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The need for sustainability within our economy has been hammered into our minds for quite some time. However, this does not mean that it has necessarily translated into evident change within our business models and processes. At times, we struggle to understand how to reflect sustainability within our day-to-day business life without severely impacting our bottom line. The truth is that it does not need to be a tug of war between sustainability and profitability. Oppositely striving to achieve one will actually contribute to the other side of the coin creating a win-win situation. However this may not be easy to achieve, but it’s definitely never too late to kick-start the process. There are so many different areas to sustainability that it’s very easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer level of information. In view of this we thought of tackling one area at a time, starting off from Human Rights, an area which is particularly close to heart for society at large. Perhaps it would be good to start off by asking, whether it’s truly that close to heart. Watching the news and criticising some gruesome shots is one thing, but reviewing our human rights impact as a business may not be that easy. As the first of a series of articles, today we’d like to outline some areas which human rights delve into, as it’s a hugely diverse topic. Child Labour Child labour is the first of the list. The United Nations estimates that around 218 million children are working full-time. As many of us have helped our parents and relatives and their jobs, let us define child labour as it may be a bit of a blur. The International Labour Organization (ILO) defines child labour as: “work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development.” The impacts that we are looking at would be: Mental, Physical, Social Impacts Interference with their schooling Any work deemed to be morally dangerous and harmful Health and Safety Another key aspect to human rights is the right to health and safety within our job. The European Commission in its strategic framework on health and safety at work 2021-2027 has determined that “Protecting people from health and safety hazards on the job is a key element of achieving sustained decent working conditions for all workers.” When tackling health and safety we are moving beyond basic safety physical features but delving also into the psychological risks related to the job in question. Forced Labour Another hot potato within the human rights is forced labour. Many may deem Malta to be relatively free from forced labour but we may have to re-think this. The ILO defines forced labour as: “Forced or compulsory labour is all work or service which is exacted from any person under the threat of a penalty and for which the person has not offered himself or herself voluntarily.” Moreover the anti-slavery organisation believes that the industries where forced labour is most commonly found are: Agriculture and fishing Domestic work Construction, mining, quarrying and brick kilns Manufacturing, processing and packaging Prostitution and sexual exploitation Market trading and illegal activities If we had to go back to our favourite news portals, we will surely find a number of articles which have actually enquired on this issue within our country. Migrants are particularly at high risk of experiencing forced labour. However, it doesn’t stop there. There are numerous vulnerable groups that are at a higher risk of experiencing forced labour. Women’s Rights Rather than defining the women’s rights, as at times they may be taken for granted, let’s focus onto the five key areas which the EU through its document Empowering Women at Work has determined to be of particular importance for companies Achievement of equal pay for work of equal value Prevention and elimination of violence and harassment Creating a harmonious work-life balance for both women and men Equal representation of women in business and management roles Investment in a future of work that works for women When looking into each area it may be hard not to identify at least a couple of them where we may still lag behind.

Tell us more about your story, how did your passion for illustration come to be and how did your venture take off? I was always into the arts. Since I was very young, I would draw on practically anything, from walls to napkins. When it came to pursuing a career in art, I had originally studied Fine Arts however, something in my heart and mind told me to be r ealistic and move to a graphic design course. Out of school I had worked at a graphic design company for more than a year. Shortly after, I decided to go freelance and explore the world as a self-employed designer, its been five years since then and I haven’t gone back to a job setting. I started freelancing as a general graphic designer offering services from logos, business cards, website design, booklets, adverts and marketing ideas. Over time I automatically found myself narrowing down the types of projects to commercial illustration. Illustration excited me, it’s a creative ay to capture a brands experience that photography just can’t capture. This lead me to creating work for brands such as Martini, Red Bull, Campari, CellMark, Iniala and many more. During my commercial illustration period I was devoting time to personal projects, creating art to help me generate more deas for clients. lead to the creation of a project and solo exhibition called Malta’s Got Character, humanising Maltese culture into a satirical lot of cartoon characters. This project took over my life and I have fully stopped freelancing to pursue this IP and brand. Your work is strikingly particular as it moves away from traditional media. How is your artwork brought together and to life? ly and simply. As an artist, I feel we all go through the dilemma of needing to find a style to stand out and be recognised for. It's a very big commitment to stick to and can cause distress. I love diversity, trying new things, learning and exploring. My way around this was Beppe, one of the characters in “Malta’s got Character”. Beppe is a template for me to explore style, narrative, medium, material, NFTs. To me he represents possibility, so I see the world through his eyes. Beppe The Prickly Pear. Will we be seeing more of him? Beppe Cactus is symbolic of my curiosity to explore. He is always curious to learn, make new friends and explore new projects and collabs. One of my biggest dreams is to have a monument of him in bronze, a sculpture that captures Maltese culture and our environment