Yearly Archives: 2008

A case for Sure Step: how Sure Step brings project success

  • Reading time:8 mins read

Methodology is a tough topic. There are good methodologies, there are bad methodologies, there are good methodologies gone bad. Methodology is not a silver bullet, it won’t just make any problems disappear, and is hardly ever the single source of success or failure. But a methodology can be a major contributor to success. I could put it this way: you stand much better chances of success if you apply a methodology, then if you don’t. With something as critical as an implementation of business software, methodology is a key success factor. According to Jim Johnson of Standish Group, it’s number nine on their ten identified most important success factors.

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NeverENDing story

  • Reading time:6 mins read

Hint: this is a post for developers, and mostly junior developers, those who are still learning how to code properly. I know, I promised not to blog about stuff like this, but I simply couldn’t help this time.

A friend of mine has asked me for help.

“There is this C/AL function I had to rewrite, now I end up with 106 BEGINs, and only 105 ENDs. Do you have any idea how to find where this missing END belongs?”

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Warehouse Management quickie

  • Reading time:2 mins read

I’ve just got a call for help from a partner, about their customer who has decided to move from basic inventory management to full-scale warehouse management system. The question was how to post the opening balances for existing inventory quantities in flat locations to warehouse-managed ones.

I thought this might deserve a quick blog post, you can never know when someone else would want to do the same thing.

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“Our old software” syndrome

  • Reading time:2 mins read

A few days back, while prototyping a new solution for a customer, one of the key users said: “But in our old software it didn’t work like that.” I was about to try to explain why the change, but then the user’s boss said:

– We aren’t implementing a new solution so that everything can stay the way it was.

How often does it happen to you that your customers say to you a similar thing: “But in our old system…”? What do you say to them? How do you approach change when your consultant proposes a new way of doing things, or a new approach to a common problem?

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Serial Numbers Conundrum

  • Reading time:6 mins read

A blog reader has asked me for help about an allegedly strange behavior of items with serial number tracking. They had a customer who had serial number tracking switched on for an item with FIFO costing method. Whenever they posted a sales transaction, they chose the serial number manually. Then they noticed a puzzling behavior.

No matter the specification of the serial number on the sales lines, Microsoft Dynamics NAV seemed to be closing the item entries according to FIFO method. This effectively allowed a serial number to be sold twice (or more). They called for help.

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Cool undocumented feature

  • Reading time:1 min read

I hate it when I don’t have time to blog. I’d like if I could tell you what I’ve been doing, but let’s leave it at this: I am enjoying my vacation, away from my office, my job, my projects, my customers, my partners, and obviously – my blog. You should take a vacation, too – great stuff!

Another thing I hate is to start anything with “I hate”. So, let’s switch the tone.

I love undocumented features. They afford you some brag time with your friends and colleagues. I’ve just found about a great undocumented feature in Microsoft Dynamics NAV: import objects from a .FBK backup (found on Plataan Knowledge Blog). If you just need the objects, there is no need to restore the whole database. Nice one!

(I already see myself using this – after the vacation, of course…)

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Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step 2.0

  • Reading time:2 mins read

A new version of Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step methodology was released yesterday and is available for download to all Microsoft Dynamics partners enrolled in a service plan. If you were a partner, and thought you had no reason to enroll in one before, now there is a compelling reason to do so. This version brings so many improvements over the previous one that it is really worth it.

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How critical is business intelligence?

  • Reading time:4 mins read

I was involved with three go-lives this month. Not all of them required the same level of engagement, that was the major survival factor for me, but nevertheless I got into an interesting discussion with a colleague.

– So it was three projects this month, huh? All of the NAV? – she asked.

– No, it was one NAV, two of them were business intelligence ones.

– Ah, ok, so they are not business critical. – she concluded.

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