How Graphical Planning Boards Underline Microsoft Dynamics NAV Value

Posted by Kerstin Sieckmann on Feb 12, 2016 10:30:00 AM

“A picture is worth a thousand words” - this statement can by all means be applied to the Visual Scheduling Suite. The graphical planning board add-ins are the perfect choice when it comes to convincing potential customers of the added value of the ERP system in the pre-sales stage. They are intuitive-to-use, help making the system’s complexity transparent and illustrate how the respective planning data are connected.

This blog post is for Microsoft Dynamics NAV partners to learn more about the 5 most important reasons why and how the graphical planning boards may help to actively support the sales consultation and to underline the value of Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

 

5 Reasons why graphical planning boards support NAV Partners´ sales consultation

 

1) The result as introduction

How can Dynamics NAV be presented to a potential customer? In a pre-sales demo, definitely, a lot of clicks are necessary. Opening and closing of pages, lists and cards, switching between sections and modules – this constant clicking through data mainly represented in tables  certainly bears the danger to confuse and also exhaust your prospect. Why not go the other way and show him the result first? The graphical planning board visualizes data from multiple tables and cards such as jobs, job tasks, resources and resource allocations on page. Hence, this one page respresents the result of working and planning with Microsoft Dynamics NAV, and hence helps prospect understand the value of working with the ERP system. 

Microsoft Dynamics NAV:graphical planning boards show planning results

 

2) No abstract Dynamics NAV terminology

Moreover, the planning board, that is completely integrated in Dynamics NAV, is a good way of illustrating NAV-specific terminology. Show the tooltip text or open the related NAV card from the visual (and thus: easy-to-understand) context of the scheduling add-in thus explaining terms like production order line, job planning line or service tasks vividly and in their particular context.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV: Graphical planning boards explain NAV terminoloty

 

3) Simplify the complicated

The chart shows several items of information as overview thus supporting prospects to see where connections and dependencies are in the way of how the Dynamics NAV planning process is built. Different views like Production Order, Resource or Capacity View establish  different perspectives of the same NAV data.

Show the operations of a production order from the order´s point of view ...

Microsoft Dynamics NAV: Graphical planning boards show different perspectives

... and then from the view of the work and machine centers.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV: Graphical planning boards simplify understanding of NAV

 

4) Planning logic becomes apparent

Microsoft Dynamics NAV works with an MRP planning logic not being visible for the user. However, the planning board makes this logic comprehensible by visualizing the calculation’s result by the chronological position of the operations, orders or resources thus giving the planner a feeling for the MRP logic inherent in Dynamics NAV.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV: Graphical planning boards viusalize planning logic

 

5) Manual modifications are possible

Many planners don’t want rigid planning specifications made by optimization algorithms. They want to see, control and manually adjust the calculated planning. Assure your potential customer that he is not at the planning system’s mercy. Use drag and drop to show that it’s no problem to plan orders for an earlier date at short notice, reschedule resources or make other changes.

 Visual Jobs Scheduler - Shifting projects

 

Curious about more information?

See, how visual planning helps NAV dispatchers, production & jobs planners:
Visual planning boards highlight service order scheduling with NAV

Different Views Help Production Scheduling With Microsoft Dynamics NAV

Best Practice for Visual Project Planning in Dynamics NAV Jobs Module

 

Watch our on-demand webcasts  and get an overview of the value of our interactive graphical planning boards in NAV. There are also further videos on our YouTube Channel.

 

Want to add visual power to your pre-sales consultations? Become partner for our visual scheduling add-ins: our partner program comes at no cost for you, and provides free demo versions and a lot of marketing material. 

 Click here to become a NETRONIC Visual Scheduling Suite reseller

Topics: Dynamics NAV Visual Scheduling Add-in