/* Pushed : Thu, 3 Mar 2011 4:38 PM EST */
var v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_main = {"opening":"<div onclick='zift_pc++;zift_show8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59()' id='8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59' ><a name='zift_anchor' id='zift_anchor'><\/a><div id='zwOuter'><div id='zwOuterFrame'><div id='zw_widget_8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59'><table style='border:0px;border-spacing:0px;'><tr><td>","closing":"<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><div id='zwFooter'><div class='zwFooterRight'><span style='float:left;display:none' id='8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_options'><a class='xi_ac' style='font-weight:bold;cursor:pointer;' target='_blank' onclick=\"zwMgmtReader8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59('http://sage.ziftsolutions.com/channel/8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a075ba0a2e&amp;xiuw=8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59',null,'ManagementReader');\" >Manage Content<\/a><\/span><span style='float:right'><a title='Go to ziftsolutions.com' href='http://www.ziftsolutions.com/' target='_blank'>powered by Zift <\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/td><\/tr><\/table><span class='zwClear' /><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","references":"<link rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' media='all' href='http://static.ziftsolutions.com/widgets/css/basePreviewWidget.css' /><script type='text/javascript' language='JavaScript' src='https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.ziftsolutions.com/js/swfobject.js'><\/script><script type='text/javascript' language='JavaScript' src='https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.ziftsolutions.com/widgets/js/zwPreviewWidget.js'><\/script><script type='text/javascript' language='JavaScript' src='https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.ziftsolutions.com/widgets/js/zwTrack.v9.js'><\/script>","styles":"<style type='text/css'>.zwSource A{color:#998A5D;}.zwContentComment{border-width:2px;background-color:#FFF59E;border-color:#FFCC00;}#zwTitle A{color:#777777;}.zwContent{font-size:13px;color:#000000;background-color:#FFFFFF;}.zwContentText{font-size:13px;}.zwContent LI .zwContentTitle A:hover{color:#998A5D;}.zwSource{font-size:13px;color:#000000;}.xi_clip_comment_tt{border-width:2px;border-color:#FFCC00;}.xi_blockSubscribe_t A:hover{color:#998A5D;}.xi_blockSubscribe{background-color:#FFFFFF;}.zwContent #zwContentFoot A:hover{color:#998A5D;}.xi_clip_content_tt{font-family:Verdana,Arial;}.zwContentText A{color:#998A5D;}.zwSource A:hover{color:#998A5D;}.zwDate{font-size:13px;}.zwContentText .zwTextReadMore A:hover{color:#998A5D;}.zwTextReadMore A{color:#998A5D;}.zwContent LI .zwContentTitle A{color:#998A5D;}.xi_blockSubscribe_t A{color:#998A5D;}#zwInlineTitle A{color:#777777;}.zwContent A{color:#998A5D;}#zwOuterFrame{border-width:0px;border-color:#F0F0F0;}.zwContent #zwContentFoot{color:#000000;}#zwOuter{font-family:Verdana,Arial;}#zwNextPrev A:hover{color:#998A5D;}.zwContent LI{line-height:15px;margin-left:0px;}#zwTitle{font-size:15px;color:#777777;background-image:none !important;background-color:#F0F0F0;height:15px;text-align:right;display:none;}#zwNextPrev A{color:#998A5D;}#zwFooter A{color:#777777;}#zwFooter{background-color:#FFFFFF;}#zwFooter A:hover{color:#777777;}.zwContent #zwContentFoot A{color:#998A5D;}.xi_feedContent_tt{font-family:Verdana,Arial;font-size:13px;line-height:15px;color:#000000;background-color:#FFFFFF;border-width:0px;border-color:#F0F0F0;}#zwTitle #zwTitleImg{height:15px;}.xi_entry_title_wrapper{font-size:13px;line-height:15px;}#zwInlineTitle{font-size:15px;}<\/style><style type='text/css'>.zwContent li {margin-left:0px !important; line-height:16px} .zwContentTitle {font-size:12px !important} #content.content-home { height: 100% !important } <\/style>","tracking":"<script language=\"javascript\" type=\"text/javascript\">addZiftLoadEvent(function() {zATV({ host: 'http://sage.ziftsolutions.com/', id : '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59', client : '402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028'} );zTrkO();zAUL(zTrkU);});zTS = 'http://sage.ziftsolutions.com/';<\/script>"};
var v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_titles = {"visibleOpening":"<div id='zw_titles_8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59'>","visibleClosing":"<\/div>","hiddenOpening":"<div id='zw_titles_8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59' style='display:none'>","hiddenClosing":"<\/div>","contents":"<div id='zwTitle'>Preferred Logic - CRM News<span class='zwClear' ><\/span><\/div><div><ul class='zwContent'><li id='zw_0_li'><div class='zwContentTitle' id='zw_0_title'><a href='http://docs.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/viewer?a=v&amp;pid=gmail&amp;attid=0.1&amp;thid=12d71f86f78064f2&amp;mt=application/msword&amp;url=http://mail.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/?ui%3D2&amp;ik%3De130d5e6ec&amp;view%3Datt&amp;th%3D12d71f86f78064f2&amp;attid%3D0.1&amp;disp%3Dattd&amp;zw&amp;sig=AHIEtbRCJ4j9JgQK0mQ5I5YH2gsdPqKJRQ' onclick=\"zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef2d880563012d9047408f1217','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fdocs.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2Fviewer&#037;3Fa&#037;3Dv&#037;26pid&#037;3Dgmail&#037;26attid&#037;3D0.1&#037;26thid&#037;3D12d71f86f78064f2&#037;26mt&#037;3Dapplication&#037;2Fmsword&#037;26url&#037;3Dhttp&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fmail.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2F&#037;3Fui&#037;253D2&#037;2526ik&#037;253De130d5e6ec&#037;2526view&#037;253Datt&#037;2526th&#037;253D12d71f86f78064f2&#037;2526attid&#037;253D0.1&#037;2526disp&#037;253Dattd&#037;2526zw&#037;26sig&#037;3DAHIEtbRCJ4j9JgQK0mQ5I5YH2gsdPqKJRQ');try{zwShowDetails('8a7c9fef2d880563012d9047408f1217','8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59')}catch(err){};return false;\" target='_blank'>Sage to launch new channel marketing tools for 2011<\/a><\/div><div class='zwContentExtra' id='extra_0'><\/div><div class='zwContentText' id='zw_0'>To help its channel partners better serve the North American market, Sage North America will ...<span class='zwTextReadMore'><a href='http://docs.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/viewer?a=v&amp;pid=gmail&amp;attid=0.1&amp;thid=12d71f86f78064f2&amp;mt=application/msword&amp;url=http://mail.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/?ui%3D2&amp;ik%3De130d5e6ec&amp;view%3Datt&amp;th%3D12d71f86f78064f2&amp;attid%3D0.1&amp;disp%3Dattd&amp;zw&amp;sig=AHIEtbRCJ4j9JgQK0mQ5I5YH2gsdPqKJRQ' onclick=\"zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef2d880563012d9047408f1217','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fdocs.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2Fviewer&#037;3Fa&#037;3Dv&#037;26pid&#037;3Dgmail&#037;26attid&#037;3D0.1&#037;26thid&#037;3D12d71f86f78064f2&#037;26mt&#037;3Dapplication&#037;2Fmsword&#037;26url&#037;3Dhttp&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fmail.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2F&#037;3Fui&#037;253D2&#037;2526ik&#037;253De130d5e6ec&#037;2526view&#037;253Datt&#037;2526th&#037;253D12d71f86f78064f2&#037;2526attid&#037;253D0.1&#037;2526disp&#037;253Dattd&#037;2526zw&#037;26sig&#037;3DAHIEtbRCJ4j9JgQK0mQ5I5YH2gsdPqKJRQ');try{zwShowDetails('8a7c9fef2d880563012d9047408f1217','8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59')}catch(err){};return false;\" target='_blank'>[read more]<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/li><li id='zw_1_li'><div class='zwContentTitle' id='zw_1_title'><a href='http://docs.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/viewer?a=v&amp;pid=gmail&amp;attid=0.1&amp;thid=12ad478a8244c60f&amp;mt=application/msword&amp;url=http://mail.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/?ui%3D2&amp;ik%3De130d5e6ec&amp;view%3Datt&amp;th%3D12ad478a8244c60f&amp;attid%3D0.1&amp;disp%3Dattd&amp;zw&amp;sig=AHIEtbRqtbI1kUMqeVG9MgeZF3lMePsMYg' onclick=\"zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fdocs.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2Fviewer&#037;3Fa&#037;3Dv&#037;26pid&#037;3Dgmail&#037;26attid&#037;3D0.1&#037;26thid&#037;3D12ad478a8244c60f&#037;26mt&#037;3Dapplication&#037;2Fmsword&#037;26url&#037;3Dhttp&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fmail.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2F&#037;3Fui&#037;253D2&#037;2526ik&#037;253De130d5e6ec&#037;2526view&#037;253Datt&#037;2526th&#037;253D12ad478a8244c60f&#037;2526attid&#037;253D0.1&#037;2526disp&#037;253Dattd&#037;2526zw&#037;26sig&#037;3DAHIEtbRqtbI1kUMqeVG9MgeZF3lMePsMYg');try{zwShowDetails('8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d','8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59')}catch(err){};return false;\" target='_blank'>Staying in Touch with Your Customers<\/a><\/div><div class='zwContentExtra' id='extra_1'><\/div><div class='zwContentText' id='zw_1'>&quot;We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It&#039;s our ...<span class='zwTextReadMore'><a href='http://docs.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/viewer?a=v&amp;pid=gmail&amp;attid=0.1&amp;thid=12ad478a8244c60f&amp;mt=application/msword&amp;url=http://mail.