currency very soon. If this happens to you, you’ll be glad that
your accounting system supports multiple currencies.
As an
example, if your company is in the United States but you need to
purchase or sell an item in Canada, you should assign the Canadian
currency to the item.
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