Managing document templates with OpenOffice.org
28.1 Requirements Analysis and Planning
Requirements analysis and planning are the keys to the success of an implementation. At this stage you should set up a management team to define the costs and benefits of the project, select a project team, and set out the detailed stages that will have to be carried out. Open ERP is so easy to start using that it is not always obvious, particularly to IT staff, that a clear requirements plan is necessary for implementing the system successfully. The difficulty is not particularly in installing the software nor in configuring it, but rather more about: • knowing what to configure, • deciding if you should adapt the software or perhaps change your method of working, for some of your specialized processes, • forming teams that can specify and work on some of the changes, • ensuring that your users are committed to the change. ERP system implementation is a project carried out using information technology but it is a business project rather than an IT project in itself. The challenge of this type of project is in changing the behaviour of those involved at all levels of the enterprise. People in the IT department will certainly be an integral part of the project but they should be managed by someone in a senior position who both understands the business impact across the organization and has experience of technical projects. Ideally the project manager should know the company well, both its specific quirks and its different standard cross-company processes. 418 If the enterprise does not have its own IT group, you are probably better off opting for a SaaS offer. This means that you subcontract all the difficult technology, from the installation of the server to its maintenance, all the while being assured of the installation of a robust architecture with its redundancy, backed-up servers, and separation of authentication and data.28.1.1 Planning methods
Planning methods vary in their degree of complexity, formality and level of automation. It is not the intention of this chapter to steer you towards one method or the other. Open ERP’s menus are organized to lead you through an implementation in a sensible order, so that information that has to be entered first is encountered first in the menu system. Forms are also organized so that if you enter data in the natural order you will get later fields completed automatically by the earlier ones where possible. And demonstration data illustrates how Open ERP’s functional areas are linked from one to the other The menus themselves hint at several helpful implementation suggestions, for example the sub-menus of Administration → Configuration are useful for the configuration of the software. New functions such as the Module Recorder enable you to significantly accelerate the configuration of data.28.2 Deployment
As you have seen, the complete architecture of Open ERP includes the following elements: • a database server, • an Open ERP application server, • an Open ERP client-web server, • several clients that access the Open ERP server: they can either be web clients if the client-web server is installed, or GTK clients. Note: Deployment Deployment is the process of putting a Open ERP database into a production-ready state, where it can be used by everyone in your business for their daily work. You would usually configure Open ERP and load data into it on one development system, train staff on that or another training system and deploy it onto a production system that has better protection against failure, better security and more performance.28.2.1 Deployment Options
To deploy Open ERP in your company, several options are available to you: • a SaaS Software as a Service or On-Demand offer which includes the equipment, the hosting, the maintenance and the support on a system configured to your needs in advance, • an internal installation, that you manage yourselves or have managed by an IT services company such as an Open ERP partner, • hosting by a server supplier on which Open ERP is installed, which enables you to proceed to add adaptations on your server. The first two approaches are the most commonly used. The SaaS Software as a Service offer SaaS is a complete package hosted at a supplier, that includes the following services: server hardware, hosting of the generic solution, installation and initial configuration, redundancy of the architecture, backups, system maintenance and support. It is also known as On-Demand. 419 It is provided in the form of a monthly subscription with a fixed price per user. You can find the detail of Tiny’s SaaS packages at http:ondemand.openerp.com . SaaS packages do not permit you to develop specific modules to your needs. On the contrary, they offer a service at a set price based on standard software modules that contain few migration risks. SaaS suppliers are limited generally to the modules certified and validated by the original author and project manager, Tiny. Here are the main advantages of an Open ERP SaaS solution: • an unbeatable return on investment cost of implementation: 0, cost of licenses: 0, • costs that are controlled and without surprises the offer includes maintenance, frequent migrations and support, • a turnkey solution, installed in less than twenty-four hours, • packages adapted and preconfigured for different sectors of activity, • a very robust architecture guaranteed to have constant and permanent access, reachable from anywhere. So this server is recommended for small companies with fewer than about fifteen employees. Hosting by a supplier At first sight a hosted Open ERP system appears similar to SaaS: it provides Open ERP from a remote installation through a web browser. But in general the similarities stop there. To compare it with an SaaS package you should check if the hosting offer properly includes the following elements: • server hardware, • hosting, • maintenance, • future migrations, • backups, • server redundancy, • telephone and email support, • frequent