What do you think? Making NAV4Construction as App available on AppSource is good idea or not?
NAV4Construction is CfMD for NAV2015
Finally, our construction vertical solution NAV4Construction is officially registered as CfMD for Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 and has passed all tests by VeriTest and Lionbridge. CfMD meanings “Certified for Microsoft Dynamics”. CfMD is Microsoft Corp.’s highest standard for partner-developed software. This certification represents a significant step in elevating the standard for partner-developed software solutions for industry-specific business applications. Solutions with a successful software test have demonstrated development quality and compatibility with the Microsoft Dynamics product. VeriTest, a service of Lionbridge, performed independent and rigorous testing on the solution’s integration with Microsoft Dynamics.
This vertical solution covers all construction and similar activities in regular ERP usage. You can find more about it on this blog or on YouTube channel.
Now, Microsoft Dynamics partners all around the world can order this solution and add it to their NAV implementation. Of course, before that, they have to make partnership with solution author.
NAV4Construction on Youtube Channel
You can see the first video about our vertical solution NAV4Construction on Youtube:
NAV4Cons on NAV2015
Now, we can to present our vertical solution NAV4Construction on the last NAV release – NAV2015. We have prepared and tested everything and it is stable system.
We have this solution on all clients, of course.
On previous picture, you can see the one of role centers on Windows Client and you can see the same role center on Tablet Client on next picture, as well:
In few following days, we will finish all necessary jobs about CfMD certification. After that, all of you who want, will be able to use this vertical solution in your environment.
2014 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 5,200 times in 2014. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people.
My New Blog
I want to spread the word, I created a new blog totovic.com. I will continue to publish articles here, but only about NAV4Construction vertical solution. Everythink other, about Microsoft Dynamics NAV will be published on my new blog.
Few days ago, I find my this blog on http://www.dynamics101.com/2014/08/top-25-dynamics-nav-sites/ as one of the 25 Top Dynamics NAV sites. I am happy because of that and I hope you will continue to read my new blog, as well.
Remember totovic.com
Microsoft Dynamics NAV Customer and Partner Evidence Materials
Microsoft updated Microsoft Dynamics NAV Customer Case Studies and Videos page on Partner Source at May 22. Between many successfully customer stories, you can find Case Study about implementation of Microsoft Dynamics NAV and vertical solution NAV4Construction in civil-engineering company “Novi Pazar – put”.
AIA Billing Process in NAV4Construction
NAV4Constrution vertical solution for Microsoft Dynamics NAV fully provide AIA billing process for construction business. The AIA billing system is a standardized method of construction percentage of completion contract billing developed by the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Typically, AIA billing system consists of two forms or pages and on the same way NAV4Construction works with them:
- G-702 Contractors Application for Payment
- G-703 Continuation Sheet
When you want to print Invoice from posted document, you can print both of these forms in the same moment or separate if you want this.
Complete process of AIA billing process is presented on the next flow chart:
You can find here completed process with collection and correction systems. This is simplified process on flow chart, and in practice, you can find more milestones for these activities.
You can see part of G-703 Continuation Sheet on the next picture:
This is the great benefit in operational work, because completing the AIA G-702 and G-703 forms by hand is usually frustrating and difficult with lot of possible mistakes. This is only one benefit among all other in this construction vertical solution.
NAV4Construction – SWOT Analysis
You can find information about main strength of NAVConstruction solution, I’ve already wrote here. Also, if you want to use standard NAV in construction business, you can find information about these implementation possibilities here. You can find more texts about reason for using ERP in construction business in my earlier blog posts.
Some construction workers want separate (specific) solutions for construction and rest processes (ERP). But, in my experience, the main strength of construction in ERP is exactly possibility of using all actual data on each part of ERP. When you use this solution, you can use:
- actual cost from purchase or manufacturing in construction or when you make bids
- actual cost from cost accounting, about goods and/or all other resources
- automatic posting of invoice to G/L with any number of dimensions
- managing with purchase process using construction requirements
- using forecasting and other planning processes for construction, mechanization, subcontractors, manufacturing, purchase, sale, WMS in the same time
- …
Otherwise, Microsoft Dynamics NAV is not real project planning software and someone says that this is weakness of this solution. But NAV4Construction is fully integrated with Microsoft Project Server using web-services. Now, you can use the best things of both solutions; e.g. you can use planning process in Project and Normative and Material requirement process from NAV. Maybe, bidding process is more complex in NAV, but this process is more precise.
On next picture, you can find a short SWOT analyses. If you have additional answers or comments, you can ask and start with discussion.
Buying new resource or keeping old one?
When you have a lot of resources (hundreds or thousands), you usually have a problem with detail analysis. Maybe, the most important question is when you have to buy new resource? I know, the new resources is prettier, but are you really need new resources. Is your old resource still good?
Using “smart” analysis in BI4Construction, you can make a right business decision. You can make smart comparison of actual costs of each resources per hour (or mileage, or…) in each cost group with cost of e.g. loan or leasing installment costs.
You can see what maintenance cost analytically for old resources is. You can also see what is you additional fuel or oil cost for old resources in comparison with new one. You have realistic cost of staying time for old resources because maintenance periods…
With all of these details, you can always make a right decision. This is usually requirement for big construction companies with lot of trucks and other machinery.
NAV4Construction 