News

Blog

  • All
  • News
  • Success stories
  • Releases
2 min read
SMART Payroll for Azerbaijan – for easy and efficient HR and Payroll processes
Built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, SMART Payroll for Azerbaijan significantly improves efficiency and speeds up HR and Payroll processes in accordance with current labor standards under Azerbaijani tax laws. Functional capabilities:
  • Easy management of labor contracts,
  • Control of employees, payees, and persons,
  • Work with Positions and creating a Staff List,
  • Time tracking, absence orders,
  • Vacation schedule, vacation balance, vacation reserve,
  • Printed forms of HR orders,
  • Monthly payroll, calculation of advances,
  • Generation and export of payroll and tax payments,
  • Generation of standard reports, pay sheets, certificates, management reports,
  • Creation and export to XLSX of regulated reports, annexes to declarations, statistical reporting.
Benefits:
  • Azerbaijani interface language,
  • Packages with ready-made settings and demo data,
  • Regular updates,
  • Role-based interface for HR Manager, Payroll Accountant,
  • Templates for migrating data and history from other systems,
  • Various implementation packages in accordance with Microsoft methodologies,
  • Creation and editing of layouts of HR orders and texts at the user level,
  • Flexible settings for calendars (work schedules),
  • Designer for constructing calculation algorithms with support for logical functions, arithmetic operations, mathematical expressions, variables, constants, rounding rules, calculation functions,
  • Recalculation of payroll document lines, viewing calculation details, control of average earnings calculation data,
  • Integration with Microsoft and SMART business products,
  • Video tutorials, detailed product documentation.
HR Manager Labor Contract Vacation Order Payroll Manager Payroll Document Reports The key advantages of SMART Payroll for Azerbaijan include saving effort, money, and time of employees, reducing the risk of errors, and flexibility of settings. At the same time, the solution is very user-friendly and fully complies with the legislation of Azerbaijan. The product is constantly being improved and updates are released regularly. The product is already available on AppSource: appsource.microsoft.com Have additional questions? Order a consultation from our experts. Order a consultation
2 min read
SMART Payroll for Georgia: make HR and Payroll processes easy, accurate and efficient
SMART Payroll for Georgia is an effective solution for HR and Payroll processes in accordance with current labor standards and the requirements of Georgian tax legislation. It is built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and greatly simplifies HR processes. Functional capabilities:
  • Convenient management of labor contracts,
  • Ability to work with employees, payees, and persons,
  • Setting up Positions and creating a Staff List,
  • Time tracking, absence orders,
  • Control of the vacation schedule, vacation balance, vacation reserve,
  • Creation of printed forms of HR orders,
  • Monthly payroll, calculation of advances,
  • Tax calculation according to the payment date,
  • Available methods for accrual and/or calculating taxes payable,
  • Generation and export of payroll and tax payments,
  • Generation of standard reports, pay sheets, certificates, management reports,
  • Creation and export to XML and XLSX of regulated reports, Income Tax Declaration (საშემოსავლო დეკლარაცია), Pension Tax Declaration (საპენსიო დეკლარაც) full and simple form, Vehicle Use Declaration (დანართი- დაქირავებულის მიერ ავტომობილის პირადი სარგებლობისთვის გამოყენება),
  • Integration with RS.GE.
Benefits:
  • Georgian interface language,
  • Packages with ready-made settings and demo data,
  • Regular updates,
  • Role-based interface for HR manager, payroll accountant,
  • Templates for migrating data and history from other systems,
  • Various implementation packages according to Microsoft methodologies,
  • Creating and editing layouts of HR orders and texts at the user level,
  • Flexible settings for calendars (work schedules),
  • Designer for constructing calculation algorithms with support for logical functions, arithmetic operations, mathematical expressions, variables, constants, rounding rules, calculation functions,
