GENERAL ISSUES RELATED TO THE SOFTWARE 1. Why there is a need for business performance software by senior management?
2. Just what concrete information can I get?
3. I can always ask my deputies or assistants to provide appropriate information anyway. Why there is a need to make additional complications by installing the software, making training of several people, change my work pattern?
4. How much data I would need to feed in order to get consistent picture of my business?
5. How much time is necessary to spend per month to get and enter all data?
6. Can we transfer data into PHAROS automatically?
7. Why some managers prefer to keep manual procedures implemented while there is automated import feature?
8. What is the difference between PHAROS and other known ERP systems?
9. Who are the people, which may need such products?
10. Which person should be in charge of supporting Pharos in the company?
11. Which size of enterprise is most appropriate for Business Performance Software applications?
12. How I can link my accounting system to PHAROS?
13. Is there access to the system from different departments?
14. How the data entry arrangement is made?
15. How frequent is data entry?
16. Why the software is still single user application?
17. How to obtain complete package of software and support services on site including training and software in our country?
18. What options exist in training of our several staff members?
19. Which certificates are provided to the trainees after the training?
20. What is actually the software price? 21. What is the difference between the software versions delivered with End User License and Educational license? 22. What is the difference between the PHAROS approach and Balanced Scorecard? 23. How much data we can get from Produce Plus software into Pharos ? 24. Why BEST is not included into software tools for SME Programmes? Additional comments regarding the software and training programmes in the Interview published by INSME Issues related to partnership (FAQ)
1. Why the business performance software is important for senior management and owner? I know my enterprise in detail: people, processes, relations, main results, etc. The majority of entrepreneurs knows their businesses very well. However most of them are not able to get regular quantitative information about achievements and results especially in a simple and easy way. Consequently not all key performance indicator changes are known leading to increased probability to miss right time for introducing corrections. Major decisions are often made on the spot without preparing and analyzing optional outcomes. The simulation of decisions' consequences are very rare. As a result enterprises are run without continuous measuring, managing and benchmarking of its business performance in time while having a variety of hidden inefficiencies in production and use of available resources, inconsistency in definition of operational and strategic targets. The issues contribute to growing rate of enterprise mortality in SME industries, decreased competitiveness, lack of sustainability as well as underperformed industrial sectors. Having monitoring of results routinely, established the performance measuring, managing and benchmarking allow introducing and developing best continuous improvement practices and obtaining effective results in time. PHAROS package helps to measure business results easily, identifying existing or prospective problems early, making analysis quick and easy. It allows setting up managerial targets and providing early warning to introduce proper managerial actions when such targets are missed. After using PHAROS package entrepreneurs get accustomed to systematic analysis and planning of the enterprise activities, monitoring of its efficiency and holistic vision of the whole business. All these are key issues for the long-term success of the business, its improved productivity, quality, competitiveness and sustainable development. Back >>
2. What concrete information I can get? Quickly view on PHAROS main screen to see if the enterprise is OK. Are all light houses yellow or green? It means actually that all key indicator values are within the target boundaries or business results are satisfactory or better then planned. No further analysis is required. Is there any red lighthouse? If yes, here is the problem to be analyzed in detail by simple clicking on the button "Graph". While in analysis of costs it is easily comparing actual costs against planned ones taking into consideration graphs and its relation to the targets. Get clear picture of the basic indicators and their values relative to your predefined targets for particular months, both in percent or absolute figures. Look at top five products for each month identified by Sales Revenue, Contribution, Profitability and their percent in corresponding totals (you may come to very interesting and sometime unexpected conclusions!). Analyze monthly graphs of costs by its major categories, review cash flow, profit margin, overall enterprise quality production as well as customer service, estimate the enterprise competitiveness level and total generated added value. Look at your customers: monthly and annual revenues by each actual customer and their totals, customer ranking for the annum or per given month, number of sales to particular customers over the year, average monthly value per one sale for given customers or its average per annum for all customers. And all these by just a couple of mouse click or movements of "Arrow up/down" keys. Compare all results to your targets. Develop new business plans and scenarios of production for coming months or new year by removing old and adding new products, changing their basic parameters, saving and re-using the production plans for analyzing business prospects quickly and easily. Make and run business decision simulations based on your enterprise database copy to identify main consequences of your decision in 6, 9, 12 months. Re-evaluate decisions to find out its most efficient outcome within the time. Go to various tables to enter and analyze data, print and preview the reports in table and graph formats which are required for further discussions with colleagues, define actual inflation factor and use extended help to get to the methods used and explanations of all basic issues related to the system operation. Redefining business targets? It is easy, just adjust their values on the main PHAROS screen by mouse! You are welcome to download and review PHAROS demo to see it for yourself and review how managers evaluate their experience of using Pharos and Produce Plus! Back >>
