Sage 200 Integration with FMIS
FMIS now offers Enterprise Asset Management for Sage 200 users including seamless integration.
Fixed Assets Add-on module or Specialist software
What do you need to look for when choosing between a fixed assets add-on & specialist software. Compare the costs and benefits of each to get the right fit.
Cloud vs On-premise
Simple, quick and affordable – cloud hosting offers an attractive alternative to going on-premise, but is it right for you? Here is what you need to know.
Ghost Assets
Ghost assets increase expenses, reduce productivity and exist in almost every company. Here is how to identify them, remove them and prevent them recurring.
FMIS Turns 30
As FMIS turns 30, here is the story of how an IT start-up went from its first fixed asset module to providing asset management in 40 countries worldwide.
Barcodes vs RFID in Asset Tracking
Quickly understand the pro’s and con’s of using Barcode and RFID technology for asset tracking & management. Compare the costs, hardware and applications.
Lean asset management in manufacturing
Why lean asset management in manufacturing works back to front and how it cuts out the seven types of waste in the production process.
Making renewable energy work
Why good asset management is key to making renewable energy a cost effective alternative to non-renewables.
6 steps to a successful software integration
Successful software integrations can cut costs and save time. Find out how to manage your project effectively from start to finish.
The 3 big asset management project killers and how to avoid them
How to avoid the most common mistakes that will derail your project
Sam was enthusiastic and friendly as she told me about her project to look for a new asset management system. Her company had built the current system in-house, but as they grew they realised they needed something a bit more comprehensive. It sounded like a great project, but being new to asset management software I didn’t see the warning signs.
Fast-forward 9 months and Sam sounded a lot less enthusiastic and I felt the same. Despite all the initial enthusiasm, and a lot of work, we were still no closer to deciding if the project would go ahead. Where did it all go so wrong?
Looking back, we made three simple mistakes that can derail any asset management project before it even gets going:
1) Resources
Sam’s title should have been a red flag – “Project Support”. It was not her fault, but she did not have the experience or authority to drive through a project this big. When a project does not have an internal project sponsor or ‘champion’ with the authority to agree or veto changes, they usually just get passed on to the potential supplier as an additional feature request.
The lack of a clear, well thought through and targeted project specification increases the risk of an overly complex solution that is delivered late and over budget. The worst case scenario is that the project gets bogged down through a lack of direction and multiple layers of complexity. It eventually gets shelved without ever being delivered, but still at a significant cost to the client.
CHECKLIST
✓ Plan for the project sponsor to be actively involved
✓ Ensure the sponsor has the authority to agree the scope and specifications
✓ Establish the budget early on to avoid shocks at a later date
2) Planning
George Harrison’s lyrics to ‘Any Road‘ could have been the theme for this project – “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there”. Asset management systems can cover anything from purchasing through production and sales orders, as well as depreciation, tracking and maintenance.
Typically, asset management projects will involve finance, operations and IT as a minimum, so the potential for scope creep is a big risk. Sam’s task was to find the best system, except no one really knew what that looked like.
CHECKLIST
✓ Establish a cross functional project team before you start
✓ List your must-haves and nice-to-haves for any potential supplier
✓ Agree scenarios for suppliers to show you rather than a generic demo
3) Integration
When I asked Sam which finance package her company used, she sounded a bit surprised and asked why I needed to know. It had not occurred to her that any asset she managed would need to be loaded from somewhere and its value posted back.
A recent survey by the Access Group estimates that almost half of employees in the UK waste 3 hours a day or more on inefficient systems. A lack of integration can wipe out the savings that your new system is intended to deliver.
CHECKLIST
✓ Map the asset life cycle to see how and where each stage will be recorded
✓ Check what software integration each supplier provides
✓ Record all your interfaces centrally for future upgrades or new software
For more information on getting asset management systems right, have a read of the 10 Steps Guide to Asset Management.
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