Past Projects
Problems And Solutions
These are representative examples of the types of problems I have solved for past clients. Vibrance can successfully address many other types of situations. Please contact Vibrance to discuss your issue to see how I can help.
Spreadsheet
Problem:
An eight-employee accounting company is using a spreadsheet to track the tax returns coming through their office. They handle 1,000 personal returns and 200 business returns yearly, plus other projects. The employees all have different billing rates and work on a variety of projects including individual returns, business returns, tax notices, payroll tax returns, bookkeeping and audits. They have typical problems related to implementing a tracking system in a spreadsheet including sorting the wrong way and the data being scrambled, formulas being deleted or corrupted, the sheet not being not multi-user, no way to bill work done for a client if it involves multiple employees and no capability for reporting or year-to-year comparison of data.
Requirements:
- Using color coding, track each return at each of seven stages of processing.
- Track deadlines for returns and response dates to various IRS notices.
- Indication that return is complete and can be billed.
- Track each employee’s billing rate.
- Produce reporting for multiple events:
- Previous clients who haven’t filed yet.
- Outstanding returns including those not e-file accepted, not complete or not billed.
- Status of return/project including receipt, time in, employee assigned to it and current status.
- Employee Hours
- Billing
Solution:
Development of a database that requires employees to log into the system and tracks employee time by project, provides billing for employee time based on the per project and hourly rate, allows for sorting and filtering of records to determine the status of returns, provides the desired reports and produces accurate invoices and combines personal and business projects into one system.
Order/Inventory/Price List Program
Problem:
A start-up company was searching for a highly flexible order entry system that could also track inventory as received from suppliers and ordered by customers.
Requirements:
- Manage order entry.
- Track inventory.
- Print unique price lists for each customer based on his or her pricing schedule.
- Ability to automatically send price lists to customers on a periodic basis.
Solution:
Development of an Order Entry/Inventory control application that allowed for flexible discounting on both product and customer levels. The application can generate and print unique price lists for each customer, marking the recently purchased items in red. Lastly, the application can send price lists individually or en masse, at any time throughout the day. Customer histories’ reporting includes order histories, discount structures, monthly sales and discount levels for product.
Telemarketing System
Problem:
A company needed a simple, straightforward telemarketing tool that would allow reps to view their clients’ current product pricing and order histories on screen. The company also wanted reps to keep tickler files that were viewable by management for quality control purposes. The telemarketing software package Gold Mine was considered, but they found that it to be too complex and feature heavy for their needs.
Requirements:
- Simple/easy to use.
- Display customer information and order history.
- Electronic tickler file for daily reminders.
- Allow management to review tickler items.
Solution:
The expansion of the Order/Inventory/Price List program to incorporate the desired telemarketing features. The user interface for the new system was completely overhauled so that the tickler and customer information screens were always in focus. The new telemarketing functions facilitate quick information gathering of customer information. Management can print a daily activity report, viewing the tickler items for all sales reps on a given day.
Time Management: Manufacturing
Problem:
A manufacturer pays its workers mainly by piecework. The company owners have done extensive research and have not found a commercial information management package that will fulfill their needs.
Requirements:
- Track employees by piecework.
- Track employee downtime when machines are being repaired.
- Track time-off: sick days, vacation, and other.
- Print payroll summary reports each week.
- Must be simple and easy to use.
Solution:
The development of a program that tracks each employee by the number of pieces produced and the amount of downtime in minutes. It also tracks time-off, such as sick time or vacation. One key to the Time Sheets program was to make data entry very easy, as the manager would be entering 20-30 employees per day.
Time Management: Project Management
Problem:
Many professionals work on a project basis, sometimes shuffling between projects during the day. Regardless of the profession, similar activities and tasks tend to occur for each project or client—meetings, phone calls, research, etc. A way to track the amount of time spent in each task within a project or with a client is necessary. Within this, the ability to define project and billing milestones— hours worked on a project and when invoices were sent and for how many hours—is crucial.
Requirements:
- Track time by project and activity.
- Report time by project and activity or specific activity in all projects.
- Track project and billing milestones.
- Print project milestone summaries showing the amount of time logged during a milestone period.
- Print billing milestone summaries showing non-billed hours or profit/loss figures.
Solution:
Development of Time Keeper as a commercial package to meet these requirements. Users can define projects and activities and then log time against them. Summary reports show the amount of time spent in each activity under a given project. A report summarizes activities for all projects such as how much time was spent in meetings for multiple projects. The milestone capabilities allow the bracketing of project hours so that major events in the life of a project can be recorded.
VIBRANCE TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION