Happenings January 20, 2024

    In this issue:

• National Day Spotlight
• ISV Addon Spotlight
• TRAILD AP Automation
• User Tip
• Leadership 101
• Events, Blogs, Movies
• Webinars, Community

The purpose of a newsletter is an opportunity for the ASWi team to provide you and the rest of our clients with information on all the new ASWi and Acumatica related things (or “happenings”) that you may not otherwise be aware of.

Please feel free to share this newsletter with any/all of your team. Pease let me know if anyone on your team who would like to be added to the mailing list for the next issue and removed.

“The world reveals itself to those who travel on foot.” Werner Herzog

In today’s world of working at a desk, staring at a computer or standing at a retail or restaurant job, it can be hard to get outside and stretch our legs. Take a Walk Outdoors Day a perfect time to be intentional about enjoying some sunshine, getting some exercise and fresh air.

Enjoy a stroll around a park, hike a trail or walk around your ‘hood. FYI re: the picture: One of my favorite short hikes is along the South Fork of the San Gabriel River where a dozen dinosaur tracks in the riverbed. There are 3-toed tracks from predator dinos and round tracks from a large herbivore.

Q: What do you call a dinosaur wearing a cowboy hat?
A: Tyrannosaurus Tex.

Q: What did the dinosaur call her new specialty clothing store for blouses?
A: Try Sara’s Tops.

Q: Do you know how long dinosaurs lived?
A: The same as short ones.

Q: What do you call a dinosaur who has sleep apnea?
A: A Tyranno-snorus.

Q: What type of materials did dinosaurs use for the floor of their homes?
A: Rep-tiles.

Q: What do you do when a dinosaur sneezes?
A: Out of the way as fast as you can.

Q: What is found in the middle of dinosaurs?
A: The letter S.

eWorkplace Apps has announced the release of their new Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) Powered by Siemens OpCenter solution.

It is a comprehensive APS solution that is accessible within the Acumatica Cloud ERP application and it is designed to enhance operational efficiency by optimizing the planning and scheduling for an efficient production process. Each manufacturer can have specific needs for optimized production planning and scheduling which can be achieved with the help of this newly introduced solution.

For more information on the eWorkpace Apps Advanced Planning and Scheduling Powered by Siemens OpCenter, you can visit the eWorkplace Apps booth #207 in the Acumatica Summit 2024 Marketplace or feel free to contact our Customer Success Manager Keith Wood (keithw@aswius.com | 717-581-1226).

Many of our clients are government contractors who need to meet a number of compliance requirements in order to vie for, and work for a government agency or government contractor.

Acumatica Cloud ERP has two different subscription types: Software as a Service (SaaS) “public cloud” offering and Private Cloud Subscription (PCS). If you have an Acumatica Cloud ERP SaaS subscription, your instance of Acumatica Cloud ERP is deployed within Acumatica’s public cloud that is hosted within Amazon Web Service’s (AWS) public cloud data centers. This means that both Acumatica and AWS are providing the infrastructure, resources, and managed services that enable you to have your mission-critical ERP within a safe, secure, scalable environment.

If you are a government contractor who needs to meet ITAR, FedRAMP and/ or CMMC 2.0 requirements, you should have the PCS subscription Acumatica
Cloud ERP, as it allows you to have your ERP instance deployed in an environment that meets these compliance requirements.

The actual deployment of your Acumatica Cloud ERP PCS instance could be done on-premise or on a “Cloud Service Offering” (CSO) that imeets FedRAMP Moderate Authorization. Both Amazon Web Services Cloud.Gov and Microsoft Azure for Government are two examples of CSOs that exceed this authorization and have received FedRAMP High Authorization.

Please note: the location of your ERP deployment is a critical component of meeting ITAR, FedRAMP and/or CMMC 2.0 compliance but it is not the only
criterion.

Please feel free to contact our Customer Success Manager Keith Wood (keithw@aswius.com | 717-581-1226) if you are interested in being introduced to experts who can consult with you regarding how to meet all of the requirements represented by these acronyms.