as cartoons. The first opportunity that presented itself was the Marsa Junction Project. This was a great learning curve as at the time it was very outside of my comfort zone and required a lot of input from architects, structural engineers, 3D designers, contacting suppliers, estimating timelines and health and safety requirements. This project taught me a lot about the power of connecting with others and onboarding some of the best local talent. The project unfortunately was rejected and the only feedback given was that it was too cartoonish. My dream still stands strong. How would you describe your experience with NFTs and how is it different from the traditional market? When looking at digital art through the lens of value, it has been utilised for the creation of adverts, graphics communication and games/branding. No one would consider a digital artwork on pair with traditional arts. A digital artwork could be duplicated at easy, there is no way to keep track of how many people copy, paste or have files. NFTs offer proof of ownership from the original creator and can be checked via the blockchain who created the artwork and where it has been passed on, bought and sold. Now Digital Arts can be seen on pair with fine art paintings, they can be seen as digital assets to be utilised in 3D games and worlds, skins and much more. This excited me, as I am a digital artist, who originally spent most of my time in the marketing and advertising industry, therefore I could see the potential and immediately started exploring. For one, the NFT space drives on twitter. It is the place to be to learn about new projects and also meet great people. The people in the space are not like traditional artists, they are very friendly and welcoming, they want to help you grow as they grow. I felt very welcome and plan on building more relationships and projects in the next few years. Special thanks to my friend Johan for opening me up to NFTs and how to get started. As I was learning about NFTs through my close friend Johan and on clubhouse, I started sharing what I was learning on instagram. My brother Kane and I, saw a niche where nothing was being shared about NFTs on instagram, so together we co founded NFT Club - a page where we educate about NFT and promote great talent. You recently, had a collaboration with Charles and Ron, how did you find the experience? Is fashion something you would consider continuing to work in as an industry? I have always admired Charles & Ron and their vision. I felt it aligns with Beppe. We have a love for the Maltese island and express it both in our unique own way. Collaborating with Charles & Ron was one of the most pleasant experiences, they allowed me to be me and they did what they do best - create art that people wear and stand out. Charles & Ron are forward thinkers, they like to try new things and have a very open mind which resonated with me. I am curious to explore fashion and branded clothing in the near future. Who knows? We might even have another collab in the near future. Which part of job do you like doing most and which do you like doing least? The most exciting part of what I do is coming up with big ideas and following through to executing them. This has built such a pleasant sense of self-confidence to achieve my goals and bring my aspirations to life. I also love connecting and meeting people. What I am eager to improve on, is managing larger projects and bringing on extremely talented locals who specialise in their field. Throughout your journey so far, what were three of the most defining moments for your career? The three most defining moments in my career were the creation and exhibition launch of Malta’s Got Character. The proposal of the Mars Junction and Getting into Web3 and NTs space, collaborating with some of the leading communities. If you could go back five years, what advice would you give your younger self? Show up every day, create the art that you want to see in the world, the art and work that is truly you. Don’t follow the rules, be patient and collaborate with a lot of people, artist, brand that you can bring value too. And most important be patient, ask for whatever you want in life and follow up with. Time just hasn’t caught up yet. What’s next? Are there any further dreams to be achieved? My next big dream is to have Beppe and the Maltese characters as bronze monuments located somewhere inspiring on the Maltese island. I wish to collectively build Malta’s very own Disneyland of characters and stories and inspire locals of all ages that you can do what ever you set your mind too!

The long-standing acceptance in our market is that the client determines the requirements and we, as a company, execute tasks accordingly. However, at On Point, we believe that our role is to come up with the best solutions possible in line to what is required today, to what is innovative and most importantly future-proof, to eventually carry out the right job for our client. It’s way simpler to execute tasks requested by the client, to provide simple reporting solutions and our job is done. The problem arises when the client asks for more reporting options. How can we ask him to pay more hours of work when it could have been easily avoided should the software solution have been designed with more flexibility and a more future-looking outlook? What will the client perceive if every requirement has to entail more hours of work? Steve Jobs once said, “It doesn't make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do, we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” As software specialists, we have to question and carefully analyse so as to understand the full situation, the real requirements. We have to think outside the box and foresee variations our client might encounter. Changes that might not be required today but will be potentially necessary in a couple of months time. Not all clients are usually aware of more complex variations, this coming from our experience in several industries, as software solutions take time to be implemented. How can we ask our client to pay more hours of work when it could have been easily avoided should the software solution have been designed with more flexibility and a more future-looking outlook? It may be the number of films that I am binging on during quarantine or perhaps the books which I’m delving into due to the long hours at home, but I couldn’t help not comparing our job to police questioning. We do not interrogate, as thoroughly and forcibly as police do, but we need to ask and dig deep in order to come up with the best solutions and requirements.

