| Microsoft Great Plains fits horizontal markets clientele | | | | Order Processing (SOP) module allows you to have |
| and in case of Aerospace and Defense industry we'll | | | | Quotes, Sales Orders, Invoices. You might need bidding |
| talk about contractors - parts and subsystems for | | | | and negotiation documentation system. In the case of |
| government contracts. We do not necessarily talk | | | | Great Plains the best and future-oriented approach is |
| about large corporation, however models described | | | | to implement Sales side in Microsoft CRM, integrated |
| could be implemented for large publicly traded | | | | with Great Plains via MS CRM-GP integration tool. All |
| company. As a rule - market is represented by | | | | the calls and emails, plus contracts will be logged and |
| established companies with long history, including long | | | | documented in MS CRM and quotes are moved to or |
| history of its ERP and Computer Business System. It is | | | | from Great Plains- Purchasing. Your company might |
| difficult to stake on the computer operating systems | | | | use tenders procedure and you would need requisition, |
| future, however you may try to give high level of trust | | | | proposals and quotes against the requisition, then |
| to the ERP coming from Microsoft Business Solutions, | | | | purchase order and receiving. Deploy Requisition |
| especially considering the fact of acquisition of such | | | | Management and Purchase Order Processing/ |
| market leaders as Great Plains Software and Navision | | | | Receiving modules- HR. If you have unionized |
| Software.- Service Model. Typically your product has | | | | employees - you may need to take a look at HR |
| service contract with hourly or annual payments and | | | | module, where you track employees certification, skills, |
| you track repair and preventive maintenance cases, | | | | training programs, hiring process and promotions- ISO |
| have a list of replacement parts. Microsoft Great | | | | 9000. You can cover ISO compliance reporting, |
| Plains has several options to automate these services. | | | | assuming that you have either customized Inventory |
| You can use customized version of Inventory Control | | | | Control system or Field Service suite implemented. The |
| Module, where you track serial/lot number, locations, | | | | best and recommended reporting tool - Crystal |
| item replacements, etc. In Great Plains Dexterity you | | | | Reports. Usually you create SQL views and stored |
| can write light customization, tracking service cycle. | | | | procedures and base your Crystal Report on these |
| Another way is to deploy Field Service suite, where | | | | views and procs.- Technology Advise. When you |
| you have Service Call Management, Contract | | | | implement your new system and making modifications |
| Administration, Preventive Maintenance, Return | | | | to the existing one - you should try to predict which |
| Management as well as a set of eXXX modules such | | | | technology will stay for maximum number of years, |
| as eService Call, eReturn. You usually have to tailor | | | | plus you should try to avoid dependence on one |
| these modules to fit your unique requirements - do it | | | | vendor/provider - if you need to change Microsoft |
| via Dexterity, VBA/Modifier, SQL Stored Procedures | | | | Business Solutions partner - how difficult to find new |
| or Web Application, working with Inventory and Field | | | | one with technical skills and customization expertise to |
| Service tables. Assuming your product has serial | | | | maintain and further advance your custom |
| number - then by looking up serial number you can see | | | | system?We encourage you to analyze your |
| all the service history.- Bidding. Great Plains Sales | | | | alternatives. |