  • Recalculation of payroll document lines, viewing calculation details, control of average earnings calculation data,
  • Integrations with Microsoft and SMART business products,
  • Video tutorials, detailed product documentation.
HR Manager  Labor Contract Vacation Order Payroll Manager  Payroll Document Reports The main advantage of the solution: the ability to significantly save time and money and at the same time avoid errors when performing HR operations. It should also be noted that it is easy to use, has flexible settings, receives regular updates and is compliant with Georgian legislation. The product is already available on AppSource: appsource.microsoft.com Have additional questions? Order a consultation from our experts. Order a consultation
2 min read
Increase the efficiency of HR and Payroll processes with SMART Payroll for Ukraine
SMART Payroll for Ukraine is an innovative solution based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for convenient HR and Payroll processes in accordance with current labor standards and the requirements of the tax legislation of Ukraine. Functional capabilities:
  • Maintaining labor contracts,
  • Work with employees, payees, and persons,
  • Creation of Positions and generating a Staff List,
  • Time tracking; absence orders,
  • Work with the vacation schedule, vacation balance, vacation reserve,
  • Generation of printed forms of HR orders,
  • Monthly payroll, calculation of advances,
  • Generation and export of payroll and tax payments,
  • Generation of standard reports, pay sheets, certificates, management reports,
  • Creation and export to XML of regulated reports, Tax calculation of income amounts with annexes, Statistical reporting, Sick leave requests.
Benefits:
  • Packages with ready-made settings and demo data,
  • Regular updates,
  • Role-based interface for HR Manager, Payroll Accountant,
  • Templates for migrating data and history from other systems,
  • Various implementation packages in accordance with Microsoft methodologies,
  • Ability to create and edit layouts of HR orders and texts at the user level,
  • Flexible settings for calendars (work schedules),
  • Designer for constructing calculation algorithms with support for logical functions, arithmetic operations, mathematical expressions, variables, constants, rounding, calculation functions,
  • Ability to recalculate the lines of the payroll document, viewing calculation details, control of data for calculating average earnings,
  • Ability to integrate with Microsoft and SMART business products,
  • Video tutorial, detailed solution documentation.
HR Manager Labor Contract Vacation Order Payroll Manager Payroll Document Reports The main value of the product is that it allows you to significantly save employee time and organization funds by optimizing HR processes and reducing the risk of errors. The solution is also easy to use, has flexible settings, its functionality is constantly updated and improved and fully complies with the requirements of Ukrainian legislation. The product is already available on AppSource: appsource.microsoft.com Have additional questions? Order a consultation from our experts. Order a consultation
17 min read
How to implement an ERP system with maximum benefit for business?
Before implementing an ERP system, you should know in advance about the nuances of this process and the pitfalls that may befall you along the way. Our experts talk about the main difficulties companies face and the mistakes they most often make. They also advise how to minimize errors and, as a result, get the maximum benefit from implementation. What is ERP? This is a system that allows you to automate and combine all key business processes of an enterprise on one platform. Accounting, finance, marketing, sales, production, purchasing, warehouses – all parts of the organization are aligned, obeying the logic established in the system and using a universal database. All this has a positive impact on the interaction between departments, the efficiency of processes and, as a result, on financial performance. But provided that the company takes a responsible approach to the ERP implementation process, enlisting the support of a reliable and competent integrator partner. If you would like to receive personal consultation on the best practices for implementing and using an ERP system, please submit a request.