RAICO's Previous Solution Specialising in the design, supply and installation of electrical mechanical, and firefighting systems, RAICO has an impressive portfolio of building service works on the island. Prior to implementing Business Central, the company was using Excel which had worked until it didn’t. Being very prone to human error it came to be a limiting factor to the company’s growth. Scalability was a salient concern, for instance when one person leaves the role, hand over is much more difficult with Excel than having something that is based on an ERP solution. When using Excel a thorough explanation of how it works, formulae used and how numbers came to be, needs to be carried out. A system based on an ERP solution facilitates continuation and reduces the possibility of dependency on a particular user since there’s more clarity within the process. Having no automation unless macros or complex functions are implemented might also mean that the company would have needed to reach out to an Excel Expert and outsource the generation of reports. While the idea was entertained, the company was in the knowledge that it would have been a very short-term attempt of a solution, which also would have neither achieved the desired results nor been cost effective. Implementing The Solution - Excelling with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is very easily available and being an ERP solution created by Microsoft is a big plus! For instance, while a locally available ERP solution might look promising, there is a high risk of becoming vendor locked. In case the provider is no longer available, the company would have to start all over again by retrieving data, transferring to a new solution and moving to support. It is an arduous process and with Business Central there’s peace of mind since there are various supporters. In addition, RAICO had already been running on Microsoft 365 solutions, such as Excel. Business Central felt like the next natural step to take. Accounting Software Bank Reconciliations and Payment Registration . Easily compare deposits, adjust bank statements, adjust cash account and compare balances. Accurately confirm and verify all forms and information is in order to submit flawlessly. Fixed Assets Module maintenance. Obtain an overview of your fixed assets and ensure correct periodic depreciation. Keep track of your maintenance costs, manage insurance policies, post fixed asset transactions, and generate various reports and statistics. Receivables Management. Easily reconcile bank accounts, by applying incoming payments to customer or vendor ledger entries to close sales invoices and purchase credit memos as paid. Payables Management. Generate due vendor payments or employee reimbursements, prepare check payments, and export payments to a bank file when posting. VAT Local VAT Setup. Effortlessly view a history of VAT entries or generate built-in reports such as EC Sales List report and VAT return report including VAT for sales and purchases to customers and from vendors. Automated Reporting Custom reporting. A click away from accessing indispensable data. Run and schedule custom reports to gather information on your desired criteria. Organize and present desired information in a concise format that you can print or save as a file. Jobsheet reporting. A flexible and open reporting facility with which users can search and filter jobsheets by any data field determining relevant information or calculated totals. Jet Reports Add-on Inventory Management Stock Costing. Record and report business operating costs including manufacturing and inventory costs taking into account; how items are valued when they leave inventory; the cost of goods sold with related purchase costs posted after the sale; inventory values posted to dedicated accounts at regular intervals. Stock Replenishment . Create a detailed supply plan to cover demand for items that are replenished by purchase or transfer only. Launch production orders as per scheduled production orders. Stock Transfer. Inventory items can be transferred between locations by creating transfer orders or alternatively through a reclassification journal. New location codes can be easily updated to facilitate stock management. Warehousing. Ensure an effective flow of warehouse activities through the organization and maintenance of company inventories. Keep track of happenings, such as removing items, transposing items within or between warehouses, as well as picking up items for assembly, production or shipment. Stock re-ordering solution. Through Business Central, a range of planning parameters for every stock item can be entered, such as reorder points, safety stock lead times, safety stock quantities, time buckets and order modifiers. Mobile Solution Easy access to the inventory available. Access your inventory from wherever you are through your phone providing for a flexible, easy to use and accessible solution. With Business Central, nothing can hold you back from completing your doings. Base functionalities easily done via tablet app. Benefit from the portability and flexibility, allowing users to perform tasks when they are away from their desk. The availability on a smaller device allows for the solution to be in the hands of many more users making the app easy to distribute. Project Management Tracking project and job progress. Keep track of time, projects, schedules and progress throughout all your tasks within the company. Along the process, the materials used, resources and other expenses are consumed which need to be assigned to a particular job. Resources required. Set up your resources and the related costs and prices to correctly manage resource activities. Once set, you can effectively plan and prepare yourself with the needed resources for tasks to be completed without any hiccups, ensuring smooth operations. Time consumed. Time sheets can help track time and resources that are spent on a project which in turn can help identify issues early, avoid delays or cost overruns. Costings. Manage resource activities by setting up resources and the related costs and prices. Job-related prices, discounts, and cost factor rules are set up on the job card with specific costs and prices for individual resources, resource groups, or all available resources of the company. Invoices. Settle purchase invoices promptly whether you pay purchase invoices in cash, check, or bank transfer. A specific payment method with a balancing account can be set up for the balancing account number to be inserted automatically on the invoice header every time you create a new invoice. Choosing the Right Provider While the software solution is indeed crucial, the service provider is as equally important to ensure a smooth implementation and the necessary support. Michael Aquilina (RAICO Director), said that: “What enthuses me working with On Point the most, is that they showed me that they are the ones who can appreciate and dedicate the most time for the company. There are some very big companies