Software Selection

Blog posts on the topic of software selection.

Implementing Systems for Improved Reporting Efficiency Workbook

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Today (Tuesday) I presented at the Victorian CPA Congress for 2007 in Melbourne on the topic ‘Implementing systems for improved reporting efficiency’. This is a presentation that I gave last year to the Queensland CPA Congress, slightly revised for the passage of a year.

For anyone looking for the workbook and the slides from today’s presentation, you will find it here:

The download is about 1 megabyte in size.

And a quick photo of the convention centre:

Of course if you did attend the presentation, please feel free to leave feedback and/or ask a question through the comments area below. It was a smaller group than last year, but it was good to have a good room-full of people to present to. Again, feel free to leave any feedback if you’re from today’s session.

Thanks: Micheal Axelsen

Improving reporting efficiency

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Today I presented to 142 of my closest friends at CPA Congress on the topic of ‘Implementing systems for improved reporting efficiency’, and I believe the presentation delivered upon what was promised. At any rate, no-one threw anything sharp and pointy at me during the presentation, so I am going to consider that a positive comment.

I told everyone that I would post my presentation, and the guide, to my blog, so this is the entry with it in. You can download, as a PDF, today’s slides and the accompanying workbook:

If you attended today’s session, please feel free to email me or to leave a comment on the blog to give some feedback.

CPA Congress Presentation

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I am now sitting in the Qantas lounge of Melbourne airport.  I just delivered (about an hour and a half ago) the workshop presentation on Open Source Software.  Overall I think it went fairly well, although the final measure is how the participants felt it went.  A pity about the smaller number.  I am also concerned that we identified far more issues and risks around open source software than perhaps we needed to, although it is clear that any organisation that is risk averse and considering the introduction of open source software, in a world where everything works and is stable, is going to have to be careful about moving their infrastructure from one software base to another. 

The main point of the presentation was to consider the issues and understand your business’ strategic direction with information systems if you decide to use open source.  I think open source presents unique, but not unsurmountable, issues for the business, and some real issues.  Our conclusions today lead one to think that perhaps though these opportunities are more back-office and commercially focussed, for most businesses, than in the front office – looking at today. 

Putting the hat on for five years from now?  Who knows, perhaps we won’t know or care where our software comes from – perhaps it will mostly be web-based (a la Google’s takeover of Writely) and the world will move away from Vista and its thick-client cohorts. 

Well, I’m about to board.  I wonder if any of the participants at today’s workshop will stop by to leave comments.  I will upload the presentation and workbook later tonight as a PDF (when I get home about 10.30pm <groan> – a bit late after a 5.30am start this morning).

CPA Congress in Melbourne – Catchy Titles R Us

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Today I am presenting to CPA Congress in Melbourne, at the Melbourne Convention Centre.  The topic I am presenting to is "What is Open Source Software and When can Businesses Use It?".  I must spend more time on the titles, as I see that all the other sessions have catchy little titles like ‘Communication that Captivates’ or ‘Introduction to budgeting for non-accountants’ (OK well maybe that one’s not all that catchy).  I really should start with some eye-grabbing titles.  In this case, it probably should have been something like ‘Never Buy Software Again!’ or ‘What you don’t buy could hurt you’. 

Hmmm.  Maybe I’ll think about that.

Unfortunately I have always liked my seminar titles to say what they’re about – kinda boring, but functional.  I bet I won’t have anyone turn up to this seminar thinking they’re going to get free software from me.  I might have to establish a Catchy Names for Seminars department. 

Anyway I flew down this morning at 8.50am on the plane – but had to leave home much earlier than I had intended to since Brisbane is suffering greatly from traffic chaos.  Amazing what can happen when someone realises that about 100m or so of roadway could collapse and kill everybody in its path.  I’m sure they’ve done the right thing but honestly who can tell?  Got into Melbourne about 11.30 and immediately the fun and games started.  It seems my email with the presentation and workbook didn’t actually come through with the email I sent on Sunday.  Maybe I mucked up – it occasionally happens, and even more rarely do I admit to doing so.  Anyway, after much toing and froing I found the Press Room in the Holiday Inn (Trap for Young Players:  as an outsider looking in, apparently I am supposed to ‘know’ that the hotel with Crowne Plaza written all over it is actually the Holiday Inn.  What gives?).

That has lead us to a place where they can have the presentation in the room and can photocopy (!) the 12 workbooks I need to do my workshop.  Again, insert a big fat hmmm here. 

Why only twelve people I hear you ask?  Well, darned if I know either – I hope they all turn up or that whole group discussioon thing I’ve got planned is going to go pretty lamely.  Perhaps everyone knows everything about there open source software (I can but hope) or perhaps somewhat more realistically they have a nagging faint suspicion at the very core of their souls that three hours spent discussing open source software could send them into cardiac arrest or a reall really deep coma. This I think is a real problem for a profession when the topics I am up against are things like ‘3 secrets of how workplace fun boosts results’, ‘GST and Property Update’, and ‘Excel Beyond the Basics’ (that one needs two rooms).

Gak, perhaps this is my problem.  Accounting still thinks of IT as Excel (a tool to help you report on the financial aspects of the business) whereas I am thinking of IT as a tool that helps the business deliver its services or products.  Perhaps I should have mentioned that they wouldn’t have to pay for Excel to do 80% of the work they want to do…

Ah, accountants.  A conservative lot.

Selecting software

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Yesterday, as part of our services to the middle market, we decided to run a seminar on how to go about making a software selection.

We often find that businesses have a very tough time when it comes to picking new software. It’s often an expensive exercise, not just in the cost of the software – which is the cheapest component – but also in lost productivity and the distraction to the business. And the people that are distracted often are the ones that the business can least afford to have distracted. And the worst but all-too-common outcome is that the software selected doesn’t work out so you have to go through it all again.

So as a professional service we often offer to clients a service to wrap up the process, make the decision much easier, and make it happen. When the brochure comes out I will post it here, but the seminar is scheduled for 13 September and the cost is $60.

The full description for the seminar is:

“Selecting Software

This session is focussed on growing your business’s capability through a unique, simple, and innovative approach to selecting the software and technologies that make your business work smarter. The approach outlined in this seminar reduces the legwork and distraction of selecting new technologies, and increases the practical positive impact of your choice upon your business.”

And that says it all really.