Thinking of moving to MYOB Acumatica? Here is what you won’t read on the brochure

This is the first in a series of five posts which is intended to assist customers who are considering moving off MYOB AccountRight Classic onto MYOB Acumatica (formerly MYOB Advanced).

Next article – Is ERP an expense or an investment? Moving to MYOB Acumatica [Part 2]

Beyond the functional differences between the two products, there are a number of other elements which need to be considered when comparing MYOB AccountRight with MYOB Acumatica (or more generally when comparing a small business accounting package with an ERP system). These posts are written from the perspective of someone who used to work at MYOB and is aware of the challenges faced and opportunities presented when migrating from one product to the other. The intention is to allow for more informed decision-making for someone who is considering ERP for the first time.

Configurable vs Non-Configurable Software

The first element that needs to be considered when comparing MYOB AccountRight with MYOB Acumatica is that of configurability.

Small business accounting packages (such as MYOB AccountRight, Xero or Quickbooks) are not configurable – basically what you see is what you get; you use the software as it comes “out of the box.”

The benefit of non-configurable software is that it has either no (or a low) cost of installation and has very little in the way of support costs. Indeed, most software usage problems can be resolved by looking at YouTube videos or participating in a user forum. Failing that, you can always phone the support desk of the software vendor.

The downside of such systems – and the reason why you’d be contemplating an ERP system such as MYOB Acumatica in the first place – is that they can lack key areas of functionality which forces you to continue doing a bunch of manual processes outside of the system.

ERP systems are what we refer to as configurable software – i.e. the software needs to be configured before it can be used by the purchasing company. When it comes to mid-market ERP software the configuration will be done by an accredited partner of the ERP vendor. These accredited partners are predominantly organisations that specialise in installing and supporting ERP software.

The best analogy when it comes to configuration is to look upon an ERP system (before configuration) as an unmolded lump of clay. The job of an ERP partner is to take that lump of clay and mold (configure) it in such a way so that it can become a functional object that can be used by the ERP customer.

So here a few things of which you need to be aware about configurable software:

You Can’t Take It For a Test Drive

One of the questions that often gets asked of ERP vendors (or their partners) is “Can I get a copy of the software and have a play around with it for a month or so?”

The answer to this question is “No.”  Not because ERP vendors (or their partners) aren’t nice guys but simply because it would be a futile exercise.

If we continue on with the clay analogy, asking if you can have a play around with the software is like asking if you can be given a jug so that you can get a feel for its pouring action, and then be given a lump of undifferentiated clay. Not particularly useful, right?

What can happen however, is that once the ERP partner has a good feel for what functionality you require, they can provide a customised demonstration (which will involve some limited configuration) of the software so that you can see how the software might address those requirements.

No Two ERP Installations Are The Same

Here’s another manifestation of configurable software that might surprise you: no two ERP installations are the same.

Even if you take two companies who are in the same conglomerate, operate in the same industry and sell the same type of product to the same type of customer, and are using the same ERP product; they will have different ERP installations. Every company evolves differently and will, therefore, have different workflows. The ERP will be configured to reflect those workflows.

The reason I raise this point is that it can sometimes be put to an ERP partner that they shouldn’t be charging what they do to configure the software because “we’re no different from the other guys.” What I’m suggesting (with respect) is that your company is more unique than you are aware of.

The upside of configurable software is that once it has been configured, it can provide a platform for massively improved productivity. This is the context and the primary driver for considering implementing an ERP system such as MYOB Acumatica (formerly MYOB Advanced).