which support Business Central but they couldn’t give us a person in touch that will look for us and I think On Point has a big plus for it.” - Michael Aquilina Michael continued by saying that working on a weekly basis with Stephen and Mark sustains the good rapport which he appreciates as they quickly respond without bureaucracy. There are no unmet promises and the process is very transparent with On Point support. “Business Central felt like the next natural step to take” Michael Aquilina, RAICO Director Safe in the Cloud When the Cloud was available, it didn’t take RAICO long to realise all the benefits it brings with it at a very reasonable price which makes it all the more worth it. An analysis of the users who were using Business Central was made and within a week in total, everything was migrated to Cloud. When it comes to Cloud Solutions, backup of data or maintenance of the system is handled by Microsoft, which represents a safe and secure solution for companies. " While at first there was some resistance to introducing an ERP solution, nowadays, it is a fundamental part of our everyday lives, as safety is a big factor to concern" , Michael explained. “There are no unmet promises and the process is very transparent with On Point support.” - Michael Using a Centralised ERP + Accounting Software Solution Five more perks for Business Central to be your natural choice. Access your client data anytime, anywhere. Grow your practice and collaborate with clients using a business management solution with automated workflows, compliance, and audit trails. Deliver more value to your clients. Expand the services you offer through a connected suite of Microsoft solutions, including Dynamics 365, Microsoft 365, and Power BI. Take your practice to the next level. Manage clients from a single dashboard and get the insights you need in real-time. Innovate across your business with better visibility into cash flow. Provide dashboards and analytics. Deliver key business insights to your clients using powerful reporting tools and custom dashboards, enhancing your role as a trusted adviser. Streamline accounting workflows. Effectively manage accounting tasks and eliminate manual processes, freeing up time to take on new clients and better serve existing ones. Let yourself make the natural choice with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Choosing the right accounting software is not an easy task. To be honest, it doesn't happen that often, and very few of us can actually experience ERP software changeovers that often. It's certainly a decision that's not to be taken lightly and any hastened decisions will not lead to any good. Having said that, we still need to define the features which we are to look for when choosing the right system. In this comparison, we have opted to put this into practice by comparing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and SAP Business One . Both systems are hugely popular and both of them have a couple of strong areas, thus we will go through the main factors which shape our thinking process: Features - Features are pivotal in the decision making of any ERP/accounting software as they enable customisations to meet your industry requirements. Flexibility - We won't be implementing an accounting system every other year, thus flexibility is a key matter Cost - Cost is crucial as ultimately it all boils down to our Income Statement and Profitability Scalability - Whilst no business starts off as a conglomerate still each one of us has that hope, or maybe just a spark of it, that one day the business will grow like hundred times its current operations. Usability - The success of any accounting software implementation is highly dependant upon the user's feedback. Reporting - The usefulness of the system is heavily dependant onto the level of information which may be extracted out of the sheer raw data which is recorded over the months or years. ​ ​Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central ​SAP Business One ​Features ​ ​ Automations ☑️ ​ ​Multiple languages and currencies ☑️ ​ Industry-specific Modules ☑️ ​ Inventory Management ☑️ ☑️ ​Job/Time Management ☑️ ​ ​Smart CRM ☑️ ​ ​Banking & Automated Reconciliations ☑️ ​ Automated Reporting ☑️ ​ ​ ​ ​ Usability Numerous flexible tools and features with user-friendly and web-based UI Standardized and conventional features with comparatively complicated UI SAAS ☑️ ☑️ User-friendly UX/UI ☑️ ​ Support Devices ​Desktop, Mobile, Tablets, and Cloud Desktop, Mobile, Tablets, and Cloud ​ ​ ​ Scalability ​All business sizes across multiple countries and domains. ​Small and Medium-size Enterprises ​ Customisations ​ ​ ​Custom Dashboards and Analytics ​☑️ ☑️ ​Custom invoice templates ​☑️ ​ ​Custom reporting ☑️ ☑️ ​ ​ ​ Integrations Seamlessly syncs with other Microsoft applications, and is also compatible with third-party solutions Users need to rely primarily on third-party and SAP applications Intergrates with third-party apps ☑️ ☑️ Integrates seamlessly to all Microsoft 365 Apps ☑️ ​ Add-on Marketplace More than 750 Around 40 ​ ​ ​ Cost/Pricing Transparent monthly and one-time payment options, along with quote based costing ☑️ ​Flexible Pricing - Subscription based per user per month ☑️ ​ ​Price €€€ €€ €€€€ €​

David Onyendi CPMP, ITIL Senior Consultant at On Point Ltd - Nigeria Now, this is for my Nigerian demography. Back in the days, I mean since as far back as 2009, quite a number of Nigerian businesses have been implementing and using Microsoft Dynamics NAV aka Navision. Microsoft Dynamics NAV was easy to fast and easy to implement, ensuring that businesses got started up and began running with it. Till today businesses in the automobile, food & drug manufacturing, construction & projects, health, hospitality, retail and distribution industries, etc in Nigeria are using Microsoft Dynamics NAV. It’s 2020 and technology has continued to improve. Microsoft has given a road map on the future of its ERP offering. In fact, it is RIP to Microsoft Dynamics NAV and hello to Dynamics 365 Business Central. So I will ask again, this time with more shock in my eyes, “wait, what? You are still using Navision?.” Here are 3 reasons why you should move to Business Central. You can start from where you are and scale up on your digital transformation journey Yes, I get it! You see the need to change, you desire a modern workplace with modernized business applications. A workplace that empowers employees and optimizes operations. I mean, but you are so far back in technology, you still run on that old windows server, or you’re not cloud-ready, your team is not agile enough, or perhaps you have not been paying for yearly business enhancements, etc. I get it, and there could more issues, for example, reporting is not comprehensive, relevant, and user friendly, or is that some data has to be manually punched in, or you are unable to make informed decisions because insights and data analytics are not adequate, etc. I understand these problems and there is a way