updates to the modules. Also get yourself up to speed on the following points: • the version of Open ERP proposed, • the costs of implementation configuration, data loading, training, • the cost of configuration if it is proposed, • the technology and the procedure used for securing your database, • the technology and the procedure for preventing system faults, • the technology and the procedure for restoring a faulty system, • limitations on the number of users, the number of simultaneous users, and the size of the database, • the level of support and its costs, • the procedure used to update Open ERP to fault-fixed versions • the procedure adopted for Open ERP upgrades to versions that have both fault fixes and new functionality. Calling such suppliers can be a good solution if you are willing to entrust all the technical specifications for the functioning of Open ERP to them, especially if you need to use customized or extension modules that are not in the stable version released by Tiny.Parts
» Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Why this book? Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Independent Installation on Windows
» Installation on Linux Ubuntu
» Creating the database Database Creation
» Extending Open ERP New OpenERP functionality
» Database creation Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Preferences toolbar To connect to OpenERP
» Configuring Users Managing partners
» The Configuration Reconfigure wizard
» Installing an application module from the Modules list
» Installing a module with its dependencies
» Installing additional functionality Installing new functionality
» General Features What’s new in OpenERP
» Business Application-related Features What’s new in OpenERP
» Basic Concepts Getting started with OpenERP
» Boost your Sales Getting started with OpenERP
» Manage your Books Getting started with OpenERP
» Drive your Projects Getting started with OpenERP
» Driving your Sales Getting started with OpenERP
» Driving your Purchases Getting started with OpenERP
» Organise your Warehouse Getting started with OpenERP
» Measure your Business Performance Track your Process Flows
» Business Example Basic Settings
» Get your Database Up and Running with Demo Data
» Fit your Needs Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Configuring Accounts Database setup
» Configuring Journals Configuring the Main Company
» Creating partner categories, partners and their contacts
» Creating products and their categories
» Stock locations Database setup
» Setting up a chart of accounts
» Make a backup of the database
» Purchase Order Driving a Purchase Sales Flow
» Receiving Goods Driving a Purchase Sales Flow
» Invoice Control Driving a Purchase Sales Flow
» Paying the supplier Driving a Purchase Sales Flow
» From Sales Proposal to Sales Order
» Preparing goods for shipping to customers Invoicing Goods Customer Payment
» Terminology What is in it for you?
» Filtering your Partners Contacts Addresses Partner Categories
» Fetchmail Advanced Customer Relations
» Automated Actions Advanced Customer Relations
» Profiling Advanced Customer Relations
» Report Designer Advanced Customer Relations
» Helpdesk Calendars Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Analyzing Performance Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Automating actions using rules
» Installation and Configuration Using the e-mail gateway
» Creating and maintaining cases
» Supplier relationship management Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Establishing the profiles of prospects
» Using profiles effectively Profiling
» Installing the Outlook plugin
» Configuring the Outlook plugin
» Installing the Thunderbird plugin
» Configuring the Thunderbird plugin
» Using the Thunderbird plugin
» Automate your leads with Marketing Campaigns
» Defining a Marketing Campaign in OpenERP Guidelines for creating a campaign
» Customer Receipts Supplier Vouchers
» Draft Invoices Accounting Workflow and Automatic Invoice Creation
» Reconciliation and Payments Accounting Workflow and Automatic Invoice Creation
» Cancelling an Invoice Invoices
» Credit Notes Refunds Invoices
» Managing Bank Statements Accounting Entries
» Manual entry Accounting Entries
» Import Invoices Accounting Entries
» Cash Management Accounting Entries
» Reconciliation Process Accounting Entries
» How to Manage your Payment Orders?
» Financial Analysis of Partners
» Taxation Statutory Taxes and Chart of accounts
» General Ledger and Trial Balance
» The Accounting Journals Statutory Taxes and Chart of accounts
» Management Indicators Company Financial Analysis
» Good Management Budgeting Company Financial Analysis
» The Accounting Dashboard Company Financial Analysis
» Using a Preconfigured Chart of Accounts Creating a Chart of Accounts
» Payment Terms Opening Entries
» Case 1: Industrial Manufacturing Enterprise
» Case 2: Law Firm To each enterprise its own Analytic Chart of Accounts
» Case 3 : IT Services Company
» Setting up the Chart of Accounts
» Creating Journals Putting Analytic Accounts in Place
» Integrated with General Accounting
» Manual Entries Analytic Entries
» Analysis per account Financial Analysis
» Key indicators Financial Analysis
» Management of staff Managing Human Resources
» Contract Management Managing Human Resources
» Entering timesheet data Timesheets
» Managing by department Timesheets
» An integrated process Employee Expenses
» Recruitments Hire New People
» Assessments Inspire your People
» Holiday Management Inspire your People
» Fixed Price contracts Managing Service Contracts
» Cost-reimbursement contracts Managing Service Contracts
» Fixed-price contracts invoiced as services are worked
» Contracts limited to a quantity
» Creating Projects and Related Tasks
» Managing tasks Project Management
» Invoicing Tasks Project Management
» Priority Management Project Management
» Delegate your Tasks Project Management
» Project Phases Long Term Project Planning
» Scheduling Long Term Project Planning
» Planning by time or by tasks?
