Contents of CPA Practice Advisor - MAR 2012

Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.

Page 13 of 38

CONSTRUCTION/CONTRACTOR ACCOUNTING Reviews For Your Clients
A-Systems Corporation – A-Systems JobView 2012 OVERALL RATING
BEST FIT JobView off ers excellent scalability, off ering small to mid-sized construction related businesses a solid fi nancial and job costing product while providing assurance that the soſt ware can transition and grow with them.
STRENGTHS • Scalable: available in three versions • Excellent full-featured payroll designed for the construction industry
• Latest version contains system wide enhance- ments
• Excellent reporting capability
POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS • T ere is not an available service/dispatch module
• The product currently lacks integrated remote access A-Systems Corporation is entering its 34th
year of providing soſt ware designed specifi - cally for construction companies. Currently in off ered in three versions, A-Systems Job- View can easily work for construction com- panies of all sizes, from a small startup con- struction company to a large thriving enterprise.
BASIC SYSTEM FUNCTIONS A-Systems JobView off ers users an easy to use interface that was designed for simplicity. A drop down menu provides easy system access to all program modules. A series of icons are located to the leſt of the user screen which can be used to select functions. Data entry wizards are available, and hot keys allow users direct access to most options. Journal entry screens are well designed and compact, and contain user tabs that provide instant access to addi- tional functions in each module. A New Company Startup Wizard, which guides new users through various options and selections, and simplifi es the setup process. JobView includes Management Overview
screens (dashboards) that off er excellent drill down capability. Users can choose the Graph View, which provides summary financial information in a graphical format. T e viewer system allows users to review up to date information about every job in the system. Each view screen is password protected for greater security. Separate views are also avail- able for both the project manager and the job supervisor, reporting data relevant each job. JobView is designed on a Windows platform,
800-365-6790 14 March 2012 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
and supports with the latest Microsoſt oper- ating systems, including Windows XP. Win- dows Vista, and Windows 7.
CORE ACCOUNTING CAPABILITIES Each edition of JobView contains solid accounting/fi nancial functionality, and includes modules for GL, AP, AR, and Payroll. T e GL allows users to setup and maintain multiple companies, and can easily provide management with separate or combined fi nancial statements, as needed. JobView provides users with a default chart of accounts option for quick setup but users can also choose to either customize the default chart of accounts or create their own. Both job numbers and account numbers can be up to 10 characters in length. JobView uses a batch system for posting transactions, and recurring journal entries can be automati- cally recorded and reversed. Users can choose when to close the month or delay year-end closings as needed, with an unlimited number of fi scal periods able to be open in the system at one time. T e AP module allows users to easily expense an invoice against multiple jobs and cost codes, and users can search the system for possible duplicate invoices prior to entering data. Users can also post invoices into prior accounting periods. The AP module easily handles subcontract payments including retentions. JobView's AR module is excellent, and includes industry specifi c functions such as time and billing, AIA draws, progress billings, along with the ability to produce customized invoices and recurring bills as needed. T e payroll module is construction specifi c and easily handles multi-state payroll processing, and also handles multiple deduction types. Certifi ed payroll is also available in JobView, and the payroll module supports direct deposit capability. Users can also import payroll information from fi eld employees directly into JobView, and all workers compensation and tax rates are updated constantly by A-Systems. Additional modules available for JobView include Inventory Warehousing, Equipment Costing, Purchase Orders, Fixed Asset Manage- ment, and Sales Quote/Sales Order. JobView includes built-in audit trail func-
tionality that cannot be shut off . All transac- tions processed in JobView are recorded and can be accessed if necessary. User security is set for each employee; with each system user assigned system access based on their posi- tion, and can range from view-only access to
full system access, as well as specifi c feature access within each module.
CONSTRUCTION/CONTRACTOR- SPECIFIC FEATURES JobView allows users to import job estimates from a variety of sources, including other databases and third-party soſt ware applica- tions. Budgets can track costs by groupings such as Labor, Material, Subcontracts, Equip- ment, and Other (categories and can be modifi ed as needed). T e new job option in JobView provides users with a useful tool for entering detailed information for each job, such as job site, billing, phases, and any pertinent certifi cations. Users can review the Project Management Overview for quick access to job progress and current phases, as well as bud- geted, actual, and costs for each job. T e 'as-of' reporting option allows job supervisors and project managers to view job progress and costs as of the date specifi ed. A built in Projections and Modeling function allows users to easily forecast job expenses 36 months in advance. Change order processing is available and amendments can be tracked using multiple criteria. The AP module tracks detailed information on insurance expirations, vendor payment terms and 1099 information. T e built in Contact Manager function allows users to track projects, prospects, and upcoming issues, and easily integrates with the AP, AR, and Payroll modules. JobView also contains numerous user-defined fields for storing custom information. JobView's Inventory Warehousing module
allows users to manage inventory in multiple warehouses. Users can assign multiple pricing levels to vendors or for each item maintained in inventory. T e Purchase Order module provides users with a warning when potential expenses may exceed the current budget. T e Equipment Costing module allows users to keep track of equipment data, including user, hours in use, income received from usage, etc.
REPORTING & MANAGEMENT TOOLS JobView contains an excellent report-generator, creating numerous standard reports that can be easily customized as needed. T e DataView custom report writer is also available in Job- View for those requiring specialized reports. Company overview screens also provide users with overall fi nancial performance indicators, as well as detailed fi nancial information about
individual jobs. Management reports can be geared toward the appropriate staff member, displaying only the information needed. T e AR module easily handles AIA invoicing, and the Contact Manager allows users to create templates for vendor and customer correspon- dence. T e Electronic File Cabinet, an add-on module, allows users to at ach customer and vendor documents, photos, contracts, and fi les to system transactions, and provides electronic access to these documents to necessary per- sonnel. JobView is currently developing a remote access version of JobView and expects to have it available in the near future. Reports can be easily emailed to customers and ven- dors, or exported using a variety of fi le formats.
INTEGRATION/IMPORT/EXPORT T e product's import and export capabilities allow users to import transactions and other data in batches from some third party estima- tion, electronic time clock, and payroll applica- tions. Users can also export data using a plain text (*.TXT) format. As a completely integrated system, all JobView modules work together, and users can scale up to a more powerful version of the product or add additional modules as needed. JobView off ers a wide range of other tools, including Point of Sale, ODBC, Credit Card Processing, and Electronic Import/Export modules.
HELP/SUPPORT Along with an excellent help function found throughout the product, JobView also off ers many features designed to assist new users with system setup and navigation, including a Procedures Guide for routine tasks. JobView also off ers product technical support agree- ments that can be purchased on a quarterly, semi-annual or annual basis. Various user training options are also available, and all support questions are handled through Job- View's offi ce in the U.S.
SUMMARY & PRICING A-Systems JobView is available in three separate editions (Small Builder Advantage, Standard, and Preferred). Prices range from $79.95 at the entry level, up to the Preferred edition, which currently has a retail price of $4,99 . Extremely scalable, fl exible, and easy to use, JobView continues to be an excellent choice for small to mid-sized construction related businesses.
www.a-systems.net