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/?ui%3D2&amp;ik%3De130d5e6ec&amp;view%3Datt&amp;th%3D12ad478a8244c60f&amp;attid%3D0.1&amp;disp%3Dattd&amp;zw&amp;sig=AHIEtbRqtbI1kUMqeVG9MgeZF3lMePsMYg' onclick=\"zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fdocs.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2Fviewer&#037;3Fa&#037;3Dv&#037;26pid&#037;3Dgmail&#037;26attid&#037;3D0.1&#037;26thid&#037;3D12ad478a8244c60f&#037;26mt&#037;3Dapplication&#037;2Fmsword&#037;26url&#037;3Dhttp&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fmail.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2F&#037;3Fui&#037;253D2&#037;2526ik&#037;253De130d5e6ec&#037;2526view&#037;253Datt&#037;2526th&#037;253D12ad478a8244c60f&#037;2526attid&#037;253D0.1&#037;2526disp&#037;253Dattd&#037;2526zw&#037;26sig&#037;3DAHIEtbRqtbI1kUMqeVG9MgeZF3lMePsMYg');try{zwShowDetails('8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d','8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59')}catch(err){};return false;\" target='_blank'>[read more]<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/li><li id='zw_2_li'><div class='zwContentTitle' id='zw_2_title'><a href='http://www.1to1media.com/weblog/2010/07/hoffmans_hot_seat_making_the_m.html' onclick=\"zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.1to1media.com&#037;2Fweblog&#037;2F2010&#037;2F07&#037;2Fhoffmans_hot_seat_making_the_m.html');try{zwShowDetails('8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6','8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59')}catch(err){};return false;\" target='_blank'>Hoffman&#039;s Hot Seat: Making the Most of Social CRM Opportunities with Customers<\/a><\/div><div class='zwContentExtra' id='extra_2'><\/div><div class='zwContentText' id='zw_2'>There&#039;s a huge amount of buzz around social CRM but a limited amount of action that ...<span class='zwTextReadMore'><a href='http://www.1to1media.com/weblog/2010/07/hoffmans_hot_seat_making_the_m.html' onclick=\"zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.1to1media.com&#037;2Fweblog&#037;2F2010&#037;2F07&#037;2Fhoffmans_hot_seat_making_the_m.html');try{zwShowDetails('8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6','8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59')}catch(err){};return false;\" target='_blank'>[read more]<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/li><li id='zw_3_li'><div class='zwContentTitle' id='zw_3_title'><a href='http://www.sagenorthamerica.com/company/newsroom/press_releases/details?CID=1D760715-1B6F-0001-2554-17BB19E012A7&amp;CardId=529480&amp;RowIndex=2&amp;Product=*&amp;Year=*' onclick=\"zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.sagenorthamerica.com&#037;2Fcompany&#037;2Fnewsroom&#037;2Fpress_releases&#037;2Fdetails&#037;3FCID&#037;3D1D760715-1B6F-0001-2554-17BB19E012A7&#037;26CardId&#037;3D529480&#037;26RowIndex&#037;3D2&#037;26Product&#037;3D&#042;&#037;26Year&#037;3D&#042;');try{zwShowDetails('8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca','8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59')}catch(err){};return false;\" target='_blank'>Study Finds Leading Companies are Optimizing Payments Processes to Increase Cash Flow<\/a><\/div><div class='zwContentExtra' id='extra_3'><\/div><div class='zwContentText' id='zw_3'>Sage North America today announced high-level findings from Aberdeen Group&#039;s recently ...<span class='zwTextReadMore'><a href='http://www.sagenorthamerica.com/company/newsroom/press_releases/details?CID=1D760715-1B6F-0001-2554-17BB19E012A7&amp;CardId=529480&amp;RowIndex=2&amp;Product=*&amp;Year=*' onclick=\"zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.sagenorthamerica.com&#037;2Fcompany&#037;2Fnewsroom&#037;2Fpress_releases&#037;2Fdetails&#037;3FCID&#037;3D1D760715-1B6F-0001-2554-17BB19E012A7&#037;26CardId&#037;3D529480&#037;26RowIndex&#037;3D2&#037;26Product&#037;3D&#042;&#037;26Year&#037;3D&#042;');try{zwShowDetails('8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca','8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59')}catch(err){};return false;\" target='_blank'>[read more]<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/li><li id='zw_4_li'><div class='zwContentTitle' id='zw_4_title'><a href='http://www.kiplinger.com/news/article.php/small-business-owners-report-improving-conditions-19799841.html' onclick=\"zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.kiplinger.com&#037;2Fnews&#037;2Farticle.php&#037;2Fsmall-business-owners-report-improving-conditions-19799841.html');try{zwShowDetails('8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75','8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59')}catch(err){};return false;\" target='_blank'>A Glimmer of Light for Small Business<\/a><\/div><div class='zwContentExtra' id='extra_4'><\/div><div class='zwContentText' id='zw_4'>Small business owners are growing increasingly confident about the nation&#039;s economic ...<span class='zwTextReadMore'><a href='http://www.kiplinger.com/news/article.php/small-business-owners-report-improving-conditions-19799841.html' onclick=\"zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.kiplinger.com&#037;2Fnews&#037;2Farticle.php&#037;2Fsmall-business-owners-report-improving-conditions-19799841.html');try{zwShowDetails('8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75','8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59')}catch(err){};return false;\" target='_blank'>[read more]<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/li><li id='zw_5_li'><div class='zwContentTitle' id='zw_5_title'><a href='http://www.journalofaccountancy.com/Issues/2010/Apr/20092306.htm' onclick=\"zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef27d0e4100127fe36a0b17516','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.journalofaccountancy.com&#037;2FIssues&#037;2F2010&#037;2FApr&#037;2F20092306.htm');try{zwShowDetails('8a7c9fef27d0e4100127fe36a0b17516','8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59')}catch(err){};return false;\" target='_blank'>Project Management for Accountants<\/a><\/div><div class='zwContentExtra' id='extra_5'><\/div><div class='zwContentText' id='zw_5'>Project management is a client-focused process that significantly increases the probability of ...<span class='zwTextReadMore'><a href='http://www.journalofaccountancy.com/Issues/2010/Apr/20092306.htm' onclick=\"zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef27d0e4100127fe36a0b17516','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.journalofaccountancy.com&#037;2FIssues&#037;2F2010&#037;2FApr&#037;2F20092306.htm');try{zwShowDetails('8a7c9fef27d0e4100127fe36a0b17516','8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59')}catch(err){};return false;\" target='_blank'>[read more]<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div>"};
var v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details = {"v8a7c9fef2d880563012d9047408f1217":{"hiddenOpening":"<div id='zw_details_8a7c9fef2d880563012d9047408f1217' style='display:none'>","hiddenClosing":"<\/div>","visibleOpening":"<div id='zw_details_8a7c9fef2d880563012d9047408f1217'>","visibleClosing":"<\/div>","contents":"<div style='padding-top:3px;' align='left' id='full_0'><table id='zwNextPrev' width='100%'><tr><td style='text-align: left;' align='left'>&lt;&lt; Previous Article&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href='http://docs.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=12ad478a8244c60f&mt=application/msword&url=http://mail.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/?ui%3D2%26ik%3De130d5e6ec%26view%3Datt%26th%3D12ad478a8244c60f%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dattd%26zw&sig=AHIEtbRqtbI1kUMqeVG9MgeZF3lMePsMYg' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fdocs.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2Fviewer&#037;3Fa&#037;3Dv&#037;26pid&#037;3Dgmail&#037;26attid&#037;3D0.1&#037;26thid&#037;3D12ad478a8244c60f&#037;26mt&#037;3Dapplication&#037;2Fmsword&#037;26url&#037;3Dhttp&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fmail.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2F&#037;3Fui&#037;253D2&#037;2526ik&#037;253De130d5e6ec&#037;2526view&#037;253Datt&#037;2526th&#037;253D12ad478a8244c60f&#037;2526attid&#037;253D0.1&#037;2526disp&#037;253Dattd&#037;2526zw&#037;26sig&#037;3DAHIEtbRqtbI1kUMqeVG9MgeZF3lMePsMYg');zwShowDetails(\"8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d\",\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Next Article<\/a> &gt;&gt;<\/td><td style='text-align: right;' align='right'><a style='cursor:pointer' onclick='zwShowTitles(\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Return to List<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/table><div id='zwInlineTitle' style='text-align:left;height:auto'><a href='http://docs.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/viewer?a=v&amp;pid=gmail&amp;attid=0.1&amp;thid=12d71f86f78064f2&amp;mt=application/msword&amp;url=http://mail.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/?ui%3D2&amp;ik%3De130d5e6ec&amp;view%3Datt&amp;th%3D12d71f86f78064f2&amp;attid%3D0.1&amp;disp%3Dattd&amp;zw&amp;sig=AHIEtbRCJ4j9JgQK0mQ5I5YH2gsdPqKJRQ' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef2d880563012d9047408f1217','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fdocs.