out. Start from where you are. Business central comes in both cloud as SaaS (software as a service) and on-premise and can be accessed via mobile, tablet, and PC via a browser. Business Central is still built for mid-market organizations and it offers great value. It combines extensive accounting and project accounting functionality with sales & customer service, supply chain management, and inventory and manufacturing. You get all these features you need at a reasonable price. Trust me, Business Central is also quick to implement, and with an experienced Microsoft Dynamics partner, you are sure that there is no data loss in between the transition from Navision to Business Central. It is smarter, easier to use Navision has been classified as a back-office process application. In 2020, you should say bye-bye to “just a back-office process” app and say hello to Business Central with artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and machine learning (ML). Business Central is delivering on its promises of flexibility and scalability of the cloud. If you already use Navision, Dynamics 365 Business Central offers rich new features alongside its suite of capabilities. Its user interface (UI) is cleaner and can be personalized for each user, you have automated bank reconciliations, use the device camera to capture documents for optical character recognition (OCR), and so much more. You do not have to come to the office location to work all the time. You can access Business Central from your PC, your smartphone (IOS, Android), or from your tablet (IOS, Android, Windows) through your internet browser or from the Business Central App. Integrations! Integrations! Integrations! Business Central is easily integrated with Microsoft Office – Outlook, Excel, Word, etc. It does not stop there, you can access the Microsoft Appsource to install more apps to connect with your ERP. There are over 2000 apps choose from in the Appsource, and Microsoft makes it easy to build new integrations where the options are limited or not available. Business Central comes embedded with Power BI, and you get real-time actionable data from every business process. And there is Microsoft Power Apps too, in fact with Business Central, you can basically incorporate any Microsoft product you want to use to run your business. In addition, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is integrated with features to provide the rock-solid data security and outstanding support for mobile devices, which are quite imperative for all types of businesses today. Ready to take the next step On Point is present in Malta, Czech, Ghana, and Nigeria. With over 10 years of experience implementing Microsoft Dynamics products, we would love to show you what Business Central can do. Our dynamic and vibrant team seeks to provide the best solutions to our clients. By identifying the company’s requirements, we can deliver better, more specific software solutions that fit them best. Through the software products we offer, as well as our technical expertise and knowledge, we always ensure that our clients’ software solutions are right on point.

Every day we are faced with so many decisions. Some decisions flow more naturally while we might need to give some thought to others. While Jira is the natural choice to many in the industry, we thought of easing the decision-making process for those who are still wondering. We know you value your money and so do we! Hereunder is a comparison of Jira and Click Up, along with all the reasons for making the natural choice. ​ JIRA CLICKUP Desktop and Mobile Apps ☑️ ☑️ Boards and Backlogs ☑️ ☑️ Workflows ☑️ ☑️ Roadmaps ☑️ ☑️ Hierarchy of Tasks/Subtasks ☑️ ☑️ ​Countless automations ☑️ ​ Custom fields ☑️ ​ Marketplace for App Integrations ☑️ ​ Price ​€€ €€€ €€ €€€ Click up over Jira? Great UX design - Looks matter but why not have the best of both worlds? Clickup is easy to interact with because of the simplified interface. Having a user friendly experience is indeed enticing. However it can also be limiting. The UI design of Click up is a work in progress. Click up’s tagline of ‘one app to replace them all’ is not particularly clear to users, since Clickup is yet to introduce a clear navigation scheme. What Click up Lacks Marketplace loaded with apps and integrations - Jira has a marketplace which includes thousands of apps and integrations so users can customize Jira for their exact way of working. Products tailored for a specific use case - Jira offers versions for any business in any industry. Comprehensive Agile reporting - Jira Software comes with over a dozen agile reports out of the box, capable of generating reports with just a click. Flexible workflows - Jira gives teams the autonomy to design their own workflows Smart filtering and search - Jira Software’s filtering and search is backed by machine learning and JQL (Jira Query Language), where you can look up anything with Jira’s smart filtering and search, getting results in seconds. Support - No quick reply from the team on the chat. With Jira, you get response instantly and your issue will be resolved within 5 minutes of it being raised Why Jira is better than Clickup? Jira Software is open and integrated Unlike Clickup, we believe there is no one app to rule them all. Jira can be tailored to the needs of your team easily; Jira software for your software team, Jira work management for your business team and Jira service management for your IT and ops team, matching the exact needs of your team by combining flexible workflows with our thousands of apps and integrations. Jira offers plenty of customizability unlike Clickup. Jira provides users with unlimited out-of-the-box Reliable automations , 255 custom fields, ability to display a combination of up to 20 reports and charts on a single screen, ability to create and edit screens and many other reliable customizable features that puts Jira ahead of click up. Jira gives users the ability to visualize projects and their goals using different views Team members can better understand plans, commit to tasks and understand how their work fits in with the big picture. Calendar View List View Roadmap/Gantt Chart Board It works for different types of users. Jira software can be used by developers, project managers, engineers, managers, and other non-tech business professionals. Integrate with popular third party services, Integrate with Hipchat and Slack Issue and project tracking software, integrate with many popular third-party software. Fully loaded Free Plan Jira's free plan gives you access to almost every feature for up to 10 users with no strings attached. Jira doesn't rely on frustrating feature limitations to force you to upgrade. Developer and Agile/Scrum Expertise The software provides a single view of all user stories and generates the needed reports for various sprints. Sprint burndowns, sprint velocity, and more can be generated. Users can organize tickets into sprints and releases, and also monitor the workload and task assignments of the