» Not everything that is urgent is necessarily important Organizing your life systematically
» Understanding Double-Entry Stock Management
» Product Types From Supplier to Customer
» Procurement Methods – Make to Stock and Make to Order Supply Methods
» Units of Measure From Supplier to Customer
» Receipt of a Supplier Order by Purchase Order
» Receipt of a Supplier Order by Product Customer Delivery
» Customer Delivery by Product
» Stock Locations Basic Logistics Configuration
» Location Types Basic Logistics Configuration
» Location Addresses Basic Logistics Configuration
» Accounting Valuation in Real Time
» Linked locations Basic Logistics Configuration
» Structuring locations Basic Logistics Configuration
» Handling Customer Orders Basic Logistics Configuration
» Linked Production Basic Logistics Configuration
» Push Flows Logistics Configuration in a Multi-Company Environment
» Pull Flows Logistics Configuration in a Multi-Company Environment
» Stock Rental Locations Import Export
» Automatic Procurement Minimum Stock Rules
» Stock Moves Management of Lots and Traceability
» Lots Management of Lots and Traceability
» The different journals Management by Journal
» Using the journals Management by Journal
» Requirements Calculation Scheduling Just in Time
» Planning Managing Partial Deliveries Receiving Supplier Products
» Manual Data Entry of Goods Receipt
» Confirming pre-generated Goods Receipt Documents
» Confirmation by Selecting Products Waiting Product Routing
» Management of production Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Configurable Bills of Materials
» Manufacturing Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» The customer order Workflow for complete production
» Producing an Intermediate Product
» Manufacture of finished product Delivery of product to the customer
» Invoicing at delivery Workflow for complete production
» Security days Calculation of lead times
» Definition of concepts Operations
» Routing Impact on the production order
» Work operations Management of operations
» Subcontracting manufacture Events and barcodes
» Scheduling Treatment of exceptions
» Entering data for a new repair Repair workflow
» Invoicing the repair Management of repairs
» Manual procurement Management of waste products and secondary products Sales Quotations
» Packaging Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Alerts Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Order Configuration Control Deliveries and Invoicing
» Picking Mode Control Deliveries and Invoicing
» Tariff Grids Management of Carriers
» Delivery Modes Management of Carriers
» Delivery based on Ordered Quantities
» Margins by Product Keep Track of your Margins
» Margins by Project Keep Track of your Margins
» Creating Price Lists Example
» Rebates at the End of a Campaign
» Open Orders Layout Templates
» Price Request from the Supplier
» Goods Receipt All the Elements of a Complete Workflow
» Control based on Goods Receipt
» Tenders Price Revisions All the Elements of a Complete Workflow
» Elementary Statistics Purchase Analysis
» Analytic Accounts Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Examples of Process Process Integration in the Management System
» Using processes effectively Workflows and User Processes
» Defining your own user processes
» The importance of good document management
» Classic document management solutions
» Getting Started The OpenERP Solution
» Internal and External Access using FTP
» Mapping between OpenERP Resources and Directories
» Standardizing Structures Searching for documents Working with users’ changes Version Management
» OpenERP Server Setup Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» DNS Server Setup Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» SSL Setup Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Calendars on iPhone Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Prerequisites Calendars on Android
» How to configure? Calendars on Android
» Calendars in Evolution Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Prerequisites Calendars in SunbirdLightning
» Configuration Calendars in SunbirdLightning
» Creating a Configuration Module
» Changing the menu Configuring the menu
» Personalizing the welcome page for each user Assigning default values to fields
» Changing the terminology Configuring the menu
» User Login Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Managing access rights Think Different Materi ERP openerp book v6
» Modification history Groups and Users
» Configuring workflows and processes
» Managing statistical reports Configuring reports
» Managing document templates with OpenOffice.org
» Creating common headers for reports
» Exporting Open ERP data to CSV
» Importing CSV data to Open ERP
» The CSV format for complex database structures
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