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2Fviewer&#037;3Fa&#037;3Dv&#037;26pid&#037;3Dgmail&#037;26attid&#037;3D0.1&#037;26thid&#037;3D12d71f86f78064f2&#037;26mt&#037;3Dapplication&#037;2Fmsword&#037;26url&#037;3Dhttp&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fmail.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2F&#037;3Fui&#037;253D2&#037;2526ik&#037;253De130d5e6ec&#037;2526view&#037;253Datt&#037;2526th&#037;253D12d71f86f78064f2&#037;2526attid&#037;253D0.1&#037;2526disp&#037;253Dattd&#037;2526zw&#037;26sig&#037;3DAHIEtbRCJ4j9JgQK0mQ5I5YH2gsdPqKJRQ');' target='_blank' >Sage to launch new channel marketing tools for 2011<\/a><span class='zwClear'><\/span><\/div><div class='zwContentExtra' id='extra_0'><\/div><div class='zwContentText'><span class='zwInline'><p>To help its channel partners better serve the North American market, <a href=\"http://www.sage.com\" target=\"_blank\">Sage<\/a> North America will launch a new marketing automation tool next year, its vice-president of channel management, Tom Miller said.<\/p><p>When Miller left a career with <a href=\"http://www.microsoft.com\" target=\"_blank\">Microsoft<\/a> and joined the Sage team last year, he realized there weren't as many partners participating in the Sage channel program as he would have hoped. While he admits the level of partner engagements is still very much a work in progress, Miller said the company's bringing to market more partner resources in the new year.<\/p> <p>Within the first couple of months of the new year, Miller said Sage will launch an end to end marketing automation tool that enables partners to find opportunities in a targeted way. The tool is still in its pilot stage with only a select number of partners using it. The company will launch the tool to its broader partner channel in January or February next year, he added.<\/p> <p>&quot;Our goal is to be more targeted with business units across our portfolio to help partners be more directed in their local markets,&quot; he said. &quot;Partners who use the tool will be able to find customer opportunities in Canada and the US by type and size.&quot;<\/p> <p>Once these customers are identified, Miller said partners will be able to register their leads thru Sage's Partner Portals.<\/p> <p>&quot;Internally, we validate the authenticity of the prospect, then protect the prospect's name for this partner,&quot; he said. <a href=\"http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/Home/News.asp?id=57918\" target=\"_blank\">&quot;This protects the partner from Sage redistributing<\/a> the lead to another partner, but doesn't restrict other partners from engaging in the sales cycle.&quot;<\/p> <p>Partners will also be able to complete a self-assessment to evaluate and identify where their strengths are so they can go after customers in relevant markets. In addition to the marketing automation tool, Miller said Sage will also launch an enhanced campaign initiative to help partners with things like e-marketing.<\/p> <p>Currently at Sage North America, Miller said there are about 4,500-5,000 partners on record, including about 3000 reseller partners across the portfolio. <\/p> <p>Next year, Miller said he will focus his efforts on working to accelerate Sage partners' engagements with the company's channel programs so they can grow their mutual businesses further. <\/p><\/span><\/div><table id='zwNextPrev' width='100%'><tr><td style='text-align: left;' align='left'>&lt;&lt; Previous Article&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href='http://docs.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=12ad478a8244c60f&mt=application/msword&url=http://mail.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/?ui%3D2%26ik%3De130d5e6ec%26view%3Datt%26th%3D12ad478a8244c60f%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dattd%26zw&sig=AHIEtbRqtbI1kUMqeVG9MgeZF3lMePsMYg' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fdocs.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2Fviewer&#037;3Fa&#037;3Dv&#037;26pid&#037;3Dgmail&#037;26attid&#037;3D0.1&#037;26thid&#037;3D12ad478a8244c60f&#037;26mt&#037;3Dapplication&#037;2Fmsword&#037;26url&#037;3Dhttp&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fmail.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2F&#037;3Fui&#037;253D2&#037;2526ik&#037;253De130d5e6ec&#037;2526view&#037;253Datt&#037;2526th&#037;253D12ad478a8244c60f&#037;2526attid&#037;253D0.1&#037;2526disp&#037;253Dattd&#037;2526zw&#037;26sig&#037;3DAHIEtbRqtbI1kUMqeVG9MgeZF3lMePsMYg');zwShowDetails(\"8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d\",\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Next Article<\/a> &gt;&gt;<\/td><td style='text-align: right;' align='right'><a style='cursor:pointer' onclick='zwShowTitles(\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Return to List<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/table><\/div>"},"v8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d":{"hiddenOpening":"<div id='zw_details_8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d' style='display:none'>","hiddenClosing":"<\/div>","visibleOpening":"<div id='zw_details_8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d'>","visibleClosing":"<\/div>","contents":"<div style='padding-top:3px;' align='left' id='full_1'><table id='zwNextPrev' width='100%'><tr><td style='text-align: left;' align='left'>&lt;&lt; <a href='http://docs.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=12d71f86f78064f2&mt=application/msword&url=http://mail.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/?ui%3D2%26ik%3De130d5e6ec%26view%3Datt%26th%3D12d71f86f78064f2%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dattd%26zw&sig=AHIEtbRCJ4j9JgQK0mQ5I5YH2gsdPqKJRQ' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef2d880563012d9047408f1217','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fdocs.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2Fviewer&#037;3Fa&#037;3Dv&#037;26pid&#037;3Dgmail&#037;26attid&#037;3D0.1&#037;26thid&#037;3D12d71f86f78064f2&#037;26mt&#037;3Dapplication&#037;2Fmsword&#037;26url&#037;3Dhttp&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fmail.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2F&#037;3Fui&#037;253D2&#037;2526ik&#037;253De130d5e6ec&#037;2526view&#037;253Datt&#037;2526th&#037;253D12d71f86f78064f2&#037;2526attid&#037;253D0.1&#037;2526disp&#037;253Dattd&#037;2526zw&#037;26sig&#037;3DAHIEtbRCJ4j9JgQK0mQ5I5YH2gsdPqKJRQ');zwShowDetails(\"8a7c9fef2d880563012d9047408f1217\",\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Previous Article<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href='http://www.1to1media.com/weblog/2010/07/hoffmans_hot_seat_making_the_m.html' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.1to1media.com&#037;2Fweblog&#037;2F2010&#037;2F07&#037;2Fhoffmans_hot_seat_making_the_m.html');zwShowDetails(\"8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6\",\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Next Article<\/a> &gt;&gt;<\/td><td style='text-align: right;' align='right'><a style='cursor:pointer' onclick='zwShowTitles(\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Return to List<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/table><div id='zwInlineTitle' style='text-align:left;height:auto'><a href='http://docs.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/viewer?a=v&amp;pid=gmail&amp;attid=0.1&amp;thid=12ad478a8244c60f&amp;mt=application/msword&amp;url=http://mail.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/?ui%3D2&amp;ik%3De130d5e6ec&amp;view%3Datt&amp;th%3D12ad478a8244c60f&amp;attid%3D0.1&amp;disp%3Dattd&amp;zw&amp;sig=AHIEtbRqtbI1kUMqeVG9MgeZF3lMePsMYg' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fdocs.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2Fviewer&#037;3Fa&#037;3Dv&#037;26pid&#037;3Dgmail&#037;26attid&#037;3D0.1&#037;26thid&#037;3D12ad478a8244c60f&#037;26mt&#037;3Dapplication&#037;2Fmsword&#037;26url&#037;3Dhttp&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fmail.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2F&#037;3Fui&#037;253D2&#037;2526ik&#037;253De130d5e6ec&#037;2526view&#037;253Datt&#037;2526th&#037;253D12ad478a8244c60f&#037;2526attid&#037;253D0.1&#037;2526disp&#037;253Dattd&#037;2526zw&#037;26sig&#037;3DAHIEtbRqtbI1kUMqeVG9MgeZF3lMePsMYg');' target='_blank' >Staying in Touch with Your Customers<\/a><span class='zwClear'><\/span><\/div><div class='zwContentExtra' id='extra_1'><\/div><div class='zwContentText'><span class='zwInline'><p>&quot;We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It&#039;s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better,&quot; said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO for Amazon.com, a company known for its customer-centric philosophies.<\/p> <p>Are your leaders in touch with your customers? Most companies claim to be customer-centric. In truth, most businesses are not as customer-centric as they think.<\/p> <p>True customer engagement starts with leadership. Yet, senior executives often get distracted by the grinds of running the business - operations, financials, strategy and other day-to-day activities.