Please join eSoftware Professionals as we present Inventory Costing and Valuation in Ceres and NAV 2009.

• Wednesday, March 7, 2012
• 10 am – 11:30 am Pacific
• 1 pm – 2:30 pm Eastern

This class will familiarize users with the setup, terminology, and inventory costing flow in Ceres and NAV 2009.

In this class you will learn:

• Inventory costing methods
• How and when the cost fields update on the Item Card
• How and when costing updates in the General Ledger
• Why and when the Inventory Adjustment routine should be run
• How to trouble shoot costing issues

This class is recommended for Finance and Inventory Team members using NAV 2009 or Ceres 2009 who are interested in learning more about inventory costing.

Ready to sign up now? Fill out the Webinar Registration form below and we’ll save you a spot.

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Find more classes on our training page to help you and your team improve your productivity, learn new features and functionality, or brush up on your Dynamics NAV skills.

Webinar: Agency / Program Overview for New Users of Ceres 2009

• Wednesday, February 22, 2012
• 10 am – 11:30 am Pacific
• 1 pm – 2:30 pm Eastern

During this class you will explore:

• A basic overview of how to set up Agencies and Programs in Ceres 2009.

By the end of class, attendees will have a better understanding of:

Agency Relations or Finance staff members who are interested in learning how to set up Agencies and Programs within Ceres 2009.

Ready to sign up now? Fill out the Webinar Registration form below and we’ll save you a spot.

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Find more classes on our training page to help you and your team improve your productivity, learn new features and functionality, or brush up on your Dynamics NAV skills.

Webinar: Customizing Role Centers in NAV 2009 and Ceres 2009

• Wednesday, February 8, 2012
• 10 am – 11:30 am Pacific
• 1 pm – 2:30 pm Eastern

During this class we will explore:

• Customizing the Navigation Pane
• Customizing your Workflow to Shorten Repetitive Processes and Improve Productivity

In this class you will learn:

• Customize navigation & customize pages
• Re-size columns
• Change what appears in the drop-down menus
• Add or remove FactBoxes
• Organizing items in the Quick Access pane
• Saving queries and filters
• Selecting columns in a list location

This class is recommended for everyone using NAV 2009 and Ceres 2009

Ready to sign up now? Fill out the Webinar Registration form below and we’ll save you a spot.

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Find more classes on our training page to help you and your team improve your productivity, learn new features and functionality, or brush up on your Dynamics NAV skills.

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Webinar: Getting Started in Ceres 2009

• Wednesday, January 25, 2012
• Wednesday, March 21, 2012
• 10 am – 11:30 am Pacific
• 1 pm – 2:30 pm Eastern

During this Class You Will Learn:

• How to login to the database
• How to navigate the system
• Get familiar with the pull down menu options
• How to find, view and filter information

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Find more classes on our training page to help you and your team improve your productivity, learn new features and functionality, or brush up on your Dynamics NAV skills.

Number 10: Vader prioritized brutally. Vader paid close attention to the happenings of the galaxy, evaluated the impacts of any given issue, and went after the highest priorities…time after time. No emotional attachments, no personal agendas…just the right thing to do to preserve the Imperium, and see his project through to successful completion. In project management, if you can’t prioritize, you won’t get anything done, let alone anything done well.

Number 9: Vader made decisions based on objective data, not whims. Vader consistently evaluated the performance of his team, and made changes to fix problems when the team didn’t perform. Sure, there may have been some fear and terror, but put all that aside. Project teams needs to feel safe and supported, but they also need to know that the project goals need to get met, and if you aren’t delivering on your commitments, changes need to get made.

Number 8: Vader made commitments, and worked hard to keep them. I mean, how did he manage to get that second Death Star operational so quickly anyway? Hard work, that’s how. Vader understood the importance of commitments, and more importantly, the significance of fulfilling them. Trust in teams is built on commitments.