What ERP implementation models exist?

Organizations providing services for the implementation of ERP systems usually offer customers several models depending on the business request and the depth of customization. For example, SMART business, which is a certified partner for the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central implementation, has four models. Let’s look at each of them. 1. Self-service deployment of an out-of-box solution Under this model, the customer masters and customizes the standard functionality of Business Central on its own. This approach is possible under two conditions. The first is that on the customer’s side there is an analyst who has experience of implementing such solutions, or simply a motivated employee who is ready to invest their time in understanding the product. Second, the company’s business processes are not very complex, so there is no need for significant modification of the system. Another possible option is that the company can hire a specialist to implement this solution and thus independently carry out the necessary customization. In any case, in this model we are only deploying a system with standard modules and basic settings. Thanks to our SMART Localization, the system will be ready for management, accounting, and tax accounting in Ukraine. After this, the customer independently makes minor adjustments to the system to suit its processes, using the detailed training materials we have prepared: documentation, webinars, video guides, articles, etc. The system is quite easy to use, since as you know, Microsoft products are distinguished by their intuitive interface. In addition, our team has prepared ready-made templates that make working with Dynamics 365 Business Central even easier. If the customer still has questions, we will hold a consultation providing comprehensive answers and explanations. The main advantage of this model is cost savings. The main disadvantage is that someone from the company’s side must take responsibility for implementation, spend time on it, and involve colleagues. In a team, resistance may arise, not always obvious, from employees. When implementation is carried out by an external contractor with whom a contract has already been signed and whose services have already been paid, this serves as a fairly powerful incentive for staff to begin mastering the system within the agreed upon time frame. 2. Out-of-box solution deployment with the help of our company The name of the model speaks for itself. This provides for the deployment of a standard solution with basic functionality, but with the support of SMART business. Support includes basic analysis of the customer’s business processes, additional system configuration, employee training, and assistance in data migration. In this case, the solution is either not modified at all, or only minor modifications are made. However, often during implementation the second model transitions to the third, which involves more significant customization of the product. It also happens the other way around – when a company with non-standard and complex business processes decides to review them and bring them into line with the functionality of the out-of-box solution. And this often has a positive impact on business. The fact is that the basic functionality of international-class ERP systems is quite rich and reflects many years of global experience in building business processes. Tip: Implementing a world-class ERP system is a good opportunity to review your organization's business processes and try to apply international best practices. 3. Implementation with customization This model involves a significant amount of modification to create custom functionality. This may imply developing additional system modules. For example, a billing module or a module for complex document flow processes. It is also possible to modify existing modules, for example production, taking into account the specifics of the company's technological processes. Or a large integration with another system. 4. Implementation with deep customization The main difference between this model and the third is that due to the complexity and non-standard nature of the organization’s business processes, it is difficult to determine at least the approximate scope of the project. Therefore, in addition to standard analysis, there is a need for preliminary diagnostics, sometimes lengthy, involving a number of meetings with the customer. Also at this stage, you can prototype the functional elements of the system to understand whether they will work as expected. Based on the diagnostic results, a document is drafted that describes the chains of all the company’s processes step by step. This document will be the starting point for planning further work. Which companies is each of these models typically suited for? The given distribution is conditional. Having started with one model, an organization can switch to another along the way. The size of the business is also not decisive. For example, the fourth model is usually suitable for very large enterprises, because they have very complex business processes. And at the same time, if the company has already diagnosed them, it can choose a third model. It can choose the first one if it has experienced analysts who can take on the entire burden of work associated with the implementation and customization of ERP. The first, second, and third models may be suitable for small and medium-sized companies, depending on business requirements. The first model can be a way for organizations of any size to save on implementation costs.

What ERP implementation stages may a company expect?

Let us now walk you through the stages of implementing an ERP system using the example of those that we practice in SMART business. Order a consultation Project start This is one of the defining stages. It is very important to form a team of specialists committed to achieving project success. Each of them must be motivated to perform their tasks in the best possible way within the framework of implementation. After the customer’s project team is formed, we conduct a presentation during which we introduce the participants to the purpose of the project, planned activities and the tasks of each team member. Next, we prepare the environment for developing and testing the system and provide access to the team. Analysis At the analysis stage, we provide initial training on using the system and demonstrate the standard functionality of the solution to the team in order to receive feedback from it and determine what improvements will be necessary. All deviations from the basic functionality and necessary developments are recorded in the relevant documents. Also at this stage, a document that describes the structure of role-based access to the system is drafted and approved. Configuration Based on the documents approved at the analysis stage, technical documentation is drafted, and the system is developed and configured. Then its functions are tested, and if the company has complex business processes, then integration testing is performed during which all chains in relation to other processes are covered from beginning to end. This way you can make sure that all functions work smoothly. After testing, the system is finalized. Deployment As part of system deployment, we prepare templates for data migration, teach users how to fill and upload them, and help carry out test imports. If data is migrated to Business Central from 1C, we recommend using our development – a direct connector. It simplifies the process of data migration, because in a semi-automatic mode it creates insufficient settings and maps accounting policies. Tip: Use data migration to get your directories in order. After the import, users learn to use the system using company data. This is a crucial stage. In fact, employees carry out their daily work in the new system according to their data. This is no longer just testing, but practical training. Based on the results of this test, the final decision on Go-Live is made, after which we prepare the production environment and load the final version of the system. Go-Live We are developing a system Go-Live plan, in which we indicate the timeframes for the transition stages, so that employees understand how to quickly, without stopping the operation of the enterprise, and in what order to ensure the closure of the previous accounting period, prepare data for migration and make the transition to a new system. We also provide operational support in posting primary documents, closing a period, and generating tax and financial reporting. Our consultants are always ready to provide practical advice on these issues. After Go-Live, we do not leave users alone with the system, first providing operational support to the customer, and then administrative support of the project.