<\/p> <p>To remain competitive, business leaders must keep their fingers on the pulse of the entire customer experience, from beginning to end. Executives can unintentionally (and quickly) find themselves out of touch with the realities of the customer experience being created by their company on a daily basis.<\/p> <p><span style=\"color: rgb(204, 51, 51);\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><strong>No Substitute for Direct Engagement<\/strong><\/span><\/span><br/> Leaders often depend on customer surveys, market research and anecdotal evidence of how customers perceive their company. While this information is valuable, nothing takes the place of real, live, regular and direct engagement with a cross sampling of your customer base.<\/p> <p>This level of engagement will not only help you gain valuable insights into the issues and challenges faced by your customers each day, but it will also help you begin to understand your customers&#039; perceptions of your company as a whole.<\/p> <p>Customer feelings and emotions are difficult to extract from surveys and research, but they can easily be learned from sincere one-on-one dialogue. Ask yourself how often you talk and meet with customers in venues that generate honest and open discussion about how customers feel about your product, service, value proposition, employees and company overall.<\/p> <p><span style=\"color: rgb(204, 51, 51);\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><strong>Customers at the Forefront<\/strong><\/span><\/span><br/> It is not necessary to create a complex program or process. You might simply require that all key leaders meet regularly with randomly selected customers, and report back on what they learned. The goal of such a program is not to create a litany of action items. Rather, leaders should be exposed to your customers&#039; real issues, as well as sensitized to how the decisions they make will impact customers.<\/p> <p>Be careful that executives do not try to extrapolate trends from just a few customer interactions; that&#039;s what quantitative research is for. Simply let your leaders build customer relationships one-on-one, knowing that each customer could have a unique point of view or concern.<\/p> <p>To be a truly customer-centric company, you must put customers first in all decision making. As your business leaders make a habit of regular customer visits, they can more effectively keep the customers&#039; interests, passions and concerns at the forefront.<\/p> <p>It is important to remember, however, that customer-centricity is not just for senior leaders. Keeping customers top-of-mind in all decision-making should be ingrained into your company culture.<\/p> <p><span style=\"color: rgb(204, 51, 51);\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><strong>The Good, Bad and Ugly<\/strong><\/span><\/span><br/> Putting yourself and your leadership team in the shoes of your customers is really a simple concept. Just keep asking one basic question: As a customer, how would I like to be treated?<\/p> <p>Put yourself out there, and be prepared to hear the good, the bad and the ugly. The bad and the ugly often contain the &quot;golden nuggets&quot; needed to improve a company&#039;s competitiveness in the marketplace.<\/p> <p>Leon Leonwood Bean, founder of L.L. Bean, another company known for its dedication to customer service and satisfaction, said, &quot;A customer is not an interruption of our work&hellip;he is the purpose of it.&quot;<\/p> <p>I urge you to get closer to your customers. You will be glad you did.<\/p><\/span><\/div><table id='zwNextPrev' width='100%'><tr><td style='text-align: left;' align='left'>&lt;&lt; <a href='http://docs.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=12d71f86f78064f2&mt=application/msword&url=http://mail.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/?ui%3D2%26ik%3De130d5e6ec%26view%3Datt%26th%3D12d71f86f78064f2%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dattd%26zw&sig=AHIEtbRCJ4j9JgQK0mQ5I5YH2gsdPqKJRQ' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef2d880563012d9047408f1217','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fdocs.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2Fviewer&#037;3Fa&#037;3Dv&#037;26pid&#037;3Dgmail&#037;26attid&#037;3D0.1&#037;26thid&#037;3D12d71f86f78064f2&#037;26mt&#037;3Dapplication&#037;2Fmsword&#037;26url&#037;3Dhttp&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fmail.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2F&#037;3Fui&#037;253D2&#037;2526ik&#037;253De130d5e6ec&#037;2526view&#037;253Datt&#037;2526th&#037;253D12d71f86f78064f2&#037;2526attid&#037;253D0.1&#037;2526disp&#037;253Dattd&#037;2526zw&#037;26sig&#037;3DAHIEtbRCJ4j9JgQK0mQ5I5YH2gsdPqKJRQ');zwShowDetails(\"8a7c9fef2d880563012d9047408f1217\",\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Previous Article<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href='http://www.1to1media.com/weblog/2010/07/hoffmans_hot_seat_making_the_m.html' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.1to1media.com&#037;2Fweblog&#037;2F2010&#037;2F07&#037;2Fhoffmans_hot_seat_making_the_m.html');zwShowDetails(\"8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6\",\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Next Article<\/a> &gt;&gt;<\/td><td style='text-align: right;' align='right'><a style='cursor:pointer' onclick='zwShowTitles(\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Return to List<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/table><\/div>"},"v8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6":{"hiddenOpening":"<div id='zw_details_8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6' style='display:none'>","hiddenClosing":"<\/div>","visibleOpening":"<div id='zw_details_8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6'>","visibleClosing":"<\/div>","contents":"<div style='padding-top:3px;' align='left' id='full_2'><table id='zwNextPrev' width='100%'><tr><td style='text-align: left;' align='left'>&lt;&lt; <a href='http://docs.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=12ad478a8244c60f&mt=application/msword&url=http://mail.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/?ui%3D2%26ik%3De130d5e6ec%26view%3Datt%26th%3D12ad478a8244c60f%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dattd%26zw&sig=AHIEtbRqtbI1kUMqeVG9MgeZF3lMePsMYg' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fdocs.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2Fviewer&#037;3Fa&#037;3Dv&#037;26pid&#037;3Dgmail&#037;26attid&#037;3D0.1&#037;26thid&#037;3D12ad478a8244c60f&#037;26mt&#037;3Dapplication&#037;2Fmsword&#037;26url&#037;3Dhttp&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fmail.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2F&#037;3Fui&#037;253D2&#037;2526ik&#037;253De130d5e6ec&#037;2526view&#037;253Datt&#037;2526th&#037;253D12ad478a8244c60f&#037;2526attid&#037;253D0.1&#037;2526disp&#037;253Dattd&#037;2526zw&#037;26sig&#037;3DAHIEtbRqtbI1kUMqeVG9MgeZF3lMePsMYg');zwShowDetails(\"8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d\",\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Previous Article<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href='http://www.sagenorthamerica.com/company/newsroom/press_releases/details?CID=1D760715-1B6F-0001-2554-17BB19E012A7&CardId=529480&RowIndex=2&Product=*&Year=*' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.sagenorthamerica.com&#037;2Fcompany&#037;2Fnewsroom&#037;2Fpress_releases&#037;2Fdetails&#037;3FCID&#037;3D1D760715-1B6F-0001-2554-17BB19E012A7&#037;26CardId&#037;3D529480&#037;26RowIndex&#037;3D2&#037;26Product&#037;3D&#042;&#037;26Year&#037;3D&#042;');zwShowDetails(\"8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca\",\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Next Article<\/a> &gt;&gt;<\/td><td style='text-align: right;' align='right'><a style='cursor:pointer' onclick='zwShowTitles(\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Return to List<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/table><div id='zwInlineTitle' style='text-align:left;height:auto'><a href='http://www.1to1media.com/weblog/2010/07/hoffmans_hot_seat_making_the_m.html' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.1to1media.com&#037;2Fweblog&#037;2F2010&#037;2F07&#037;2Fhoffmans_hot_seat_making_the_m.html');' target='_blank' >Hoffman&#039;s Hot Seat: Making the Most of Social CRM Opportunities with Customers<\/a><span class='zwClear'><\/span><\/div><div class='zwContentExtra' id='extra_2'><\/div><div class='zwContentText'><span class='zwInline'>There&#039;s a huge amount of buzz around social CRM but a limited amount of action that marketers are actually taking. Larry Ritter, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Sage CRM Solutions, shares his insights on opportunities for marketing leaders to engage with customers through a variety of social CRM platforms.<\/span><\/div><table id='zwNextPrev' width='100%'><tr><td style='text-align: left;' align='left'>&lt;&lt; <a href='http://docs.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=12ad478a8244c60f&mt=application/msword&url=http://mail.google.com/a/ziftsolutions.com/?ui%3D2%26ik%3De130d5e6ec%26view%3Datt%26th%3D12ad478a8244c60f%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dattd%26zw&sig=AHIEtbRqtbI1kUMqeVG9MgeZF3lMePsMYg' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fdocs.