You really like your current business system and your accounting system, yet they don't "talk to" each other, requiring re-keying a lot of information in both systems. You COULD implement a new system combining both the business system and accounting system functionality in one package, yet do not WANT to do this because of cost, time required, and risk. What do you do?
Depending on the capabilities of both your business system and accounting system, the two systems may be able to be integrated so they will "talk to" each other.
Know the Signs
"My controller has better things to do than make weekly journal entries to post information from our business system into our accounting system."
"We need to track costs at the job level, yet don't want to have to re-key information from our accounting system into our business system."
"We spend a LOT of time setting up job info in our business system, and then have to turn around and do the same thing in our accounting system."
"Sometimes a job originates on our accounting system and then needs to be set up in our business system - other times, the job originates in our business system. Can't our two systems talk with each other, so that when a job is setup in one system, it's automatically setup in the other?"
Benefits of a System Integration Project
Faster Process – Record production costs faster.
Accuracy – Better accuracy of production costs.
Save Time – Save time and spend less by re-directing time and costs to alternative high-value activities.
Save Money – System Integration is less costly than buying an over-priced system, or implementing a brand new system.
System Integration Case Study
Improving Data Integrity and Management Analysis by Integrating Systems
Read how this insurance company got a new management analysis tool as a by-product of integrating its industry-specific business system and its accounting system.
New Skills Required - Life After a System Integration Project
Editorial: Read Todd's thoughts on how peoples' skills need to change after a system integration project.
Incorporating EDI Documents and Automated Processing into an ERP System
Incorporating the automated processing of inbound and outbound EDI documents is a special type of system integration project.