Rick Crowley | SIS Director, Solution Engineer
This week in the THESIS Q&A, I talk with Rick Crowley, Director, Solutions Engineer here at SIS, a Global Microsoft Dynamics Partner, and Sean Galliher, a Dynamics 365 Global Black Belt at Microsoft, about the CFMA Technology Forum. This annual forum is being held during CFMA Conference & Exhibition in Aurora, Colorado on Sunday, July 16, 12:00 – 2:00. Here, attendees will participate in an in-depth exploration of the latest feature functionality and technology in Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP | CRM | BI and SIS Construct 365 end to end solutions for specialty contractors. You will also see the newest Microsoft product taking the market by storm, Copilot and hear about AI innovations in project solutions including ChatGPT.
Rick will introduce SIS, the only Dynamics 365 partner 100% dedicated to Specialty Contractors, which includes SIS Construct 365, purpose built for Microsoft Dynamics 365. Sean will talk about Microsoft’s investment in AI and AEC for Dynamics 365 and provide a demonstration including Copilot (business chat), ChatGPT, Fabric (OneLake), and Power Platform (Construction Site App).
Q: What will the audience take away from the discussion about Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Construction? What will they learn about SIS Construct 365?
A: The discussion will highlight the go-to-market strategy of the Microsoft Partner ecosystem that allows partner to enhance Dynamics 365. SIS Construct 365 are a suite of apps that augment Dynamics 365 and allow construction organizations to leverage a Tier-One Dynamics 365 ERP that has specific construction functionality such as:
- Job Costing
- Union Payroll
- Project Management
- Mobile Field applications
- Equipment management
- Construction reporting using Power BI with OneLake (Microsoft Fabric) technology
Q: At this stage, Digital Transformation is a common phrase. What makes Microsoft Dynamics 365 revolutionary and cutting edge today?
A: Digital transformation is a common phrase these days, but it’s not just a buzzword. It’s the way businesses are changing the way they operate in order to stay ahead of the competition. Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a suite of cloud-based business applications that can help businesses of all sizes to transform their operations. It offers a wide range of features and functionality that can help businesses to improve their projects, automate their workflows, and make better decisions.
Here are some of the features we will be talking about during the CFMA Technology Forum that make Microsoft Dynamics 365 revolutionary and cutting edge today:
- TRUE hyper-scalable cloud-based. This means businesses can access it from anywhere with an internet connection as well as scale to the needs to the organization.
- Integration. Integrates with other Microsoft products, such as Office 365 and Power BI. This makes it easy for businesses to share data and collaborate across different departments.
- Intelligent. Uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to help businesses make better decisions. For example, it can use predictive analytics to identify project delays, budget overruns, and compliance issues.
- Adaptable. Is designed to be adaptable to the specific needs of businesses. This means that businesses can configure it to meet their own requirements.
- Mobile Apps. Dynamics 365 for Construction offers several mobile apps that can help construction businesses to stay connected and productive on the go.
Q: What makes Dynamics 365 tailored for construction?
Key features we’ll discuss during the CFMA Technology Forum around Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Construction include:
- Project management: Comprehensive project management solution that can help construction businesses track projects from start to finish. This includes features for managing tasks, resources, budgets, and risks.
- Resource management: Powerful resource management solution that can help construction businesses track the availability of resources and assign resources to projects. This can help to ensure projects are completed on time and within budget.
- Financial management: Comprehensive financial management solution that can help construction businesses track their financial performance. This includes features for managing accounts receivable, accounts payable, and inventory.
- Compliance management: Comprehensive compliance management solution that can help construction businesses comply with government regulations. This includes features for managing safety data, environmental compliance, and quality control.
Q: What key integrations will you be talking about in the technology forum? How are the solutions streamlining operations?
A: In the technology forum, we will be talking about the following key integrations with Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Construction including SIS Construct 365:
- Integration with Power BI: This integration allows construction businesses to use Power BI to visualize data from Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Construction. This can help businesses identify trends, forecast demand, and make better decisions.
- Integration with Microsoft Office 365: This integration allows construction businesses to use Microsoft Office 365 applications, such as Teams, Outlook, Excel, and Power Platform (PowerApps and Power Automate) with Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Construction. This can help businesses to collaborate more effectively and to improve their productivity.
- Azure Integration Services: Microsoft Dynamics 365 with SIS Construct 365 is a truly open platform with Open APIs to communicate with other applications by using Azure Integration Services to enforce governance with API management, Databricks, and Data factories.
These integrations help construction businesses streamline operations in several ways. One example is to help businesses improve visibility by integrating with Power BI, businesses can gain better visibility into their data. This can help identify trends, forecast demand, and make better decisions. Overall, these integrations can help construction businesses improve operations, increase efficiency, and reduce costs.
Q: Will you be talking about any real-world applications?
A: During the CFMA Technology Forum, we will talk about a few real-world applications of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Construction with SIS Construct 365. These include:
- Enterprise general contractor who used Dynamics 365 to improve its project management.
- Enterprise specialty contractor who used Dynamics 365 to improve its financial performance.
We will also be talking about some of the challenges that construction companies face and how Microsoft Dynamics 365 and SIS Construct 365 can help to overcome these challenges. These challenges include:
- Project delays: Help construction companies track projects from start to finish and identify potential delays early on. This can help prevent project delays and keep projects on track.
- Budget overruns: Help construction companies track financial performance and identify potential budget overruns early on. This can help prevent budget overruns and keep projects within budget.