Number 7: Vader took time to recharge, relax, and get some perspective. Everyone on the team is motivated to solve the problem, and get to done. Conflict is inevitable in that kind of environment, and a good project manager needs to get in there and confront those issues head-on. Of course, this can be exhausting, emotionally and intellectually. Vader understood this, and was careful to take time out of his busy project schedule to relax, meditate, and gain some perspective. Vader managed risk and expectations…pre-emptively. Remember that time when Darth Vader went to Cloud City, bought off the management, then lured Han, Leia, and Chewbacca into a trap? Genius. The amount of planning and forethought that went in to that little exercise must have been epic. Good project managers think about their projects defensively, and act to protect them aggressively.

Number 6: Vader managed risk and expectations…pre‐emptively. Remember that time when Darth Vader went to Cloud City, bought off the management, then lured Han, Leia, and Chewbacca into a trap? Genius. The amount of planning and forethought that went in to that little exercise must have been epic. Good project managers think about their projects defensively, and act to protect them aggressively.

Number 5: Such a persuasive fellow. Of all Vader’s substantial capabilities, perhaps his most effective one was his ability to persuade people to do what he needed done. With the exception of his own kids (in his defense, have you ever tried to get your kids to do something?), he did a pretty great job of getting people to cooperate (whether through fear, obligation, or The Force!).

Number 4: Vader picked a methodology and stuck with it…until it didn’t work. Everyone knows that Vader betrayed his Emperor to save Luke from certain death upon Luke’s refusal to join the team in a certain role. Vader saw that his previous methods of fear and intimidation didn’t seem to work with Luke, or any of the rebels any longer. Boom! Change of tactics to get the job done.

Number 3: No problem is too big to tackle. Sure, Vader had an enormous skepticism that served him well in managing risk. All good project managers need that ability. But good project managers also have to be optimistic enough to push through tough challenges and look for solutions, however improbable their success. Vader’s optimism and confidence in his team’s ability to overcome all obstacles is an excellent lesson in persistence.

Number 2: It is never too late to do the right thing. One of the most profound moments in Vader’s career came when he took responsibility for all the morally wrong things he did, and did the right thing. Good project managers will take the time to reflect on their choices, and re-make the choices they don’t feel good about. The right thing is crucial to trust on a team, even if the right thing is a hard thing.

Number 1:  Vader was never afraid of getting his hands dirty. He made sure he had a clear understanding and appreciation for the hard things that his team had to execute on. This, I think, is what made Vader better than just good. He got involved in the work of the project, and his team followed him because they knew he understood and was invested in the project’s success!

Take a moment to watch this one minute video clip — I’m sure you’ll appreciate Vader’s excellent PM skills getting the project back on track! Note: He had great support from his management team — the Emperor — which helped.

I’m sure we all agree Vader wasn’t a perfect project manager. He lacked charisma, empathy and his people skills were somewhat questionable. Additionally, he wasn’t infallible. For example, there was no back-up plan to account for losing shields on the second Death Star, and it let the reactor core completely vulnerable. Lastly, Darth didn’t think they would have any trouble from a small band of rebels and some fuzzy, little Ewoks. Where was the local back-up system to protect the reactor core? Let’s take an important lesson from Darth Vader: When managing a project or writing code, don’t forget to account for Ewoks!

Excepted from Brandon Koeller’s “Top 10 reasons why Darth Vader was an amazing project manager.”

To add some context let’s first recognize that there are a few options when it comes to changing the behavior and user experience of NAV; Personalization, Configuration, and Customization. Listed in this order they represent the preferred approach or hierarchy when it comes to system change.

Personalization

With Personalization, end users can add, remove, or arrange UI components and controls to best suit their individual work space preferences. Personalization allows simplified change but it is a powerful mechanism because it allows individuality within the overall solution and can be administered by the end user.

Configuration

Configuration is in my opinion the most versatile as it allows for expanded system functionality to be enabled (and in some cases, disabled) as desired. Normally configuration is thought of as having a system-wide impact but it can also parallel personalization; we see examples of this when considering business logic that is conditioned on a value in the User Setup table. Regardless of the scope of impact, the true versatility and power of configuration is recognized when it is coupled with customization.

