ceoTechCast

Show # 24 – Finding the Profit in Your Accounting Software and Computer Systems

Bob — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 15:58:37 +0000

Part 1 of a far-ranging interview from the Small Business Radio Hour on WMPS The Point, 87.7 FM in Memphis, TN. You can find the Guide to Selecting Business Software at http://erpsoftwareguide.com.

This discussion covers how to get more from your software, including accounting software, ERP software, website, and other technology assets. Bob, Jim, and Jo discuss the concepts behind Bob’s 20+ years of consulting work. More information on selecting business accounting software or using software profitably is available on the Data Guidance Group site.

The music for this show is from music.podshow.com by Clark Datchler and is titled Shattered Dreams. You can find it at podshow.com.

Show # 23 – Accounting Software Training for Productivity

Bob — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 19:12:13 +0000

Businesses spend the first six to twelve months after go live in a new business software, ERP, or accounting software system getting back to where they were before the implementation. It takes about 6 to 12 months for a new system to settle in. This is the time to reevaluate.
This ceoTechCast Show discusses training and getting more from your business software or ERP. .
The music for this show is from music.podshow.com by David William and is titled One Way Ticket. You can find it at http://music.podshow.com/music/listeners/artistdetails.php?BandHash=a3cfcd3f6dde64f169e1a6d8dd9a6f05.
Visit our website at ceotechcast.com for more information, or check out Data Guidance Group’s website at www.dgginc.com.
Leave feedback at 1-901-452-4585 x 118 or send an email to ceoTechCast@gmail.com.

Show # 22 – The First S in STATICS: Strategy – Business and IT Drivers

Bob — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 11:03:30 +0000

In the last couple of shows, I introduced the overall concepts in STATICS Business Growth System (sm). In this show, we’ll look in detail at the first S in STATICS, strategy. Specifically, we talk about the need to consider both IT drivers (reliability, disaster recovery, etc.) and business drivers (ROI, sales, communication, etc.). This show includes the song “Out There” by Cheryl B. Engelhardt from music.podshow.com.

Visit our website at ceotechcast.com for more information, or check out Data Guidance Group’s website at www.dgginc.com.
Leave feedback at 1-901-405-0536 or send an email to ceoTechCast@gmail.com.

Show # 21 – STATICS Business Growth System: 7 Tech Stepping Stones to Business Growth

Bob — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:51:25 +0000

I was recently asked to speak for the local Small Business Chamber’s Power Lunch. The presentation was 7 Tech Stepping Stones to Business Growth. I’ve already posted the PowerPoint from the presentation. In this show, I cover the information from the presentation in podcast form. This show includes the song “Box of Dreams” by Albert Aguilar from music.podshow.com.

Visit our website at ceotechcast.com for more information, or check out Data Guidance Group’s website at www.dgginc.com.
Leave feedback at 1-901-405-0536 or send an email to ceoTechCast@gmail.com.

Show # 20 – Introducing the STATICS Business Growth System (sm)

Bob — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:06:57 +0000

The STATICS Business Growth System helps businesses identify forces, pressures, and bottlenecks that are preventing growth. STATICS goes further than most systems by putting processes in place that assure progress and growth. More than good ideas, STATICS is practical how-to tactics that move your business forward. Read on to learn the simple foundations of STATICS. Also, we’ll hear the David Williams Band singing One Way Ticket from music.podshow.com.

Visit our website at ceotechcast.com for more information, or check out Data Guidance Group’s website at www.dgginc.com.
Leave feedback at 1-901-405-0536 or send an email to ceoTechCast@gmail.com.

Show # 19 – My Five Favorite Needs Analysis Questions and What the Answers Tell You

Bob — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:32:45 +0000

This show includes my five favorite needs analysis questions and what they tell you about your business, some news about Sage Software’s ACCPAC and Pro products, and Edwin Derricutt singing Cold as Ice from music.podshow.com.
Here are the five questions:

What do you like about your current system?
What would you change about the current system if you could?
If you had a one or two page report that told you how healthy your business was now and how it would likely do in the future, what would be on that report?
Are there things you sometimes overlook or miss in your business? What kinds of business surprises have you gotten lately?
Are you using Excel, ACCESS, or Word to manipulate data in your business? What kinds of reporting or analysis are you doing with these tools?

Visit our website at ceotechcast.com for more information, or check out Data Guidance Group’s website at www.dgginc.com.
Leave feedback at 1-901-405-0536 or send an email to ceoTechCast@gmail.com.

Show # 18 What Technology Investments Should You Make?