team. Jira’s Solutions to Clickup's Problems Clickup lacks time management It's difficult to control the time you focus on an activity. Jira provides numerous apps and integrations that alert you about the time spent on a specific activity. Because there are so many options, it makes it intimidating to use and can be confusing at times because you don't know where to start. Jira provides users with many options too, however these options are simple and clear cut. Moreover, you have 24/7 Hr support from the Jira team. Replying via email sometimes does not work so users need to use discord for communication. Jira’s email response are immediate so clients can do more in a short period of time. Too complex for an individual's needs, sometimes illogical, and a terrible android app is the icing on the cake. All Jira’s apps have stood the test of time and provide the best services to its clients. Occasional errors when trying to make a new list and could not find any documentation about the error online. Jira has a lot resources in its Atlassian marketplace that addresses potential problems users might face. Moreover there is a 24/7 team always around to support you. Overwhelming uncategorised features and options This can be overwhelming for some users, especially during the onboarding process of Clickup. Some teams also feel that the learning curve is a bit steep, and they find it hard to use all the features. Clickup options are overwhelming, especially if you're a first-time user, you may find it difficult to customize Clickup. Jira’s features are team specific and simplified, make you spend less time on the software and more time getting the actual task done. Teams can decide what features they need to carry out their operations. Jira has an easy way around even for first time users, you are assisted to navigate its features easily. Bottom line Through the use of Jira along with the service provided by On Point Ltd. your needs will be catered to accordingly. Our implementation and customer support services ensure a convenient and accessible experience, which is user friendly because it specifically caters to your particular needs.

Choosing the right accounting software is not an easy task. To be honest, it doesn't happen that often, and very few of us can actually experience ERP software changeovers that often. It's certainly a decision that's not to be taken lightly and any hastened decisions will not lead to any good. Having said that, we still need to define the features which we are to look for when choosing the right system. Today we have opted to put this into practice by comparing Business Central and Xero. Both systems are hugely popular and both of them have a couple of strong areas. But prior to that let's define the key points which are to shape our thinking process: Flexibility - we won't be implementing an accounting system every other year, thus flexibility is a key matter Cost - Cost is crucial as ultimately it all boils down to our Income Statement and Profitability Scalability - whilst no business starts off as a conglomerate still each one of us has that hope, or maybe just a spark of it, that one day the business will grow like hundred times its current operations. Usability - The success of any accounting software implementation is highly dependant upon the user's feedback. Reporting - The usefulness of the system is heavily dependant onto the level of information which may be extracted out of the sheer raw data which is recorded over the months or years. Flexibility When discussing flexibility we need to differentiate between an accounting system and an Enterprise Resource Planning software, most commonly referred to as simply an ERP system. The former is mostly concerned with handling the accounting of the company, in most cases restricted to a basic general ledger. Xero albeit being an entry-level system handles this very well and in addition provides data related to suppliers and customers. However, Microsoft Business Central moves far beyond these basic entities and instead has a wide range of areas which are entirely integrated to the accounting functionalities of the systems. The key question at this point would be....do we really care? Not really if the company has no intention of exploring new areas, new markets or new revenue streams and instead is interested in retaining a status quo for years to come. If this is not the case, and if the company sees itself as a dynamic one, ready to explore whatever surprises the future has in hold for it, in that case, an ERP system is required. Cost Cost is definitely one key factor which everyone needs to look into, and which doesn't need too much elaboration. Business Central offers two options: perpetual license (a one-time lump sum and a low yearly update fee) or a monthly subscription fee. Xero, on the other hand, offers the second option only. Having said that the entry-level price for Xero is cheaper than that for Business Central. The secret to getting the final pricing though is to look into the cost over five years and after including the required modules. The cash flow position of the company pretty much determines which model to opt for in terms of business central and this, in turn, may hugely affect the pricing analysis. Implementation Costing however does not limit to just the license model. We must also bear in mind the implementation which the company is to opt for. The Business Central ERP or accounting solution offers two models - the on-premise solution and the cloud solution, whereas Xero has to jut the cloud solution available. Getting into the discussion as to which solution one has to opt for will open a pandora box, which needs to be tackled separately. It's good to know that there are two contrasting views in relation to this, therefore getting a clear answer is out of the question. Having said that, whatever the option the company goes for, would not in any way impinge on the connectivity which the user can enjoy. Needless to say for larger companies, having the option to choose is an important security aspect. Scalability Scalability goes hand in with flexibility, and this is an important winning point for Business Central. The latter does not have any limit whatsoever to the number of transactions. Even the most simple implementation can have thousands of transactions every day with no extra charges of any sort. Having said that both systems enjoy a limitless number of users which may be added t the system and equally important is that both solutions can be accessed through any device. There's another face to the coin of scalability, and that is the possibility of amending the system to scale along with business requirements. Both solutions have an extensive number of addons which may enhance the features provided by the solution. However Business Central scores a winning point over here, as it may be customised for the individual company needs. Our experience has shown us time and time again that whilst the addons can provide a huge number of features