System Solution Strategies
Future Solutions Now
Charles W. Wanjie.
Solutions Architect
Systems Solutions
Strategies
System Solution Strategies
Future Solutions Now
Rule # 1-Technology must benefit your
business
Rule # 2– If technology does not benefit
your business, don’t need it
System Solution Strategies
Future Solutions Now
Benefits of computerization
1. Computerized accounting systems
automate manual routine tasks such as:





Book-keeping
Bank reconciliations
VAT returns
Electronic banking
Payroll
System Solution Strategies
Future Solutions Now
2. Computerized accounting systems provides a
wide range of reports at the touch of a button.






Debtor and creditor statements
Bank account balance
VAT owed
Balance sheet
profit and loss
Stock values
System Solution Strategies
Future Solutions Now
3. The software makes it easy to prepare
for your annual accounts.
System Solution Strategies
Future Solutions Now
Identify your needs
Properly selecting an accounting software
minimises the risk of needing to make costly
changes later.
 What are your business objectives ?
 Who is going to use the accounting software?
 What reports are crucial in running your
business?
 Which book-keeping tasks you need it to
perform?
System Solution Strategies
Future Solutions Now
Choosing accounting Software
Choose the right accounting software
package will save time, money, make fewer
mistakes, and obtain useful business
management information.
When purchasing software,the main trade-off
is between ease of use and functionality.
System Solution Strategies
Future Solutions Now
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Can the software interface be tailored to suit your
needs?
The ability to add new fields and controls.
The option to customise screens.
The option to define a range of values.
Can import and export information between the
accounting package and any word processing packages,
spreadsheets and databases you use.
The best systems allows you to customise the software to
suit the needs of your business.
System Solution Strategies
Future Solutions Now
Features and information
 How does the software handle sales and purchase
transactions?
 How flexible is the structure of the nominal ledger?
 Does the software provides an audit trail?
 Check how the software manages the back-up
procedure.
The more flexible the software is, the more you
can tailor it to your business. This can make a
major difference when you generate reports .
System Solution Strategies
Future Solutions Now
The costs
Your greatest costs are likely to be
incurred in setting up the system and
training your employees to use the
software.
System Solution Strategies
Future Solutions Now
Sole traders
Need Simple bookeeping may be able to use
‘money management ’ software to control their
business such as:
 Quickbooks Simple start accounting
 Sage Pastel start up
 Simple Books
All the above software packages are below
KSH 20,000.00
System Solution Strategies
Future Solutions Now
Small business
Accounting packages have been developed to
meet the needs of most small businesses .




QuickBooks Pro
MYOB Plus accounting software
Sage Pastel express
Microsoft Office small business accounting
Small business Accounting software range between KSH
30,000 to 100,000 depending on the number of users
System Solution Strategies
Future Solutions Now
Medium Enterprises
More advanced accounting packages come in
modules,with each module handling one aspect
of financial management (eg sales ledger).
 Sage Pastel Partner
 Quickbooks Accountant
For Medium Enterprises requirements are vast
and cost will depend on many factors
System Solution Strategies
Future Solutions Now
 Multi-user ’ networked systems demand more
computing power than ‘single-user ’ systems.
 Different users will need different amounts of
training .
 Maintenance and support are key aspects to
consider when purchasing your software.
System Solution Strategies
Future Solutions Now
Purchasing Software
Explain to your software supplier why you
need a certain function — they may have
come across this question before and might
know a better way of achieving the same goal.
If you use an accountant or a consultant,a good
brief is vital.
System Solution Strategies
Future Solutions Now
Be wary of any software which does not
already have a large ‘installed user base ’
Most software is purchased through resellers ,
resellers will sell you their products and not
your needs
System Solution Strategies
Future Solutions Now
Benefits of a Good accounting System
 Easier borrowing from banks
 Detecting fraud or theft
 Identification of sources of profits and losses
 More reliable data due to clearer policies
 Identification of areas to reduce costs
 Financial planning and projections
 Significant reduction in risk of penalties for tax evasion
 Premium valuation
 Less errors due to clearer procedures
 Concentrate on your core business
System Solution Strategies
Future Solutions Now
Investing in an Accounting System
As the wise man said "you cannot
manage what you cannot measure." The
same goes for an accounting system.
without an accounting system, you may
never know if your business is really
making a profit or loss.
System Solution Strategies
Future Solutions Now
Q&A