In recent weeks, we’ve learned about multiple companies in the Portland area that have confronted some kind of embezzlement in their business. Embezzlement certainly isn’t unique to the type of software we sell and support – it can happen anywhere at any time.

Years ago, I was asked to testify to a Grand Jury about embezzlement at a public utility company. “How could that happen?” was the biggest question jurors wanted an answer to. Without explaining to you everything I explained to them, let me just assure you that it can and does happen. So, rather than telling you how to embezzle, this article seeks to provide information that might help prevent embezzlement.

We all love a short break in the workday. And we all love thinking about taxes! Okay...maybe not that second thing. Still, grab your warm drink of choice, and let’s play a quick game that tests your knowledge on current sales & use tax regulations. How many of the following questions will you get right?

In 2017, we here at Bennett/Porter took a year off from hosting our annual Connections conference to focus on expanding our software and service offerings. This year we return with   and we invite you and your colleagues to join us.

In today’s world, most successful companies implement some type of accounting software. After all, when we take in money, we have to account for how it moves and what ultimately happens to it. But what truly defines a company’s ability to execute in an efficient manner is how they do things with their software. We call these “things” business processes, and – whatever degree of success a business already enjoys – there always seems to be room for improvement!

What your budget contains and how you plan to allocate it says a great deal about your organization's vision for how the implementation will proceed. We find that companies are frequently protective of their budget details in the initial conversations about Enterprise Resource Planning deployment. Such safeguarding tends to indicate a lack of confidence in the process, the numbers, or the consultant. Make sure you're working with a truly Trusted Advisor who you feel has your business's best interests at heart. Candid conversations about timing, motivation, and even budget are the best path to an honest appraisal and successful outcome. Here are some warm-up questions for talking about your project budget.

"Whose idea was this anyway?" If employees are asking that question mid-implementation, then the project is already on a bad path. By the time an ERP deployment undertaking kicks off, everyone around the table should be crystal clear on the key reasons motivating the venture. The best implementations seem to occur when people working in separate areas of the business are able to articulate the same influences behind this grand investment in time and resources. As you think about your own implemenation, ask these three questions to help get all participants reciting the same inspirations for the long climb ahead.

Time is often perceived as the enemy of an ERP software implementation. Minutes and hours and days tick away whether your team is making the best use of them or not, and so we often speak of "working against time." In reality, time is a friend to those who thoroughly prepare for this endeavor. One of the first conversations we have with potential customers aims to assess their awareness of the role time plays in their desire to implement - and will continue to play should they proceed. In our experience, those who don't take the clock for granted or overestimate their capabilities with regard to speed tend to have better outcomes. Here are three questions that help us evaluate prospective success.

The great news: Your business is growing. The unfortunate news: You're spending more and more of your time updating and cross-referencing the dozen or so spreadsheets required to know where anything and everything is. Eventually, unless you find a more effective system, your business's ability to grow will be severely compromised. So you decide to invest in that Enterprise Resource Planning software that can take your operation to the next level. Selecting the right system for your needs takes careful analysis of the options and an agreed-upon methodology. Yet, perhaps more than anything, it requires a candid and dedicated frame of mind on everyone's part. This is not an endeavor to undertake lightly.

Up until this point, our series has concentrated on the essential questions to help you organize your business software itself. But that software has to live somewhere, and it has to be managed by someone. The most perfectly chosen and implemented software may feel horribly frustrating to your users if the network they are accessing it from isn't designed with sufficient capacity, speed, and/or flexibility for an enterprise solution. You don't have a network at all? Not to worry. Unlike the days when business owners were forced to build infrastructure and a department to maintain it, there are several more options these days. Our fifth and final batch of questions - courtesy of our Information Technology team - changes gears to help you think about the maintenance and distribution of the business software that you're taking such care to consider.

If your business involves manufacturing, then you know that making products requires a deep level of attention to detail. Generating a single item might take a dozen or more components, all of which need to be sourced, stored, and routed according to a master schedule...which itself is frequently in flux. On any given day, a single, disrupted step in a long process can choke off all of production and devour your profits. The products you're creating may be dependable and durable, but their creation can be quite fragile without the necessary preparation and product strategy. Our fourth installment focuses on things to think about as you organize your business manufacturing software that is intelligent enough to think several steps ahead and help your assembly line avoid mistakes.