What difficulties do companies face when implementing ERP?

As practice shows, company employees do not always show interest and understand the benefits of implementing ERP. Employees, as a rule, are unwilling to invest time and effort into mastering a new system, even though they realize that it will open up new opportunities for them. Management does not always succeed in solving this problem. Therefore, it is important that the specialists who implement ERP are not only experts in the system, but also have presentation skills and the gift of persuasion. Oddly enough, it is their ability to find a common language with people and inspire trust that can become a decisive factor in the success of the entire project. Another common problem is the lack of clear vision among company management about what tasks the ERP system should solve and how the business process architecture should be built. The only possible solution to this problem is, again, the expertise of implementation partners. If they have extensive practical experience of successfully implemented projects, they can suggest how to build processes so that they better fulfill business objectives. Another difficulty can arise with the ERP system itself. Even if the vendor positions it as customizable, it may still not be flexible enough. Many solutions use complex common programming languages such as Python, C++. In this case, when a business has new tasks, it will be very difficult and expensive, or even impossible, to modify the system. Tip: Choose systems with simplified, specialized programming languages better suited to solving specific business problems. When a product, such as Business Central, uses specialized languages, it makes it easy to add on to the system without having to rewrite all the code. In addition, on Microsoft AppSource, you can find thousands of apps and extensions that can solve the problem of improving the system.

What mistakes do companies most often make when implementing ERP?

ERP is not a panacea One of the main mistakes is to assume that a system can solve all business problems. The solution can help optimize processes and build new ones, analyze the strengths and weaknesses of a business, and provide meaningful information for management decisions. But you need to be able to use this information. The system will not come up with a development strategy, will not solve the problem of chaos in the company, will not make employees more responsible, and the manufactured products of higher quality. It’s just a tool that you need to know how to use correctly. Greedy pays twice Trying to save money when choosing ERP implementation partners may seem logical. However, in the end, the project will most likely cost the customer a lot. The fact is that ‘favorable’ prices are usually explained by the fact that this company employs specialists with little experience and low qualifications. If you want them to essentially learn and practice while implementing your system, that’s up to you, but in the end, it can be very costly for your organization. In addition, implementation is a good opportunity to acquire not only an ERP system, but also the experience of the experts implementing it. For example, our team has dozens of implementations in its portfolio, we know the specifics and intricacies of doing business in different areas and will be happy to share our experience. Tip: Look at implementing an ERP as an opportunity to purchase the expertise of an experienced team that will handle the implementation. Order a consultation Gradual approach is important Another common misconception is the desire to build your digital enterprise as quickly as possible, by immediately implementing all the possible functionality of an ERP system or even a full set of IT solutions. This is risky, because the project stretches over time, there is a possibility of not taking into account and missing something, implementation processes become more complicated, and the number of errors increases. It is better to create a general plan for the necessary implementations and implement it step by step. Regarding ERP, you can, for example, start with key modules like finance, accounting and production, then expand the capabilities of management accounting, add artificial intelligence, modules of budgeting and document flow, then various tools such as a demand forecasting system or, say, a solution for building HR brand. Don’t underestimate basic functionality When implementing a modern ERP system, you should not try to immediately redesign it, adjusting it to existing business processes. This is a fundamentally wrong strategy. Try to first study the standard functionality, understand its logic, figure out why certain functions are implemented in it this way, and try to apply them to your business. After this, determine what is missing and move on to improvements if there is a real need. As we have already said, world-class ERP systems incorporate the best international business practices. Start from what they provide at a basic level and then move on to customization. Among other things, this approach is justified from the point of view of cost savings.

What should you consider when choosing an ERP solution provider?