Bob — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:47:00 +0000

In this show, we’ll talk about what technology investments usually make sense at each stage of business growth. If you haven’t listened to ceoTechCast 17, you might want to review it before listening to this cast. It presents the details of the business growth model that forms the basis of this cast.
This cast will discuss some of the typical technology goals at each stage in business growth. It will also begin to discuss the business strategy associated with each stage.
I was reading an issue of What’s Working in Credit and Collection Management when I noticed an article about depositing checks from your mobile phone. We’ll talk more about that.
We’ll be playing One Way Ticket by David Williams from music.podshow.com.
Visit our website at ceotechcast.com for more information, or check out Data Guidance Group’s website at www.dgginc.com.
http://www.remittancedirectory.com/docs/USAA081109.pdf – USAA product to deposit checks from an iPhone.
http://www.selfserviceworld.com/article.php?id=22194 – NCR’s version of the phone deposit technology.
http://www.miteksystems.com/ImageNet_PhotoVideo.asp – Mitek Systems seems to be the company with the main technology at the center of the phone deposit news.
http://www.salesforce.com – Salesforce.com new Contact Manager for $9/user/mo.
http://www.act.com/products/index.cfm – various ACT! contact manager versions

Show # 17 – Stages of Business Growth – Using Technology to Grow

Bob — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:28:58 +0000

In this show, we’ll talk about the stages of business growth, and what your business might look like in each of the stages. Although a good bit of the literature talks about stages of business growth, these aren’t intended to be rigorous, just to give you some ideas about where your business might currently be in the process. This show is a description of the four stages. The next ceoTechCast will fill out the technology concerns of each stage.

We will also talk briefly about Quicken, QuickBooks, and Quick Books Enterprise Solution in this show.

We’ll be playing Out There by Caren Kennedy from music.podshow.com.

Visit our website at ceotechcast.com for more information, or check out Data Guidance Group’s website at www.dgginc.com.
You can order On-Target Technology at Amazon.com.
Visit us at ceoTechCast.
Download our Guide to Selecting Business Software to help in your ERP Software selection guide at http://www.erpsoftwareguide.com.

Show # 16 – Developing and Implementing Technology Strategy

Bob — Fri, 01 May 2009 17:03:15 +0000

In 2004, I wrote about how to develop technology strategy in the book On-Target Technology. As some of the people who read it noticed, it wasn’t a what-to-do book, it was a how-to-do book. It discussed current strategy and how to apply it to business, but it left developing a strategy to the reader. As I have consulted with businesses over the past few years, I’ve realized that many businesses need more than just a set of directions, they need a roadmap. So the next few casts will be a roadmap.

This cast will cover strategy in general and some specific techniques for developing strategy. Strategy is one of those things that can be difficult to define. People know it when they see it, but it is often hard to detect. We will talk about the one plus three stages of strategy formation: Pre-test, Set Objectives, Revise Business Processes, and Implement. These stages also work well for developing and implementing strategy that doesn’t involve technology.

In the next cast, we’ll talk about assessing where your business is and what technologies are typically important for a business in that stage.
Check out Geoff Smith’s music at music.podshow.com.
You can order On-Target Technology at Amazon.com.
Visit us at ceoTechCast.
Download our Guide to Selecting Business Software to help in your ERP Software selection guide at http://www.erpsoftwareguide.com.

Show # 15 – Business Intelligence Tools for Better Business Decisions

Bob — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:57:10 +0000

Implementing a business intelligence (BI) system requires three basic components: (a) Attention to the availability, form, and reliability of the data, (b) Application of business rules, formulae, or transformations, and (c) presentation in a report, chart, or combination of forms for management. One purpose of BI is exception reporting and recognition. A good BI helps management decide what areas of responsibility require more attention or more drill-down. Even if the information for drill-down comes from other systems (such as the ERP or accounting system), a BI helps management know where to look. The overall goal is to avoid looking in places where there is no issue. A second purpose of BI is to help management identify trends in business. If measurement has been put in place in key areas of the business, a BI will help management bring together these indicators to determine the direction of the business and where attention is needed.
Current buzzwords that are in use for business intelligence type data include dashboards, key performance indicators (KPI), critical success factors (CSF), and balanced scorecards. These terms actually refer to the content of the BI data, not to the BI system, though certain systems provide more tools for these different kinds of data.
To select a tool, begin with an analysis of the data needed for the business intelligence system. Determine if this data is being collected in the current system. If it is being collected, assess the accuracy and timeliness of the data.

Three kinds of tools needed

Data manipulation

Goal: Trigger knowledge of what to look at in more detail
Transactional data needed in summary
Need to crosstabulate data (sales of items by salesperson)
Need to identify missing data (which items or categories were NOT sold to particular customers)

Trend identification (curve fitting or trend analysis, time series analysis)

Projections
Pivot tables (multiple dimensions of analysis)

Graphical presentation

portal (presentation)

Other considerations: security, access device
BI products you find everywhere:
Microsoft Office:
ACCESS
Suggestions from Microsoft on when to use ACCESS and when to use EXCEL:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/HA102101951033.aspx
Excel:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2005/oct05/10-23bilaunchpr.mspx
http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/Charles/Business-Intelligence-in-Excel-2007/
http://www.vertex42.com/ExcelArticles/excel-dashboards.html
Crystal Reports:
http://www.businessobjects.com/product/qra/reporting.asp
Excelsius:
http://www.businessobjects.com/product/information_delivery/dashboards_visualization.asp
Advanced:
Performance Point server:
https://connect.microsoft.com/site/sitehome.aspx?SiteID=181&wa=wsignin1.0 (requires signin and survey)
BusinessObjects Edge for Small/Midsized business:
http://www.businessobjects.com/product/catalog/edge/
Things You Forget discusses keeping your email secure. Brobdingnagian Bards playing Like A Hobbit In A Mushroom Field from music.podshow.com. Check them out at music.podshow.com. Download our Guide to Selecting Business Software to help in your ERP Software selection guide at http://www.erpsoftwareguide.com.