3. I can always ask my deputies or assistants to provide appropriate information anyway. Why there is a need to make additional complications by installing the software, making training of several people, collecting data, changing my work pattern? The information which can be reviewed in Pharos or Produce, Plus or FIT is easily available at any time by a couple of mouse clicks. It just cannot be that easily, quickly and accurately provided by an assistant. All these allow having an independent view of the business, without some personal biases keeping things confidential. These options are not available by third party consulting or audit as well. IN addition it is rather costly, both in time and money. Back >>
4. How much data I would need to feed in order to get consistent picture of my business? The software was developed with idea of heavily minimizing data to be collected and entered into the enterprise database. All know how easy it may create significant additional work in the companies. All people are busy and it is hard to find free human resources for doing the job. On other side there is no to way to get valuable results when there is no data at all. As compromising solution the required data includes as follows: basic company costs in main accounting categories, products and their main monthly production such as produced and sold volumes, rejects, total materials costs, sales price and average production time. In addition one needs to obtain total received and paid amounts, deliveries to customers with defects, production and total company personnel, number of invoices issued monthly and total monthly sales to particular customers. That is all. About 74% of data required for running Pharos can be obtained from accounting software. The rest is production data (about 20%) and customer services (1%). Produce Plus requires more detailed data to be prepared as it deals with low level production at production lines. It includes raw material costing and recipes for each product, production yield, timing labor, manufacturing equipment. FIT requires standard aggregated data easily available in annual balance sheets of enterprises. Finally there is powerful export/import module for Pharos for exchanging data with various third party software. Back >>
5. How much time is necessary to spend per month to get and enter all data? In case there is a trained assistant and manual data collection procedures are established it may take about 2-3 hours per month preparing monthly database update in PHAROS. The time depends however on the number of the products produced at the enterprise. The automated data import utility and procedures provide easy export/import of data in almost any known format when made running routinely. Back >>
6. Can we transfer data into/from PHAROS automatically? There is advanced data import/export module available in Pharos (see Options/Import-Export checkbox). It makes automated importing or exporting of particular data table or database into/from the PHAROS in almost any known electronic data format. If properly implemented it can provide for reading data prepared in some other existing software packages such as accounting, production, etc. allowing for integration with existing corporate management information systems. The feature can be used automatically after preliminary setup for error-free data interchange is developed, e.g. between the accounting and PHAROS. Back >>
7. Why some managers prefer to keep manual procedures implemented while there is automated import feature? Just because there is someone responsible and can answer the question. And it is possible to trace human mistakes or errors easily. The wrong decision, which is taken based on the erroneous information, can be rather costly one! Back >>
8. What is the difference between PHAROS and known ERP systems? ERP, or Enterprise Resource Planning are the large integrated information systems that serve all departments within an enterprise. An ERP system includes software for manufacturing, order entry, accounts receivable and payable, general ledger, purchasing, warehousing, logistics, human resources, e-commerce, employee, etc. Some of the modules in such systems are aimed at providing support to management in enterprise performance monitoring. Evolving out of the manufacturing industry with major known systems such as SAP, PeopleSoft, Oracle, Baan and J.D. Edwards, ERP implies the use of packaged software. Such systems are usually very costly in purchase coming up to hundreds thousands of Euro and applicable for relatively large and well established enterprises. However the major costs and other implementation problems are known later after the introduction. Why? Because the complete restructuring of business processes is required for the whole enterprise and its branches. The total final cost of ownership may easily exceed hundreds thousands or even millions of US dollars. It makes the ERP system selection rather difficult or a middle and small size company. At the same time it limits introduction of information technology solutions in the large number of small and medium enterprises. PHAROS software package provides simple and affordable solution introducing enterprise performance monitoring tools quickly. It allows quick integrating them with existing systems under minimum total costs and timing involved. The personal software packages provide calculation of particular set of key performance indicators recommended by UNIDO along with presentation of various reporting. Finally: - The total cost of obtaining the UNIDO Pharos software package as well as consulting support is fairly acceptable for enterprises.