Consider the ecosystem around ERP When choosing an ERP, it would be very frivolous not to pay attention to the ecosystem surrounding it. Companies typically require a range of IT solutions in addition to ERP, and this range is likely to expand over time. It is desirable that all the organization’s tools are well compatible and there is no mismatch of systems from different vendors with different operating logic, interfaces, and different approaches to organizing processes. This is a question not only of simplicity and cost of integration, but also of user perception of these products and ease of use. Tip: It's best to choose an ERP vendor that can provide the tools for all your business needs, both now and in the future. It is desirable that the company that will implement ERP also have different competencies, can implement and support a wide range of IT products, supporting you comprehensively, and, if necessary, can develop custom applications or extensions of existing systems. Vendor’s reliability Unfortunately, it often happens that an ERP system vendor may leave the market for one reason or another. In this case, all your investment in its IT solutions will be useless, you will have to look for a new partner and implement the necessary products again. Such risks can be minimized if the vendor is a large corporation with a long history.

What should you consider when choosing a partner?

It is very important that the contractor’s work on implementing an ERP system meets generally accepted development standards. In other words, other programmers should easily understand the code they wrote to be able to immediately continue working with it. This is a business security issue. After all, if cooperation with one partner is interrupted for some reason, you should be able to start working with another. It is for this reason that leading IT solutions vendors, such as Microsoft, set strict coding standards and oblige all their certified partners to strictly follow them. In addition, the solutions developed are subject to rigorous quality testing procedures. And most importantly, all developments are accompanied by high-quality documentation. It ensures that any other contractors can easily continue to support your systems if needed. Of course, it is also important to consider the qualifications of the specialists who will directly implement your ERP. They must not only be experts in the product itself, but also have a good knowledge of how the business works, how the system will affect processes and how this will be reflected in the customer’s financial performance. After all, when you buy a product, you also purchase its business analytics from the contractor. Therefore, it is important, even at the pre-sale stage, to communicate personally with the consultants who will be involved in your project, make sure of their experience, ask about successful cases, and, if possible, collect feedback from existing customers. Also pay attention to how responsible your potential partner is in terms of diversifying their resources to minimize risks. It is desirable that its employees are located not only in Ukraine, but also abroad. The system itself must also be deployed in a secure environment. If it is dependent on servers located in our country, unfortunately, this is now quite risky. Open up to new experiences To get the most out of implementing an ERP system, you should consider a number of factors: from choosing a reliable vendor and development team to a clear understanding of the business problems that the product should solve. But, perhaps, the main condition for successful implementation is maximum involvement in the process, motivation and unity of staff, and a responsible attitude towards all stages of implementation. It is wrong to hope that the success of implementation will depend solely on the implementer. Become a fully-fledged co-author of this project and be open to the new experiences that the new system can give you, to the best business practices embodied in it. After all, only new experiences can bring new results. If you would like to receive personal consultation on the best practices for implementing and using an ERP system, please submit a request.
2 min read AppSource
SMART Accounting for Cyprus 20231005 5 eng
Release of SMART Localization for Cyprus
Introducing SMART Localization for Cyprus, a SaaS product that extends the core functionality of Business Central to automate standard tasks associated with operating and managing a business in Cyprus. The solution is developed taking into account local accounting features and legal requirements. SMART Localization for Cyprus can be useful for both public and commercial companies.

How does it work?

SMART Localization for Cyprus is based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. The primary goal is to automate the recalculations and adjustments of VAT transactions based on the customs exchange rates in compliance with local regulations, as well as to facilitate the generation of VAT declarations. Product’s functionality makes it possible to build more automated, easily controlled and verified accounting, reporting and financial management processes in the system.

SMART Localization for Cyprus provides the following benefits:

  • Diverse functionality and flexibility of the system
  • Process automation
  • Increased business productivity
  • Compliance with the requirements of Cyprus legislation
  • Flexible operational reporting
  • Pre-installed ready-to-use VAT declaration
  • Continuous improvements based on customer feedback

Functional capabilities:

  • Import of exchange rates from the European Central Bank
  • Pre-configured chart of accounts and accounting policy
  • Possibility of integration with banks
  • Recalculation of VAT entries at the customs rate
  • Generation of a VAT declaration
Purchase Order with local vendor including VAT amount VAT entries with additional information about order VAT Return (declaration) in the system SMART Localization for Cyprus powered by Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is developed in accordance with Cyprus tax laws, complying with local accounting standards and methodology. The product is already available on AppSource: appsource.microsoft.com Have additional questions? Order a consultation from our experts. Order a consultation
2 min read AppSource
SMART MDM ENG
Master data management in holdings with SMART MDM
For large holdings, especially international groups of companies, centralized management of master data and accounting policies can be a serious challenge. SMART Master Data Management is a new product designed to solve exactly this task. It extends the capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and greatly simplifies the system deployment in enterprises with a branched structure.