By Cotter Cunningham
What are some challenging situations that managers face when doing annual reviews?

My best advice is a modified version of the Golden Rule: Review unto others as you would have them review you. In other words, be honest, be direct, don’t be mean, but don’t be too kind either. I want to get better, so I need clear, direct, actionable feedback. I believe a good manager throws a wide net, seeking opinions from a variety of sources. Including the employee’s self-review, from their peers, other managers, almost anyone in the organization the employee interacts with regularly. As the reviewer, you are especially looking for patterns.

Is the employee consistently giving clear direction? Are they helpful? Kind? Respectful?Timely? Willing to go the extra mile? Thoughtful? Open to feedback? Motivated? Motivating? Etc.

Great reviews are easy to conduct. “You did a great job this year. You achieved X, Y and Z, on time and on budget, resulting in $millions in increased sales. People love working with you and for you. Managing you is a breeze. Let’s discuss your goals and how I can help you achieve them. Oh, and thank you!”

Weaker performers can be tougher to review. Many managers struggle to be direct and don’t want the pain of delivering bad (albeit accurate) news, so there are plenty of companies where the worst performers are tolerated and often moved from group to group instead of managed out. It’s an easy trap to fall into, and I
am sure I have been guilty of this, especially when the employee is a longtime co-worker or a friend (or both!). To get around this, many companies have an official (or unofficial) quota of low reviews. I personally hate this, as it feels so stifling as a manager and unfair to the employees.

To me, some of the hardest reviews are good, smart employees who seem no longer motivated and are potentially phoning it in. Oftentimes, a change of manager or role can help enormously, but it can be challenging as a manager to know what the right answer is.

Another challenging review is one where the employee is really great but may lack the skills needed or is not a great fit for the role’s demands going forward. This can be especially true in a startup that has grown, as the employees who got you here may not be the employees you want/need to go. Yet as a manager, you
may feel intense loyalty to the people who worked hard to achieve your success to date. No easy answers here.

Good luck!

If you do not see “With Branches Requiring Balancing” when setting up a new company, as shown below:

This is because, in Acumatica Cloud ERP 2023 R2, you need to have the Multibranch Support and InterBranch Transaction selected on CS100000 as shown in the Acumatica Help article below:

Please feel free to reach out to support@ASWiUS.com for more information.

By Mike Brooks
Happy New Year!

Overwhelmed by all your “to-do” goals? If so, then take a tip from Brian Tracy and do this:

1. Think about what’s most important to you in the different areas of your life and write down ten things.
2. From that list, make a list of your top ten goals for the year.
3. Prioritize that list so that the most important goal is number one.
4. Throw away the other nine goals and make a commitment to making that number one goal a reality in the next twelve months. Once you’ve made that commitment, ask yourself “What one action can I take today, right now, to begin reaching that goal?” When I heard this, my first thought was, “Yeah, but what about the other nine goals?”

He explained that despite our best intentions, most goal setting starts strong but by March it slows down and by the summer most – if not all – of our goals will be abandoned.

That’s why identifying one goal, the most important and most impactful goal, is a better way to go. Think about how much your life will change (and the lives of your family members) if you reach this number one, most important goal.

If your goal is to become a leader in your industry and double or triple your income, think about the impact that will have on your family. Think about buying that new home, or providing for your parents, or allowing your wife or spouse to stay home.

If your goal is to finally write that novel, think about how your life will change when you finally accomplish that this year! Think about the weight off your shoulders now that it is a reality rather than just another dream.

Nearly every weekday, a motivational quote is posted on X/Twitter by @ASWiDelivered and on LinkedIn by @ASWi.

• “If you want to be successful, it’s just this simple: Know what you are doing. Love what you are doing. And believe in what you are doing.” Will Rogers

• “The road to success is always under construction.” Lily Tomlin

• “If people believe they share values with a company, they will stay loyal to the brand.” Howard Schultz

• “No one can whistle a symphony.” H.E. Luccock

• “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” Jimmy Dean