2007 November Edition

Message from Doris: Managing and Controlling Change

Whether personal or in business, managing change can be stressful. The “new speak" for business consultants talks about managing expectations through meetings, communication and memorandums. However, I am not sure this alone makes change any "easier" for businesses.

With technology constantly on the push for us to upgrade and businesses consciously pushing for more efficiency, we are finding that clients need "hand holding" or personal attention to justify change. What I am saying is that memorandums (emails, “post its”, signs) may not be doing the job.

I was recently in a medical facility, (for that matter any office) and saw the following signs posted simply to instruct me:

1. We are upgrading our computer systems effective March 1, 2007 please be patient (Yes, but today is October 12, 2007)
2. No cell phone use
3. Forms of payment accepted
4. Stand back 15 feet or so to be greeted by reception and you will be called on
5. Waiver of Liability form for payment
6. Present Insurance Identification
7. Reminder that this is the check- in line
8. Request to update all information home phone, address
9. No pets, other than seeing eye dogs
10. No solicitation

Not funny, the front door was open, no hours of operation were posted and no one was at the front desk to greet me! A recent funny moment was joining my family at the recent Harry Potter film where all the posted rules come crashing down. I empathize with the upcoming generation.

What I think helps manage change better is that client and staff "talk" frequently, not once a month through a major change nor via memorandum, but face to face as much as needed. Change requires that you get the skill sets assigned to the project and insure "buy- in". Everyone needs to be onboard with the change for those impacted by the change.

Expressing oneself verbally in a healthy manner is good. It is natural for someone not to want change; it means they need to re-learn, and it means they may have to work longer hours while they learn and often they don't trust that "things will be better".

Even when not in a major project change mode, if you even think your impacting/changing someone else's work effort, its good practice to mention, "Hey, I made this change last week to the phone extensions, you need to tell your clients". We are so inundated with signs I fear no one reads them anymore.

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Software Evaluation

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Multitasking by John Pidgeon

I hear this phrase all the time. Look in any job posting and you will see it too. More often than not, it is a requirement for any job. But have you stopped to think about what it really means? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary the word multitasking means “the performance of multiple tasks at one time”.

For me this sounds simple enough, but efficient multitasking depends on the complexity of the tasks at hand. Regardless of the complexity, I believe that prioritizing is the key to successful multitasking. As a general guideline, I use the following categories to help me prioritize my work – Routine, Urgent, Important & Urgent, and Important.

Routine (simpler) tasks at my work may consist of updating my calendar, checking messages, general paperwork or organizing Emails. Urgent tasks would be a phone call to a client regarding a particular phase of the project. This phone call may not be Important, but may still be Urgent because I certainly would want to keep the client happy. An example of Important & Urgent may be setting up a client meeting to negotiate a new contract or completing billable client work on time. Important tasks may or may not need to get done right away, but generally will have the most impact on my job, company, or future (learning new software; signing up for a college class; drafting a new training manual; preparing a client proposal for future work).

Setting aside time each day for these categories has made my work a lot easier overall. For instance, you may want to close your door for a hour each morning to write without being disturbed (don't forget to tell your staff or coworkers). Another particularly useful suggestion I heard one time was to do the hardest task as soon as you arrive at work. An example of this would be to make a difficult phone call. That way, the rest of the day would appear easier and you have already gotten one major hurdle out of the way!

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Converting Data by Doris Cahill

If you are considering changing software because your accounting software will “NOT” be enhanced nor supported in the foreseeable future, you “DO” have choices. Some of the greatest concerns are “What will happen to my data”, and “What is the cost to convert my data”? These fears can keep firms from making a decision, and possibly place the company in a no win situation. Concerns such as these can be managed; not all data needs converting, and most simple data such as Master Records (projects, vendors, open accounts receivable, unbilled, accounts payable, project history summaries and summary trial balance) can be migrated.

A firm can affordably move data and manually “key punch” it where appropriate. Then, you simply can keep the legacy detail/data on the legacy system or scan/print copies. In one or two year’s time, you will not miss this data anymore. In fact, my experience has shown that unless you are audited by a tax/government agency, the need is not there. Three years of holding a legacy computer in running condition for details or hard copy should suffice.

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Employee Recognition

DMC Accounting + Technology recognizes the following employees for their excellence:

John Pidgeon

John has been with DMC for three years this November, and currently is working on a number of interesting projects, some of them very challenging. John got a chance to travel to Georgia for a site visit to one of our clients, meet them in person, and assist them with their initial training and exposure to Deltek Vision. He has been performing follow up training via the “Go to Meeting” program, and has assisted them in their testing of the program prior to their go live date. John also updated and expanded some of our in house materials, so we have a very thorough testing grid to follow, and a full Implementation Guide. John’s clients are based worldwide, from Boston, to Georgia, to South Africa, and use many different softwares including Deltek Advantage, Deltek Vision, QuickBooks, MYOB and Master Builder. John is a skilled degreed accountant, and provides Doris with excellent support on some of our larger projects.

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