How does it work?

The SMART MDM functionality allows you to create directories of master data – such as vendors, customers, product items, etc. – in a centralized way with their subsequent controlled distribution throughout all organizations of the group. To do this, you need to set up a data set in the main company and replicate it to the receiver companies. In this case, you can create a multi-level data distribution tree, allowing, for example, to configure both global data and individual data templates for each country. SMART MDM makes it possible to:
  • Build centralized master data management.
  • Set up centralized management of accounting policies and directories of analytics.
  • Provide centralized management of report templates.
  • Maintain consistent coding for customers, vendors, product items and groups throughout the corporation.
  • Simplify the process of creating consolidated management reporting.
  • Exchange data freely between online environments of different organizations within the group.
Determining the data to be replicated Receiver company setup dashboard Setting up receiver companies. Step 1 Setting up receiver companies. Step 2 Expand your business capabilities with SMART MDM! The extension is already available on AppSource: appsource.microsoft.com Have additional questions? Order a consultation from our experts. Order a consultation
2 min read AppSource
SMART 20230913 BC out EN
Convenient management of employee work operations with the SMART Employee Self-Service extension
SMART Employee Self-Service is a solution that allows employees to conveniently and effectively manage their work activities directly through their personal Role Centers in Business Central. With this extension, employees can easily submit and approve absence requests, check vacation balances, access accrual and payment information, and much more.

How does it work?

SMART Employee Self-Service simplifies and automates most routine operations that previously required a lot of time and effort. Employees have quick access to the necessary information, can independently create absence requests, and receive data on the current vacation balance, which minimizes the likelihood of errors. The solution also allows you to customize workflows to suit business needs, making it easy to adapt to specific requirements. Functionality:
  • Creation, submitting for approval and approval of requests for various absences by employees
  • Automatic generation of absence orders based on approved requests
  • Flexible setup of approval workflows
  • Viewing current vacation balance
  • Viewing payroll documents with accruals and payments
  • Creation and approval of advance reports and funds to be issued to the employee
  • Creation, approval and registration of timesheets
  • Viewing fixed assets
SMART Employee Self-Service provides the following benefits:
  • Convenient role-based self-service center
  • Information about employee profile and organizational structure
  • Quick employee access to all necessary information
  • Easy submission, approval and viewing of absence requests
  • Reducing time for communication with employees
  • Reducing the amount of manual labor and minimizing the likelihood of error
  • Simplification of routine operations
  • Ease of adaptation to specific business needs
Role center of SMART Employee Self-Service members Payroll documents with accruals Organizational structure of a company Submitting an absence request Absence request approval setup Vacation balance Please note! For this application to work properly, the following application must be installed: SMART Payroll is a solution based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for HR and Payroll processes in accordance with current labor standards, fully adapted to local tax legislation requirements: appsource.microsoft.com Licensing: At least Team Member license is required. SMART Employee Self-Service helps employees effectively manage their operational activities and focus on more important tasks. The solution is already available on AppSource: appsource.microsoft.com Have additional questions? Order a consultation from our experts. Order a consultation
9 min read
Automated work time tracking: speed without errors
Keeping track of employees' work time is an arduous and responsible task that requires accuracy and can take quite a lot of time. Large enterprises with complex structures and varied work schedules even introduce a separate position for an employee performing exclusively this important function. However, modern IT solutions are radically changing the rules of the game. In automated systems, time tracking is instant, error-free and requires minimal human intervention. In this article you will learn how such systems work and what their features and benefits for organizations are.