Customization

Customization coupled with configuration adds a certain element of intelligence to our solutions through the use of global setup flags and/or the existence of certain data elements to steer their behavior. This relationship is especially important when we apply it in the context of an ISV product. As enhancements continue to grow such a product we must be thoughtful about how we position them within the overall solution because not all enhancements apply to all of our customers all of the time. The proper positioning of our enhancements will result in a product that is both powerful and flexible. What’s more is that we will have enabled the administration of this power and flexibility to occur at the customer level.

It is important to recognize the hierarchy of change and apply our resolution at the lowest level first. This is true whether we are troubleshooting a specific issue or developing an enhancement. It is easy to jump straight to the code base first to address an issue and miss out on the fact that we could handle the issue at a lower level. In the end we must not lose sight of the idea that the simplest solution is many times the best solution.

Want more shortcuts? Check out all the NAV 2009 Keyboard shortcuts.

Shortcuts make everything easier don’t they? Note: The same shortcut works in Ceres 2009.

Thanks to Janice at North Texas Food Bank for submitting this NAV 2009 tip request.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV Business Engineer / Software Developer

eSoftware Professionals is seeking an experienced Microsoft Dynamics NAV Business Engineer / Developer for professional business services. While the majority of the professional services rendered in this position involve development, this position will also perform analysis, training, testing, documentation, implementation, and other business services. Microsoft Dynamics NAV is the primary product being used for development, however the role may include working with Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft SQL Server and other related products.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Perform Professional Business Services for the company and on behalf of the company for clients including:

• Business requirements analysis
• Software development to include: identify bugs and fixes, new development projects, customer upgrades to newer software versions, data migration, reporting, etc.
• Create accurate estimates for projects including analysis, design, development, testing, training, documentation, etc.
• Maintain an up-to-date listing and status of all project work assigned in Microsoft Dynamics NAV
• Update assigned customer support cases in Microsoft Dynamics CRM including all applicable information and project related cases and links to all emails
• Follow the company’s adopted Development Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) when performing development tasks
• Follow the company adopted implementation methodology

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Thorough understanding of Microsoft Dynamics NAV
• Highly dependable
• Excellent organizational skills
• Strong problem solving skills
• Strong Microsoft Office skills (Excel, Word, Outlook)
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Must have exceptional interpersonal skills
• Ability to work collectively with team members
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a team environment
• Ability to work under pressure and prioritize assignments
• Ability to ask relevant questions to clarify tasks
• Strong managerial skills
• Minimum four years related experience in an office environment, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

QUALIFICATIONS

Job Levels:

• Career: Moderate experience developing software solutions in Dynamics NAV software. Requires good knowledge of most product functionality and basic business process experience.
• Senior: Advanced experience developing/designing custom software code/solutions. Requires broad and deep product knowledge, a high level of industry business process knowledge and the ability to provide consulting services and customized training to the end customer. Must have proven ability to lean junior team developers, provide high-level developer consulting services on multiple, complex projects simultaneously.

Required:

• College degree in business, training or technology plus project management or a minimum of three years software consulting experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Maintain a minimum of two (current) Developer certifications in Microsoft Dynamics NAV.
• Excellent knowledge of project management methodology and practices and experience managing project teams in a matrix environment.
• Accomplished client-management skills, relationship building skills, requirements gathering experience, and negotiating skills. Must be able to drive multiple projects in parallel.
• Must be able to consistently performs assigned work within established deadlines.
• Solid working knowledge of Microsoft Office and Microsoft Project is required.
• This position requires domestic travel of up to 75%. Travel requirements may vary depending on assigned number of customer projects and project timing. The successful candidate will be willing and able to meet travel requirements. Also required is the ability to qualify for a company credit card or possession of a personal credit card with sufficient limits to charge travel expenses.
• Subject matter expertise in one or both of the following areas:

1. Accounting principles and practices (e.g. payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivables, inventory, purchase orders, general ledger)
2. Manufacturing or Food industry general principles and practices

Preferred:

• Project management experience with ERP software implementations.
• Familiarity with general finance, distribution, food processing, manufacturing, not-for-profit industries and or other vertical markets.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification a plus.

Compensation Metrics:

• Utilization expectations: 85% utilization rate expected.
• Commission: Yes.

We offer excellent compensation commensurate with your experience and success, a robust benefits package, and a wonderful work environment and career path.

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