- The package allows for integration with existing software systems,
- It can be introduced into existing business management practices without any interrupts,
- It facilitates enterprise in selecting or using the other software applications in enterprises or further introduction of ERP.
- The enterprise application and knowledge development can be supported on-site by external local consultants.
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9. Who are the people, which may need such products? - Top and middle level management of the enterprises, their assistants
- Entrepreneurs willing to review their enterprise performance
- Industrial and quality management consultants
- Executive and vocational training, application of information technology in business management
- Students, studying the strategic and operational enterprise management or information technology for innovative management.
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10. Which person should be in charge of supporting Pharos suite at the enterprise? Typically it is senior manager or his/her assistant trained in software application. He or she is capable to enter and consult management on particular issues related to source of data and result interpretation. Back >>
11. Which size of enterprise is most appropriate for Business Performance Software applications? Initially these IT tools were developed for Small and Medium - sized Enterprises (5 - 150 employees). However its application does not depend on the enterprise size directly. The software provides personal assistance to the managers willing to monitor the current business situation based on key performance indicators and do it easily and quickly. Back >>
12. How I can link my accounting system to PHAROS? Please review automated data import. Back >>
13. Is there possibility to access to the system from different departments? Yes, there is such possibility. Data exchange can be established between manager and different departments. Back >>
14. How the data entry arrangement is made? One manager assistant should (1) be trained on data collection procedures and (2) the procedure should be established within the enterprise and (3) it should be approved by the top management. The data can be collected manually by the responsible person or prepared in the departments and sent to such assistant by internal mail, e.g. in spreadsheet format monthly. The assistant enters the data and informs the manager about the update. Another available option is the automated data import. Back >>
15. How frequent is the data entry? Data entry for PHAROS should be made once per month. Produce Plus application may require daily or weekly updates. It however can be used for periodic benchmarking of results e.g. one week per quarter. FIT data entry period is once per year. Back >>
16. Why the software is still single user application? To keep costs and fees minimized. New updates are implemented as WEB2/Client-server applications. Back >>
17. How to obtain complete package of software and support services on site including training and software in our country? The software can be purchased online or sending the inquiry. The support can be provided by local consultants. The participation in training workshops helps in obtaining additional knowledge and best practices. Back >>
18. How many managers from a company are trained and certified in such one in Training Programme and how many software licenses each enterprise gets? Typically the cost of a package includes training of at least two staff members per enterprise and provision of two End User licenses for each component of the Pharos software suite. Each participant is certified after the participation in the Pharos training workshop. Back >>
19. Which certificates are provided to the trainees after the training? The Certificate of Excellence in Developing High Business Performance (see picture). Back >> 20. What is actually the software price? There are two types of the end user license fees which are available. The first one is for the distribution within Training Programs for SME as educational tool facilitating continuous improvement practices. It is valid for registered EPIC business partners which consult and train in countries. The second one is the End User license fees. Back >>
21. What is the difference between the software versions delivered with End User License and Educational license? No difference. Back >>
22. What is the difference between the PHAROS approach and Balanced Scorecard? Pharos suite support simple monitoring of the business results using predefined set of Key Performance Indicators. The Pharos package performance management implementation allows as follows: • Monthly calculations of main business performance indicators made by using real enterprise database. • Comparing the results with predefined business targets. • Outlining the real trends in real-time • Giving managers and entrepreneurs quick aggregated picture of the business performance. • Working out various production scenarios • Making simulations of decisions and its outcomes • Making almost automatic benchmarking of businesses Balanced scoreboard can help managers achieve similar results but not in the same simplicity and scope of business vision. Balanced Scorecard methodology views to the company at different angles and prospective, has more comprehensive approach and require local definition of enterprise measurements, needs detailed enterprise data. Back >>
23. How much data we can get from Produce Plus software into Pharos ? Produce Plus covers the issues of detailed yet simple production performance analysis, monitoring, benchmarking and management. Within the scope of these features it has much more details regarding costing, labor, raw materials, equipment, etc. The data transfer into Pharos production table from Produce Plus cab be made using automatic export/import utility in Pharos which aggregates daily information into monthly values. It is possible to continue using Pharos without Produce Plus data by entering missing data manually or importing it from some other sources as well. Back >>
24. Why BEST is not included into software tools for SME Programmes? Most of the entrepreneurs and managers need the software tools which are easy to understand and work with. Pharos provides almost all functionality available in BEST but is more simple and easy in use. Meanwhile the BEST software is still available for distribution and can be ordered by customers as educational / training tool. Back >>
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