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2Fviewer&#037;3Fa&#037;3Dv&#037;26pid&#037;3Dgmail&#037;26attid&#037;3D0.1&#037;26thid&#037;3D12ad478a8244c60f&#037;26mt&#037;3Dapplication&#037;2Fmsword&#037;26url&#037;3Dhttp&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fmail.google.com&#037;2Fa&#037;2Fziftsolutions.com&#037;2F&#037;3Fui&#037;253D2&#037;2526ik&#037;253De130d5e6ec&#037;2526view&#037;253Datt&#037;2526th&#037;253D12ad478a8244c60f&#037;2526attid&#037;253D0.1&#037;2526disp&#037;253Dattd&#037;2526zw&#037;26sig&#037;3DAHIEtbRqtbI1kUMqeVG9MgeZF3lMePsMYg');zwShowDetails(\"8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d\",\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Previous Article<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href='http://www.sagenorthamerica.com/company/newsroom/press_releases/details?CID=1D760715-1B6F-0001-2554-17BB19E012A7&CardId=529480&RowIndex=2&Product=*&Year=*' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.sagenorthamerica.com&#037;2Fcompany&#037;2Fnewsroom&#037;2Fpress_releases&#037;2Fdetails&#037;3FCID&#037;3D1D760715-1B6F-0001-2554-17BB19E012A7&#037;26CardId&#037;3D529480&#037;26RowIndex&#037;3D2&#037;26Product&#037;3D&#042;&#037;26Year&#037;3D&#042;');zwShowDetails(\"8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca\",\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Next Article<\/a> &gt;&gt;<\/td><td style='text-align: right;' align='right'><a style='cursor:pointer' onclick='zwShowTitles(\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Return to List<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/table><\/div>"},"v8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca":{"hiddenOpening":"<div id='zw_details_8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca' style='display:none'>","hiddenClosing":"<\/div>","visibleOpening":"<div id='zw_details_8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca'>","visibleClosing":"<\/div>","contents":"<div style='padding-top:3px;' align='left' id='full_3'><table id='zwNextPrev' width='100%'><tr><td style='text-align: left;' align='left'>&lt;&lt; <a href='http://www.1to1media.com/weblog/2010/07/hoffmans_hot_seat_making_the_m.html' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.1to1media.com&#037;2Fweblog&#037;2F2010&#037;2F07&#037;2Fhoffmans_hot_seat_making_the_m.html');zwShowDetails(\"8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6\",\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Previous Article<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href='http://www.kiplinger.com/news/article.php/small-business-owners-report-improving-conditions-19799841.html' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.kiplinger.com&#037;2Fnews&#037;2Farticle.php&#037;2Fsmall-business-owners-report-improving-conditions-19799841.html');zwShowDetails(\"8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75\",\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Next Article<\/a> &gt;&gt;<\/td><td style='text-align: right;' align='right'><a style='cursor:pointer' onclick='zwShowTitles(\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Return to List<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/table><div id='zwInlineTitle' style='text-align:left;height:auto'><a href='http://www.sagenorthamerica.com/company/newsroom/press_releases/details?CID=1D760715-1B6F-0001-2554-17BB19E012A7&amp;CardId=529480&amp;RowIndex=2&amp;Product=*&amp;Year=*' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.sagenorthamerica.com&#037;2Fcompany&#037;2Fnewsroom&#037;2Fpress_releases&#037;2Fdetails&#037;3FCID&#037;3D1D760715-1B6F-0001-2554-17BB19E012A7&#037;26CardId&#037;3D529480&#037;26RowIndex&#037;3D2&#037;26Product&#037;3D&#042;&#037;26Year&#037;3D&#042;');' target='_blank' >Study Finds Leading Companies are Optimizing Payments Processes to Increase Cash Flow<\/a><span class='zwClear'><\/span><\/div><div class='zwContentExtra' id='extra_3'><\/div><div class='zwContentText'><span class='zwInline'><p>Sage North America today announced high-level findings from Aberdeen Group&#039;s recently published third annual payments report, titled &quot;Global Payments: Maximizing Cash Flow with Electronic Payments and Process Automation.&quot; According to the report, leading companies are employing electronic payments and process automation to streamline and accelerate finance processes, reduce operating costs, and improve visibility, control, and efficiency to provide a foundation for increased profits.<\/p> <p>&quot;Despite the reign of the paper check and manual-based processes in business-to-business transactions in the U.S. and many parts of the world, economic and efficiency gains from automating the financial supply chain-from invoicing through payment settlement-are key motivators for demand and supply to align,&quot; said Nasreen Quibria, senior analyst at Aberdeen and author of the report. &quot;While the adoption of electronic payment vehicles requires businesses to alter their payment behavior and restructure their financial processes, companies that can make the shift will gain competitive advantage.&quot;<\/p> <p>Reflecting the unpredictable economic conditions of the past year, Aberdeen found that companies are focused on maximizing cash flow and taking a holistic approach to transactions-examining the flow of funds into Accounts Receivable (AR), and outflow of funds from Accounts Payable (AP).<\/p> <p>In its survey of more than 160 companies worldwide, Aberdeen found that businesses adopting electronic channels have been able to achieve a 16&#037; decrease in accounts receivable (AR) processing cost, and a 14&#037; decrease in accounts payable (AP) costs year over year.<\/p> <p>&quot;Aberdeen&#039;s report shows the value that systems interoperability with electronic payment networks has for both buyers and suppliers,&quot; said Greg Hammermaster, president of Sage Payment Solutions, the payments division for Sage North America. &quot;We believe this interoperability is critical toward achieving three major payments objectives for every business: improving cash flow, reducing costs, and maximizing the utility of their ERP environment.&quot;<\/p> <p>The Aberdeen survey identified two main pressures creating the need for improved payments processing:<\/p> <ul> <li>Corporate mandate to reduce overall payment transaction costs, such as staff and processing (65&#037;); and<\/li> <li>Stakeholder demand for improved operational efficiency, such as reduced reliance on paper documents (47&#037;).<\/li> <\/ul> <p>Also, according to Aberdeen, 50&#037; of best-in-class companies integrate their electronic payment solutions with their accounting, enterprise resource planning (ERP), or other financial systems. At the same time, 39&#037; of best-in-class companies identify a lack of integration between electronic payments and accounting systems as a barrier to increased electronic payments.<\/p> <p>Last month, Sage introduced Sage Exchange, a new secure, Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS) certified payment platform that will allow businesses and organizations to accept all forms and methods of payment, with seamless data integration to a wide range of Sage business management software products and third-party business solutions. Seamless integration between payment applications and back-office software can improve an organization&#039;s cash flow and forecasting, while eliminating manual data entry and the risk of errors.<\/p> <p>&quot;Integrating electronic payment networks with back office ERP systems is a challenge faced by all businesses,&quot; added Hammermaster. &quot;Sage Exchange overcomes this challenge by tightly integrating Sage&#039;s accounting and ERP solutions, on both the AR and AP sides, with the most widely used electronic payment networks, including credit and debit cards, electronic check, ACH, and even private label networks. While electronic payments data integration is the foundation, exponential value will be gained through a suite of connected services focused on streamlining the financial supply chain. Sage Exchange is set to deliver on that value proposition.&quot;<\/p> <p>Aberdeen&#039;s payments study was co-underwritten by Sage Payment Solutions and Syncada. A joint venture between Visa and U.S. Bank, Syncada provides a business-to-business network for financial institutions to enable their clients to increase control over their financial supply chains.