New level of HR record keeping efficiency

Work time tracking is closely connected with other related operations, such as payroll, vacations, sick leave, and generating accounting reports, etc. IT solutions for HR record keeping combine all these processes into a streamlined automated system. Thanks to automation, absence orders are instantly reflected in timesheets, the timesheet data determines the salary amount, generates vacation reserve, and is consolidated into various types of reports. Such a system eliminates any inconsistency between processes or delays, and also significantly reduces the number of various errors. An example of a system for work time tracking is SMART Payroll, a product built based on the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP system in compliance with the requirements of the current labor legislation of Ukraine. By the way, there is now an 80% discount on SMART Payroll and Business Central licenses for Ukrainian businesses. Good time for innovation! Want to get a discount? Want to learn more about HR systems? Order a consultation and we will contact you as soon as possible. Order a consultation

Benefits of implementing HR systems

Implementing an IT solution for time tracking can be a powerful step towards enterprise digitalization and introducing the latest global standards into HR processes. Such solutions provide organizations with a number of undeniable advantages. The most obvious ones are as follows. Conditions for productive work Time tracking solutions take care of a large share of typical repetitive tasks, simplifying the work of HR managers and accountants and allowing them to concentrate on more significant tasks. Thus, specialists can work in a more focused and efficient way. Minimizing errors Automation of HR processes means that employee participation is reduced to a minimum, which means that errors due to the human factor are significantly reduced when posting and generating reports. Boosting employee loyalty In an automated system, accounting processes are transparent. Each employee has a personal account where they can see all their data, the balance of vacation and sick days, payroll documents, as well as submit and approve a request for time off. This eliminates any misunderstandings and contributes to a more loyal attitude of employees towards the organization. Compliance IT solutions standardize record keeping processes in accordance with current labor standards. At the same time, the system is regularly updated based on the latest changes in legislation. Data security Since SMART Payroll belongs to the Microsoft ecosystem, all data in the system is protected by international security standards. Integration with the access system Some solutions, including SMART Payroll, integrate with enterprise access control systems. This makes it possible to automatically take into account attendance events such as arrival and leaving, being late and overtime, and take them into account when recording work hours.

How do IT solutions help with work time tracking?

Modern accounting systems turn the burdensome HR routine into an easy and smooth process. They make it possible to automatically create and adjust working timesheets, keep summarized records, quickly generate absence orders, instantly calculate the vacation reserve, easily generate reports, etc. Let’s look at the functions of such systems in more detail using SMART Payroll as an example. Keeping time records Ukrainian legislation obliges organizations, including small businesses, to keep timesheets, even for temporary employees. A timesheet is a table with time activity codes entered for each working day. The codes indicate how each worker used their work time during the accounting period: whether they were present, worked overtime or night shifts, or were absent and for what reason. In SMART Payroll, you can set up work schedules of any type and complexity: both regular weekly and shift or free. After the calendar is set up in the system and all the necessary information about the personnel is entered, the timesheet is filled out automatically for each employee. In the future, if an employee goes on a business trip, gets sick or takes a day off, absence orders are created in the system, automatically entering the corresponding time activity codes into the employee’s timesheet. All these documents are stored in the timesheet. If the timesheet has already been posted, but there is a need to make changes to it – for example, change the type of absence – SMART Payroll provides the ability to create an adjustment timesheet with automatic recalculation of the salary and taxes. Previously, HR managers had to carefully monitor the correctness of filling out timesheets, check their compliance with orders, sick leave certificates, established work schedules, and check the balance of vacations and sick leave. There is no need to do that in automated solutions for work time tracking, as everything’s controlled by the system. Generating orders SMART Payroll allows you to easily create HR orders of different types: absence, transfer to another work schedule, etc. There are two options for printing orders. The first is using standardized printed forms. The second is using flexible templates based on the Word layout. In the templates, you can configure the necessary parameters, after which the order text will be generated automatically in accordance with the settings. Vacation balance and reserve calculation From the moment an employee is hired, SMART Payroll starts the vacation balance accrual. The use of vacation days can be initiated by the employee by submitting a request in their personal account and is approved with the appropriate absence order. After the order is posted, the specified number of days is written off from the balance, and changes are automatically made to the working timesheet. The same information is used to calculate the vacation reserve. According to the National Accounting Regulations, the creation of such a reserve fund is mandatory; it is from this fund that employees are paid vacation pay and compensation for unused days. The reserve is calculated monthly according to a specific algorithm configured in the system and is posted simultaneously with the employees’ payroll documents. Payment for business trips Another task that the work time tracking system helps to cope with is the correct payment of business trip days. According to Article 121 of the Labor Code, when paying, it is necessary to compare the employee’s average daily salary (average for the last two months) and daily salary in accordance with the monthly salary. By law, when compensating for business trip days, an organization must use the higher rate of the two. If a violation of this norm is detected, the company is fined ten minimum wages for each employee to whom incorrect accruals were made. Summarized work time tracking SMART Payroll provides for both types of work time recording – daily and summarized. The first is relevant for those companies or their divisions in which the daily norm is fixed for each working day. That is, it is impossible to compensate for underwork on a certain day by overwork on another. The second is necessary in organizations with more complex schedules, where daily work hours may fluctuate, but the total number of hours for the accounting period must be observed. Moreover, each shift should not last more than 10 hours. Summarized time tracking is more difficult to maintain manually, especially taking into account different types of time activities. However, in solutions such as SMART Payroll, this operation does not cause any difficulties.

