When will my Association Go Live and how long will it take to convert from ACCPAC to Acumatica?
The timeline for each Associations Go Live date is still to be determined. Currently, the schedule is to start having Counties Go Live in September 2020 and finish in February 2021 with about 6 Counties converting per month. The average size Association should take about 3 days to convert.
What is involved in the conversion of ACCPAC data?
Prelude, our implementation contractor, will do the conversion and importing of all records and data. Each County will be verifying the data as the years are brought over.
Why do we need a new system? Can’t we simply improve or get the latest version of ACCPAC?
The current software is not a cloud-based ERP and cannot be upgraded to be cloud- based. It is old technology that is already past its useful life in the version we currently have.
What will be significantly different from the current system –what is the “gain” at the local CCE level?
There are many advantages to the new software, the most significant is that it is a cloud-based ERP solution which can be accessed by approved users securely from almost any device. As we implement the many features of the software, we will be able to become more automated, efficient and flexible in our reporting to meet the needs for all the users of the system.
Can we customize our own reports for our own analysis?
Customizing reports will be very easy in Acumatica through the report writer Velixo. It is Excel based and communicates directly with Acumatica. Excel trainings for all finance staff have been offered to help everyone get up to speed on their Excel skills. All functions that work in Excel will work to create reports, queries, charts, graphs and budgets.
Can 4-H camp be included in association financials?
Accounting for camps are easily added to Acumatica as a branch in any Associations books and can be self- balancing. It is not required if you currently have a separate company for your camp.
What is the current status of the conversion and what are the expectations from staff? What is expected and required from the Association level to be able to contribute to a smoother transition?
The current status of the project is that we are slightly behind schedule, but have a target to get all Associations converted by February 2021 to close in the new software. There will be some decisions each Association will need to be part of that will be part of the setup of their unique settings in Acumatica such as user roles and security settings.
How much training is CCE Admin planning to do vs. SBN level training? I feel like CCE Admin/Acumatica should lead in initial training roll out to assure consistency in application across Associations.
The goal is that a detailed user guide that takes the user step by step through each process will be completed before Associations are converted. In addition, we will use the Train the Trainer model, training the SBN Finance Leads who will then train staff in their region.
What will I need to know to adapt to the new system?
To limit the amount of adaptation that users will need to go through Acumatica will use our current account code structure to make it look and be familiar to current users. In addition, favorites will be set up for certain processes showing the workflow to do standard processes such as entering an AP Invoice or AR transaction.
How steep a learning curve there will be, and flexibility to accommodate the many special situations that exist in CCE?
Based on information and interviews with companies that converted from ACCPAC to Acumatica the learning curve was relatively fast. People we spoke to had things working for basic functions within 2 weeks and found it a very easy transition.
For any questions that you may have, you may post them in the comments section.