yet there will always be that key feature which may be essential to the company and which we have to resort to creating a customised addon. Usability Giving an objective view of this is quite hard. It's definitely a key matter and yet there are so many contrasting views out there when comparing the usability of Microsoft Business Central and Xero that it's hard to find out who is right. For those that have been using Office products since their school years, Business Central tend to be more intuitive, as the look and feel are very Office-like. Xero is also very intuitive and for one get used to it in no time. Which is the most usable of the two, we'd rather leave it up to you to decide? Reporting In today's post-Covid's world, reporting has been gaining more weight and importance when deciding upon financial and managerial issues. A fully-fledged accounting system. is ultimately necessary to give instant real-time accurate reports. At present, many companies are still using Microsoft Excel to execute individual tasks that would give little information compared the real source of information found inside the accounting/ERP software, Both systems have got their own reporting tools however Business Central has two highly popular reporting tools which integrate directly to it: PowerBi and Jet Reports. The data they provide, albeit based on the same source is completely different as the former is more about dashboards and high-level analysis whereas the latter handles the financial reporting, company reporting and more in-depth analytics. Choosing is usually a hard thing, many companies adopting both solutions to have the best of both worlds. In terms of reporting, Business Central tend to provide more features, going beyond the basic standard reports offering a high degree of information, which is definitely very useful when creating reports, budgets and forecasts. Taking decisions through these uncertain times is important The Choice Once going through the above points we are left with the final step, to choose the right solution. You may probably still find it hard to decide which solution is the optimal one. There is no clear answer and we bet that there will never be one. However, we believe that there is another key factor which ultimately determines the solution to go for and it's not related to the solution itself. Ensuring a high-quality implementation is crucial as the success of the project is based upon the persons/company implementing the ERP software solution. We love to summarise this as simply making sure that the service received is On Point.

Deferral accounting is an area which is frequently misunderstood and in most cases an area of several manual errors 🤯. The latter is what we need to focus on, to move away from manual entries to automated ones but before that we need to understand the underlying concept. Let us start off by defining a Deferred expense, which is the delay in the recognition of an expense until the expense in question is actually consumed or the service enjoyed. One very common such expense would be rent where we tend to pay in advance for a number of months and thus the accountant has to defer the payment over the said months. In the period between the payment and the recognition of the expense, the company would have recognised the prepaid amount as a current asset. The concept is very straightforward and likewise the double entry. So where does the complexity lie? Whilst the concept are very straightforward yet the number of entries may potentially be quite substantial, potentially giving rise to inputting errors which may be material. Let us take in example the prepaid rent. In our case scenario the company has paid €12,000 for the rent covering the period January to June. The payment has taken place in January. Double Entry for January Debit Rent Expense A/C (Income Statement) Debit Prepaid Rent (Balance Sheet) Credit Bank Double Entry for February to June periods Debit Rent Expense A/C (Income Statement) Credit Prepaid Rent (Balance Sheet) This means that one single transaction would have give rise to no less than at least 13 lines of double entries. Needless to say that this can be way more complex especially when attaching a figure to each entry. Automation The concept is very straightforward however the monthly entries are very cumbersome and at time confusing. Besides dealing with one prepaid costs is one thing, but dealing with hundreds of them is a very different story. Some ERP systems, one of them being Dynamics 365 Business Central, would allow the user to define all the above from the very start by defining: the total amount paid the total amount which is to be deferred the Income Statement account where the expense recognition is to occur the Balance Sheet account where the asset is to be recorded/depleted the period over which the deferred amount is to be recognised the criteria by which the deferred amount is to be spread out (eg fixed monthly or fixed daily or manual calculation) Choosing the right ERP system is key to facilitate such circumsances which may not be complex by nature but the volume will inherently add to the complexity leading to higher risk of errors and a resource-hungry process. Automate all your business + accounting processes with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

The intensifying conflicts in Ukraine are deeply affecting Ukrainian citizens. Moreover, people all over the world are increasingly becoming concerned about the health and safety of millions of innocent lives who have fled their home country to seek a safe place. We are too. We would like to express our support for the families and individuals affected by this war. Who have had to leave their homes or are fighting bravely for them. And maybe you're looking for a way to get involved and lend a helping hand - that's why we wrote these lines. On behalf of On Point, we decided to primarily support the activities of People in Need. This organization (among other things) helps the victims of war conflicts. What is it doing specifically for the people of Ukraine who have been forced by the current situation to leave the country? It builds facilities for them, offers food, hygiene needs and psychosocial assistance. It sends humanitarian trucks and a train to Ukraine and organizes a number of other activities. But there are many other things you can do. We share several links to quality basic resources. Are you looking for a detailed guide to organizations and how to help? Visit the page - We stand with Ukraine. 7.5 million children in Ukraine are in danger. UNICEF needs your support. UNICEF is collecting proceeds to help children in need of protection, water, education and health care. Do you want to understand more about this in a simpler way? Don't know how to talk to children about war? Here's our top pick, which brings together tips for how to explain the subject to young children. Video - https://live.firstnews.co.uk/fyi/sky-kids-fyi/ 🇺🇦 Thanks to everyone who helps. Keep strong, Ukraine!