HR system implementation stages

When choosing work time tracking solutions, ask your potential partner what steps are involved in implementing the system. Make sure the provider is responsible for things like training your team and providing support when and after the product goes live. As an example, here is a list of stages that await you when implementing SMART Payroll. 1. Project start​ First, the project schedule is prepared and approved, and the organizational structure of the team that will be involved in the implementation is determined. Then we make a presentation of the project and talk about the role of each participant in it. 2. Deployment During the deployment stage, team members are given access to system resources, test and production environments are prepared and configured, and the solution is installed. 3. Data migration and solution configuration​ We provide package templates for importing data, but the customer must complete the import procedure themselves. Therefore, we conduct a number of trainings on this topic for key users, after which the customer adapts the data to templates and imports them. After this we configure the functionality of the system. 4. Training At the training stage, we conduct a series of trainings for system users dedicated to mastering the functionality of the solution. The series includes the following workshops:
  • Time activities,
  • Vacations,
  • Timesheet,
  • Absence orders,
  • HR reports.
5. Go-Live Finally, the system goes live, and we support the customer’s team during the first operations: first payments, first orders, first accruals, etc. In the future, if the customer has difficulties or questions, we conduct additional one-time consultations. To summarize, IT solutions help turn employee time tracking into a clear, easy, and smooth process, minimizing errors and saving specialists’ time. Accountants and HR managers can work in a more focused and productive way, processes become transparent and well controlled, which has a positive impact on employee loyalty. The organization as a whole is increasing its business standards. If you would like to learn more about how IT solutions optimize HR processes and the benefits they can provide to your business, order a consultation.
2 min read AppSource
SMART 20230913 BC 3 ENG
Optimize signing of electronic documents with the SMART DocFlow for Payroll extension
Optimizing business processes and freeing resources from routine tasks is one of the priorities of an entrepreneur and, accordingly, the potential for business growth these days. SMART DocFlow for Payroll is designed to automate electronic document flow. Using this tool, you will be able to establish processes for signing HR and Payroll electronic documents generated in SMART Payroll through Vchasno.

How does it work?

SMART DocFlow Payroll allows you to send contracts, HR orders, invoices, acts to Vchasno and sign them directly in SMART Payroll. In the future, the list of documents and services can be expanded. Functionality:
  • Flexible settings for templates, order texts and sending documents.
  • Possibility of sending a document to Vchasno to be signed by different responsible persons.
  • Possibility of storing signed documents in the system.
SMART DocFlow for Payroll provides the following benefits:
  • Ability to sign documents by employees or contractors working remotely.
  • Ability to work in one Business Central interface with electronic documents generated from SMART Payroll.
  • No need for additional actions to send documents: the system itself generates and sends documents and saves signed documents.
  • Reducing manual input, saving time and minimizing risk of losing information when interacting with employees or contractors.
Generating a PE contract Labor contract Payroll document Setting up signature template Signing an electronic document Document view interface in Vchasno Please note! For the extension to work properly, the following apps must be installed: SMART Payroll is a solution based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for HR and Payroll processes in accordance with current labor standards, fully adapted to local tax legislation requirements: appsource.microsoft.com SMART EDI is a tool that expands the basic functionality of Business Central, providing automation of the electronic documents’ exchange through the largest providers of this service in Ukraine: Vchasno and EDIN: appsource.microsoft.com SMART DocFlow for Payroll allows you to save your time and resources on document drafting and is already available on AppSource: appsource.microsoft.com Have additional questions? Order a consultation from our experts. Order a consultation
mail