Over the years, we have developed an implementation approach that has proven to be 100% successful when followed as described below. Please take the time to review all of our recommendations and best practices detailed below.

Kickoff Call

Who needs to be there?  

  • All client stakeholders - leads on accounting, purchasing, warehousing, upper management, retail and/or F&B, IT

What do we need?

  • List of email addresses for anyone who needs access to Basecamp & Knowledge Base;

  • Go Live Date, if driven by POS/Opening, otherwise we will set one based on the project’s timeline

  • Key client contacts for implementation process (who will we be working with on a daily basis)

  • Address for hardware shipping

  • Preferred Shipping Method

  • Weekly check-in call best times


Client Project Lead

  • Weekly calls to discuss progress

  • Open line of communication about project concerns

  • A single voice for all stakeholders

  • Holds client team accountable for deadlines and quality of work

  • Leads client side for discussions about any requested changes to scope/plan

  • Participates in high level discussions with YD Project Lead

  • Has awareness of all moving pieces within the project from kick off to go live


Technical Requirements

  • Clearly defined process for gaining remote access to server & client machines.  (We typically use TeamViewer, but can be flexible if provided a different reliable solution)

  • All servers and clients updated to .NET v.4.6.2

  • Windows 10 on any machine that will need to auto-send Purchase Orders to vendors

  • On Premise Server Install:

    • SQL Install (must be full, latest version of SQL if we are building shell in our system then transferring)

    • Best time to run Maintenance application (not conflicting with POS EOD or other backup process)

    • Non-Hosted API Access Setup


Configuration

  • Stores - given list of stores in the contract, determine what they need to be called in YD, as well as any Accounting codes, ship to addresses, etc

  • Levels - Departments/Categories generally should match GLs. Otherwise, these are used for reporting, so they should break down how you want to report on your data. YD can provide sample level structures based on your industry

  • Dimensions - first is always size, you have up to 9 after that (can be used for color, logo, wine varietal, wine region, case pack for retail cartons, etc)

  • Employee - Who needs access to what? We will discuss with you different levels of access and set up templates to make creating employees faster. Identify a few users who should have “admin” access.

  • Autonumber - use POS requirements (if retail) to set SKU number setup (and valid code characters).

  • System Options -

    • calculated cost method - FIFO for F&B, weighted average for Retail

    • PO Approvals, transfer item movement, system closeout date, additional currency needs, etc. YD will review.

  • Accounting codes - manual adjustments to non-YD store accounts (donations, HR department use, etc)


Data Gathering

New data - Do not try to use what's in the old system line for line.  Data is the foundation of everything you will do with Yellow Dog. Accurate, complete data is our highest priority.

  • What is good data?

    • All items that are currently in inventory are accounted for

    • All items that will be in inventory at time of go live are accounted for

    • Vendors for all items

    • Cost for all items

    • Previously agreed upon level scheme is applied to all items

    • Naming conventions make sense to all potential users

    • UPCs supplied for all items that will be scanned at the register, and will not be manually labeled

      • F&B Specific

        • All items from EDI vendors must have a vendor SKU

        • Case/pack sizes properly assigned as parent/child relationships (including purchasing splits, if applicable)

        • Count sizes included as child items if necessary

        • All Weight/volume measurements provided for ALL items/Item configurations that may be used in a recipe.  Weight/volume should match all units that will be used in recipes, i.e. recipes with cup/fl oz measures need volume, pound/ounce measures need weights.  Keep in mind some ingredients may be used by both a weight and a volume depending on the recipes in which they are included

  • Valid Code Characters - UPCs/SKUs should be numeric only and Descriptions should not contain special characters.

  • It should be understood that failure to adhere to all of the above points WILL lead to ongoing problems and time-consuming data cleanup.

EDIs

  • Immediately reach out to your rep, giving them permission to work with us on your EDI.

  • At times, vendors can be very slow to process EDI requests.  We may ask for your assistance to encourage the vendor to keep the process moving forward.

Training

  • Quiet room with good internet access, computers preloaded with the YD Client & Teamviewer access confirmed

  • Time blocked out that allows end users to focus only on training

  • Interaction with good, focused discussion makes for better trainings - ask questions, let us know how your processes work now, give us feedback on anything you’d like to see changed in your data or the system itself.

  • End users should spend some time prior to training gathering questions that apply to their AOR.

  • Workflow Questions answered prior to training (Configuration Workbook)

  • Review YD Knowledge Base videos on topics covered during training prior to alotted training time (YD will provide links prior to each training)

  • Please be ready to begin training at the scheduled time.

Go Live

  • Your project is considered live when inventory items are in the system, your POS Integration is complete, and you are able to purchase, receive, and count inventory.  Some parts of the project, such as client recipe creation, EDI, accounting setup, etc., may extend beyond the Go Live date


Post Live

  • Stay engaged. If there are any issues, let us know asap. We want to make sure everything is running smoothly prior to your transition to support.

  • Accounting, recipes, etc will happen during this time.

Support Transition

  • Be on the call. You’ll be introduced to our Support Manager and our support toolkit will be reviewed.

  • You will be assigned a dedicated Support Guide who will be your primary point of contact going forward

  • You will have access to our 24/7 Emergency Support Hotline

  • Any outstanding items at this time will be coordinated by your dedicated Support Guide.