<\/p><\/span><\/div><table id='zwNextPrev' width='100%'><tr><td style='text-align: left;' align='left'>&lt;&lt; <a href='http://www.1to1media.com/weblog/2010/07/hoffmans_hot_seat_making_the_m.html' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.1to1media.com&#037;2Fweblog&#037;2F2010&#037;2F07&#037;2Fhoffmans_hot_seat_making_the_m.html');zwShowDetails(\"8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6\",\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Previous Article<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href='http://www.kiplinger.com/news/article.php/small-business-owners-report-improving-conditions-19799841.html' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.kiplinger.com&#037;2Fnews&#037;2Farticle.php&#037;2Fsmall-business-owners-report-improving-conditions-19799841.html');zwShowDetails(\"8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75\",\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Next Article<\/a> &gt;&gt;<\/td><td style='text-align: right;' align='right'><a style='cursor:pointer' onclick='zwShowTitles(\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Return to List<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/table><\/div>"},"v8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75":{"hiddenOpening":"<div id='zw_details_8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75' style='display:none'>","hiddenClosing":"<\/div>","visibleOpening":"<div id='zw_details_8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75'>","visibleClosing":"<\/div>","contents":"<div style='padding-top:3px;' align='left' id='full_4'><table id='zwNextPrev' width='100%'><tr><td style='text-align: left;' align='left'>&lt;&lt; <a href='http://www.sagenorthamerica.com/company/newsroom/press_releases/details?CID=1D760715-1B6F-0001-2554-17BB19E012A7&CardId=529480&RowIndex=2&Product=*&Year=*' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.sagenorthamerica.com&#037;2Fcompany&#037;2Fnewsroom&#037;2Fpress_releases&#037;2Fdetails&#037;3FCID&#037;3D1D760715-1B6F-0001-2554-17BB19E012A7&#037;26CardId&#037;3D529480&#037;26RowIndex&#037;3D2&#037;26Product&#037;3D&#042;&#037;26Year&#037;3D&#042;');zwShowDetails(\"8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca\",\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Previous Article<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href='http://www.journalofaccountancy.com/Issues/2010/Apr/20092306.htm' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef27d0e4100127fe36a0b17516','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.journalofaccountancy.com&#037;2FIssues&#037;2F2010&#037;2FApr&#037;2F20092306.htm');zwShowDetails(\"8a7c9fef27d0e4100127fe36a0b17516\",\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Next Article<\/a> &gt;&gt;<\/td><td style='text-align: right;' align='right'><a style='cursor:pointer' onclick='zwShowTitles(\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Return to List<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/table><div id='zwInlineTitle' style='text-align:left;height:auto'><a href='http://www.kiplinger.com/news/article.php/small-business-owners-report-improving-conditions-19799841.html' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.kiplinger.com&#037;2Fnews&#037;2Farticle.php&#037;2Fsmall-business-owners-report-improving-conditions-19799841.html');' target='_blank' >A Glimmer of Light for Small Business<\/a><span class='zwClear'><\/span><\/div><div class='zwContentExtra' id='extra_4'><\/div><div class='zwContentText'><span class='zwInline'><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><\/span>Small business owners are growing increasingly confident about the nation&#039;s economic conditions, the latest Capital One Small Business Barometer survey shows.<br/><br/>According to the bank, almost 80 percent of the 1,915 small business owners it polled believe the economy is improving or staying level. Thirty-nine percent say their firm is in better financial shape than it was last year - an 11-percentage-point improvement from the Capital One survey conducted in the fourth quarter of 2009.<br/><br/>&quot;There is some positive momentum,&quot; Capital One executive vice president of small business <a href=\"http://www.kiplinger.com/tag.php/Banking\" target=\"_self\">banking<\/a> Robert M. Kottler said.<br/><br/>Despite the growing optimism, business owners are still operating with a recession-era mindset. A separate survey, conducted by small-business software company Sage, found that owners are watching their finances closely and resisting new capital expenditures. Sixty percent of the 1,481 customers it polled are being more careful with money, and 40 percent are foregoing capital projects.<br/><br/>Small business owners &quot;believe the end of the economic recession is near &hellip; [but are] monitoring finances more closely than ever,&quot; Sage senior vice president Connie Certusi said.<br/><br/>The Capital One survey had a margin of error of 4.38 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level, while the Sage poll had a 2 percent margin of error.<img alt=\"ADNFCR-2925-ID-19799841-ADNFCR\" src=\"http://feeds.directnews.co.uk/feedtrack/justcopyright.gif?feedid=2925&amp;itemid=19799841\"/><\/span><\/div><table id='zwNextPrev' width='100%'><tr><td style='text-align: left;' align='left'>&lt;&lt; <a href='http://www.sagenorthamerica.com/company/newsroom/press_releases/details?CID=1D760715-1B6F-0001-2554-17BB19E012A7&CardId=529480&RowIndex=2&Product=*&Year=*' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.sagenorthamerica.com&#037;2Fcompany&#037;2Fnewsroom&#037;2Fpress_releases&#037;2Fdetails&#037;3FCID&#037;3D1D760715-1B6F-0001-2554-17BB19E012A7&#037;26CardId&#037;3D529480&#037;26RowIndex&#037;3D2&#037;26Product&#037;3D&#042;&#037;26Year&#037;3D&#042;');zwShowDetails(\"8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca\",\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Previous Article<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href='http://www.journalofaccountancy.com/Issues/2010/Apr/20092306.htm' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef27d0e4100127fe36a0b17516','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.journalofaccountancy.com&#037;2FIssues&#037;2F2010&#037;2FApr&#037;2F20092306.htm');zwShowDetails(\"8a7c9fef27d0e4100127fe36a0b17516\",\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Next Article<\/a> &gt;&gt;<\/td><td style='text-align: right;' align='right'><a style='cursor:pointer' onclick='zwShowTitles(\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Return to List<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/table><\/div>"},"v8a7c9fef27d0e4100127fe36a0b17516":{"hiddenOpening":"<div id='zw_details_8a7c9fef27d0e4100127fe36a0b17516' style='display:none'>","hiddenClosing":"<\/div>","visibleOpening":"<div id='zw_details_8a7c9fef27d0e4100127fe36a0b17516'>","visibleClosing":"<\/div>","contents":"<div style='padding-top:3px;' align='left' id='full_5'><table id='zwNextPrev' width='100%'><tr><td style='text-align: left;' align='left'>&lt;&lt; <a href='http://www.kiplinger.com/news/article.php/small-business-owners-report-improving-conditions-19799841.html' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.kiplinger.com&#037;2Fnews&#037;2Farticle.php&#037;2Fsmall-business-owners-report-improving-conditions-19799841.html');zwShowDetails(\"8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75\",\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Previous Article<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;Next Article &gt;&gt;<\/td><td style='text-align: right;' align='right'><a style='cursor:pointer' onclick='zwShowTitles(\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Return to List<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/table><div id='zwInlineTitle' style='text-align:left;height:auto'><a href='http://www.journalofaccountancy.com/Issues/2010/Apr/20092306.htm' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef27d0e4100127fe36a0b17516','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.journalofaccountancy.com&#037;2FIssues&#037;2F2010&#037;2FApr&#037;2F20092306.htm');' target='_blank' >Project Management for Accountants<\/a><span class='zwClear'><\/span><\/div><div class='zwContentExtra' id='extra_5'><\/div><div class='zwContentText'><span class='zwInline'><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">Project management is a client-focused process that significantly increases the probability of providing the desired results to the client. It can help an accounting firm plan its resources more effectively and ensure that work is delivered to clients in a timely manner. The project management methodology enables an accounting firm to manage its engagements prospectively, not retrospectively, such as through time sheets. When properly implemented, project management can provide your firm with a competitive differentiation by defining the success of your firm the same way your clients do-through results. This article explains the important tools and objectives underlying project management.<p><\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\"><p> <\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\"><strong><font color=\"&#035;b22222\">WHAT IS A PROJECT?<\/font><\/strong><p><strong><font color=\"&#035;b22222\"><\/font><\/strong><\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">Most accounting engagements clearly qualify as projects. According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), a project is &quot;a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.&quot; Further refining two words in this definition provides tremendous insight into project management. Those words are <i>temporary <\/i>and <i>unique<\/i>.<p><\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\"><p> <\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">To understand a project as temporary is to understand that it must have a clearly defined end. For CPAs, this would mean a set of client-specific deliverables, such as a tax return, a compilation or review, a cash flow projection or an audit.