Reporting can be super complex which coupled to the particular circumstances of every company and industry, creates a mammoth task to anyone trying to find some guidelines beyond the standard accounting ones. We are used to adhering to a number of reporting standards however when we have to focus onto our company internal needs, we are pretty much left to wade into unchartered waters. One common hot topic, which is usually a major area of contention, is the stakeholders for our company. It’s already pretty hard to identify them, but maintaining every key party happy, is a different story. When researching the topic, we have come across a very interesting article form the IFC which have outlines the following suggestions in the report Reporting to Stakeholders . Determine what information needs to be reported to which stakeholders, by what method and how frequently. Regularly update your commitments register and disclose progress to affected and interested parties. In particular, publicize any material changes to commitments or implementation actions that vary from publicly disclosed documents. Make monitoring results publicly available, especially reports of any external monitors. Regularly report on the process of stakeholder engagement as a whole, both to those stakeholders who are directly engaged, and to other interested parties. Translate information reported to stakeholders into local languages and easily understandable formats. The following are specifically related to project-linked stakeholders, however we have identified a number of similarities to the reality faced by the companies at large. Information – what and frequency It goes without telling that the level of information that is required may differ from one stakeholder to the other. Yet the basic rule applies in any case, i.e. A.C.C.U.R.A.T.E. We have extensively explored this below. Commitments This is an interesting factor as when reporting we ten to focus onto our budgets and our performance but yet, the figures themselves may not be enough to disclose the commitments that we are taking as a company. The commitments may go beyond the financial commitments but it can be more of strategic and long-term plannings which may have to change and reinstated to ensure common goals and clear objectives. Monitoring Results The results achieved can vary quite drastically and once again figures may give a very limited view. Can the revenue or profit ever shed light on the new markets penetrated, the market share gained/lost, the launch of new products, the infiltration into a new sector and many other areas which are not accounted for in numerical format? Regularly Report The frequency of such reporting is very hard to fathom. Striking a balance between the team efficiency and well-informed stakeholders is very hard to achieve. There are ways and means how to be more efficient in the reporting but yet we need to remember that behind every report there are long hours of work and reviews. Translate Information I must admit that this last point comes as a huge surprise but admittedly it should be quite obvious. We have grown to expect English to be a common language but the reality is that there are many more languages which cover a wide spectrum of countries. The question is, who are our stakeholders and what language or languages we should consider when reporting.

The work-life balance message has been bombarded to us from all kind of sources and through all the mediums one can think of. Be it a TV ad, lengthy articles, billboards, radio ads, seminars and conferences, all of them portraying the perfect world of a work-life balance. And for all those, including myself who have been working hard to find this balance, we seem to be in the constant lookout for this balance, a balance which never seems to be found. And by time we start to grow tired of looking for this balance. The mental health foundation Mental Health Foundation in the UK has defined a good work-life balance as follows: A healthy work-life balance will mean different things to us all. It’s not so much about splitting your time 50/50 between work and leisure but making sure you feel fulfilled and content in both areas of your life. Now that we have been past multiple waves of COVID, we have definitely realised that work and life are not that distinct especially when working from home or when having to attend to a meeting when our children are trying to follow a lesson via a video-call. TheU.S. Chamber of Commerce have offered an alternative to work-life balance, i.e. Work-Life integration. They have defined the latter as follows: Work-life integration involves blending both personal and professional responsibilities. Rather than viewing work and personal time as separate entities, busy professionals can find areas of compromise. This might look like completing household chores while on a conference call or bringing children into the office when schools are closed. Whilst we do not have the right competencies to determine which one is best we definitely tend to be in favour of flexibility. Being flexible means moving away from a defined and inflexible work environment and instead being more family-friendly where the hours are less important than the targets that we are striving to achieve. The solution If we had to start discussing the solution we will never get to the end of it. However we believe that the starting point is transparency. Being transparent and honest with your colleagues, your managers and your subordinates. This also involves when it comes to tasks. In our experience we have met so many persons who have a long list of tasks, some of them extremely important ones which however is recorded in their heads. Needless to say that the risks that such an approach carries are huge. But what if we had to start off by the simple yet seemingly impossible task, of jotting down all the tasks in a system. By being transparent about what tasks we are to tackle, we can start looking at the results to be achieved rather than the hours worked. When looking at our subordinates rather than judging them by the long unhealthy hours we can commend them for having achieved all the tasks they have been assigned. Maybe working 12 hours a day is less important than managing to complete the planned tasks whilst still picking your children at home, attending to house chores and still delivering great results.