<p><\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\"><p> <\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">The <i>unique <\/i>aspect requires an understanding that, while you may have participated in similar projects, each one is truly different. There are no &quot;plain vanilla&quot; tax returns or &quot;standard&quot; audits. Each one has a slightly different set of goals and objectives and, more importantly, they clearly involve different constraints and client personalities. Nowhere in the definition of a project is there a provision for the number of hours spent on the job. It cannot be said that, if a project (engagement) is believed to require less than X hours, it is not a project.<p><\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\"><p> <\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\"><strong><font color=\"&#035;b22222\">SCOPE<\/font><\/strong><p><strong><font color=\"&#035;b22222\"><\/font><\/strong><\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">What needs to be clearly defined under the PMI definition of a project is the &quot;sum of the products, services and results&quot; you want to achieve. This is the scope. A scope does not take the place of an engagement letter. For a project, the scope can go well beyond a standard engagement letter. A properly written scope document has some essential elements. They are:<p><\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\"><p> <\/p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">Scope statement. <\/span><\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">The scope statement defines in one sentence what the project will accomplish. An example scope statement would read: To provide (end-product) on or before (due date) and at a price of (dollar amount). This statement addresses three specific subelements: scope, due date and price. Although this statement appears at the beginning of the scope document, it is easier to write after the rest of the document is completed and an overall idea of what is to be provided emerges.<p><\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\"><p> <\/p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">Objectives. <\/span><\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">Objectives answer the question, &quot;What does success look like?&quot; They are high-level statements that explain exactly what the project&#039;s desired results are, such as to produce a tax return for a client. Since they are generally actions, they should begin with verbs, for example: produce, create, develop; followed by specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-sensitive (SMART) items to be accomplished. An objective should be, for lack of a better term, objective; this means it is or is not accomplished by the aforementioned due date. Something that would happen as a longer-term result of the engagement, for example, an increased number of inventory turns, should not be listed as an objective.<p><\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\"><p> <\/p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">Constraints. <\/span><\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">Constraints are applicable restrictions that affect the performance of the project or the scheduling of activities, or &quot;risks in waiting.&quot; They are limitations that could prevent work from being accomplished. It is important to identify the constraints as a starting point for a later conversation about risks. Common constraints are found in the following areas: technical, financial, operational, geographic, time, resource, legal, political and ethical. Constraints are known facts. An example of a constraint might be the poor quality of data available from systems.<p><\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\"><p> <\/p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">Project structure. <\/span><\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">Each project must have an overall organization. In short, your project structure is the organization chart for the project. Most projects require you to assign at least three roles: (1) an executive sponsor, (2) a project manager and (3) a team member or leader.<p><\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\"><p> <\/p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">Roles definition. <\/span><\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">Once you have outlined the project structure, it is important to define each role within the project. Each role must have specific responsibilities. These can and will change from project to project.<p><\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\"><p> <\/p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">Team definition. <\/span><\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">This is the list of people and the roles they are playing on the project. Once you define the structure and roles, you need to assign people to the roles. In large projects this is called resource planning.<p><\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\"><p> <\/p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">Assumptions. <\/span><\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">Assumptions are beliefs about the relationship that serve as the starting point for project definition. Be sure to evaluate each assumption in terms of it being true, real and certain. Another way of looking at assumptions is that they answer the question, &quot;What should we not leave unsaid?&quot; An example of an assumption would be: <i>To attain success, the relationship between scope, due date and price must be maintained. A change to any one of these three interrelated variables will affect the other two <\/i>(see sidebar &quot;The Triangle of Truth,&quot; below). This means that, if the client wants to add or change something, the scope of the project will require an adjustment to either the due date or the price of the project.<p><\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\"><p> <\/p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">Deliverables. <\/span><\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">Deliverables are the tangible results-the products or services of the project. Whereas the objectives are verbs, as stated earlier, deliverables are nouns. They are usually things you can physically touch. There are two types of deliverables: intermediary deliverables, which are to be used in subsequent tasks on the project; and final deliverables, which are turned over to the customer at the end of the project. Examples of intermediary deliverables include: the project plan, a training schedule and training manuals. Final deliverables will change depending on the project, but this is a critical section that expounds on the scope statement&#039;s end-product. For example: What specific audited financial statements will be provided?<p><\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\"><p> <\/p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">Project change control. <\/span><\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">This section simply says that the scope document can be changed (amended) and defines the process for doing so.<p><\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\"><p> <\/p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">Future project list. <\/span><\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">In addition to the obvious of being a list of possible future projects and major tasks that will be deferred until after this project is complete, the future projects list is important in that it allows us to define what is excluded from this project.<p><\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\"><p> <\/p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">Approval. <\/span><\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">The scope should be signed and dated by the project manager and the client&#039;s executive sponsor.<p><\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\"><p> <\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\">If any of these elements are lacking, the project has a much higher risk of failure.<p><\/p><\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: &#039;Arial&#039;,&#039;sans-serif&#039;;\"><p> <\/p><\/span><\/p><\/span><\/div><table id='zwNextPrev' width='100%'><tr><td style='text-align: left;' align='left'>&lt;&lt; <a href='http://www.kiplinger.com/news/article.php/small-business-owners-report-improving-conditions-19799841.html' onclick='zTrkClick(this, '8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59','8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75','402881e71da6b5e8011da6b634a70028','http&#037;3A&#037;2F&#037;2Fwww.kiplinger.com&#037;2Fnews&#037;2Farticle.php&#037;2Fsmall-business-owners-report-improving-conditions-19799841.html');zwShowDetails(\"8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75\",\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Previous Article<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;Next Article &gt;&gt;<\/td><td style='text-align: right;' align='right'><a style='cursor:pointer' onclick='zwShowTitles(\"8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59\");zift_pc--;return false;'>Return to List<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/table><\/div>"}};
function addZiftLoadEvent(func) {	var o = window.onload;	if (typeof window.onload != 'function') {		window.onload = func;	} else {		window.onload = function() { if (o) { o(); } func(); }	}}function zwOpenLiteReader8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59(feed, entry, type, params, height, width) {if (!height) height = 600;if (!width) width = 900;if (!type) type = 'RssReaderLite';var link = 'http://sage.ziftsolutions.com/' + type + '.html?f=' + feed + (entry?'&e=' +  entry:'') + (params?'&' + params:'');zwPopup.open(link);return false;};
function zwMgmtReader8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59(feed, entry, type, params, height, width) {if (!height) height = 600;if (!width) width = 900;if (!type) type = 'RssReaderLite';var link = 'https://www.zift123.com/content.php?type=panels&action=manage&paneltype=userwidget&rdt=y&distributor=http%3A%2F%2Fsage.ziftsolutions.com&id=8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59'+ (entry?'&e=' +  entry:'') + (params?'&' + params:'');zwPopup.open(link);return false;};
var zwStoryParam;function zwGetStoryParam() {if (zwStoryParam) return zwStoryParam;var query=this.location.search.substring(1);var zl;if (query.length > 0){var params=query.split('&');for (var i=0 ; i<params.length ; i++){var pos = params[i].indexOf('=');var name = params[i].substring(0, pos);var value = params[i].substring(pos + 1);if (name == 'zl') { zl = value; break; }}}if (zl) { zwStoryParam = zl; } return zwStoryParam;}
var zift_pc = 0;function zift_show8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59() { if (zift_pc >= 5) document.getElementById('8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_options').style.display = '';}

document.write(v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_main.references);
document.write(v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_main.styles);
var v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html;
var v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story= zwGetStoryParam();
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html = v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_main.opening;
if (v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story && v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details['v' + v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story]) {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_titles.hiddenOpening;
} else {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_titles.visibleOpening;
}
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_titles.contents;
if (v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story && v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details['v' + v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story]) {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_titles.hiddenClosing;
} else {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_titles.visibleClosing;
}
if (v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story && v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story == '8a7c9fef2d880563012d9047408f1217' && v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details['v' + v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story] ) {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef2d880563012d9047408f1217.visibleOpening;
} else {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef2d880563012d9047408f1217.hiddenOpening;
}
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef2d880563012d9047408f1217.contents;
if (v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story && v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details['v' + v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story] == 'v8a7c9fef2d880563012d9047408f1217') {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef2d880563012d9047408f1217.visibleClosing;
} else {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef2d880563012d9047408f1217.hiddenClosing;
}
if (v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story && v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story == '8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d' && v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details['v' + v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story] ) {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d.visibleOpening;
} else {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d.hiddenOpening;
}
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d.contents;
if (v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story && v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details['v' + v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story] == 'v8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d') {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d.visibleClosing;
} else {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef2a66eb9c012ad4dd4ce16f5d.hiddenClosing;
}
if (v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story && v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story == '8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6' && v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details['v' + v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story] ) {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6.visibleOpening;
} else {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6.hiddenOpening;
}
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6.contents;
if (v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story && v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details['v' + v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story] == 'v8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6') {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6.visibleClosing;
} else {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef2a550709012a581b1b2f6af6.hiddenClosing;
}
if (v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story && v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story == '8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca' && v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details['v' + v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story] ) {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca.visibleOpening;
} else {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca.hiddenOpening;
}
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca.contents;
if (v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story && v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details['v' + v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story] == 'v8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca') {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca.visibleClosing;
} else {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef28ea589201296bdb6e3c6dca.hiddenClosing;
}
if (v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story && v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story == '8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75' && v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details['v' + v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story] ) {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75.visibleOpening;
} else {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75.hiddenOpening;
}
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75.contents;
if (v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story && v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details['v' + v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story] == 'v8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75') {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75.visibleClosing;
} else {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef28ea589201296bd3276c6c75.hiddenClosing;
}
if (v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story && v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story == '8a7c9fef27d0e4100127fe36a0b17516' && v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details['v' + v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story] ) {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef27d0e4100127fe36a0b17516.visibleOpening;
} else {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef27d0e4100127fe36a0b17516.hiddenOpening;
}
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef27d0e4100127fe36a0b17516.contents;
if (v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story && v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details['v' + v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_story] == 'v8a7c9fef27d0e4100127fe36a0b17516') {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef27d0e4100127fe36a0b17516.visibleClosing;
} else {
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_details.v8a7c9fef27d0e4100127fe36a0b17516.hiddenClosing;
}
v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html += v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_main.closing;
if (document.getElementById('zift_html_8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59')) {
document.getElementById('zift_html_8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59').innerHTML = v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html;
} else {
document.write(v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_html);}
document.write(v8a7caa111a3f8801011a74a4764a0a59_main.tracking);