The GST change is coming up soon. Your accounting application provider (MYOB, Moneyworks, Xero etc) will have updates and/or advice on how their product will be affected by the GST change. We are following their recommendations on what the new GST code will be.
For example, MYOB uses the code S as the 12.5% GST code. We have unconfirmed reports that the new code will be S15. If this is the case, then Spark will be outputting S15 as the official GST code in its transfer files. (To be confirmed)
MYOB say their latest update takes care of the GST changeover. If you don’t do the upgrade, you MUST create codes and alter the behavior of your MYOB to work with the 15% change.
If you have any questions about the GST change in relation to Spark, please give Gemma or Marcus a call on (09) 477 0396.
We are currently developing a new update to Spark which should be out in the September timeframe. The direction of this update is around workflow, resource management, timesheets and general usability! We are very excited about it and think you will be too.
(Our first beta site said – Wow, this is AWESOME!)
Some notes:
The ability to put notes against a job to display in the WIP with an ETA and responsible person
Formatted WIP PDFs!
Project Proposals so you can have one PDF with multiple proposals summarised onto it.
More improvements to timesheets including comments on Multi-Time entry and “last 7 days”
Re-ordering of Materials in your Proposals and Invoices
Improvements to the user interface for easier training
Lots of small fixes and touch-ups
We will be sending out release notes closer to the time which will detail all the improvements – and then arrange to come out and walk you through the update so you get good use out of the system!
For more information contact Gemma Hurst or Marcus Radich on (09) 477 0396
We would like to welcome Gemma Hurst to our Software team. Gemma will be a name many of you will recognise as she previously held a position at Digital Arena providing training in Spark.
Gemma has been working client-side in Spark for a number of years and brings her knowledge and experience to help you maximise your Spark.
Spark 5.5 has a new Purchase Order move feature in the Admin which enables you to move purchase orders from one job to another – but we also enhanced the Time/Material move. Previously you could only move the entire block of Time/Materials from one job to another – now you can choose. It is best illustrated by a picture!
To use this feature, you must have Administration rights.
Spark 5.5 gives you a number of new features – but the one everyone is most excited about is the simplified Timesheet Entry screen and options. To take advantage of the new options, first set your preferences in the User Preferences area. Choose between “Hour Based” time entry or “Time Bar Based”.
Hour Based lets you specify the number of hours for each entry and Time Bar Based lets you use a slider to nominate a start and end time.
We also give you the option to enter multiple time entries in a single screen. Simply click onto “Multi-Time Entry” and select your Job, Labour code and the number of hours. It will auto-save and give you a field to enter the next one. (Each entry from this screen starts at 7.00am – you can edit this in My Timesheet)
My Timesheet has also changed – you can now delete entries (as long as the Job is not closed) and add/update comments if you have more to add.
Here is a cool little video of the latest Spark 5.5 on the iPad! It shows working on a Proposal, generating a PDF, opening WIP, checking job costings! When the iPad 3G becomes avaliable in NZ – you will be able to “Spark” from inside your office and out! Great fun.
Spark 5.5 is ready! We will be deploying it to our hosted Spark setup within the next few days – and then begin the roll out to the onsite Spark installs. Please read the release notes below, and take a look at the visual guide (link below)
- Major changes to the User Interface.
1. All date fields are now replaced with a mini calendar pop-up
2. Menu, Buttons, Fields have all been updated (your browser will dictate how much change you see)
3. Internet Explorer 6 may have display issues. Please update to Internet Explorer 7 or higher.
General
- Jobs can now have multiple people in Allocated To. Means more than one designer can be allocated to a job.
- Search Jobs and Work in Progress now displays a Time Used bar to visually check timesheets against proposals.
- Work in Progress has new sorting and view options.
- WIP Overview can display by Person or Location.
Administration
- NEW – Purchase Orders can be moved from one job to another by the Administrator.
- Time/Materials move allows you to select items rather than move the whole lot.
Timesheets
- Time and Materials entry has been separated and simplified.
- NEW – Multi-Time Entry lets you enter time against multiple jobs in one screen
- My Timesheet now has a Delete button to remove entries.
Financial
- Accruals report now includes a split out by GL code for easy entry into your accounting system.
- People and Product report now shows how much has been billed and unbilled.
- NEW – Full support for Xero online accounting software.
- NEW – All Invoice and Purchase Order numbers transferred into MYOB start with S to reduce conflicts with manual entries.
Misc
- Tested and supported on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Google Android devices (Google Nexus One, HTC Hero and more)
- Includes all patches since v5.4.5
Spark 5.5 is about to come out of testing and then deployed to clients. This is an important upgrade as it includes a number of improvements including:
The ability to assign multiple people to a job
New “multi-time” entry screen to quickly add time to multiple jobs in one screen
Visual progress bars of time usage
New views and management for WIP
The ability to move purchase orders from one job to another
The ability to bulk move some time/materials from one job to another
Spark 5.5 is due February. We are in the testing phase of the new features and are still on target to deliver in that timeframe. Might as well leak out a new feature – Time Usage Bars in Workflow and Search Jobs. Its a cool little progress indicator to show you how your overall time proposed vs time used is going…mouse over it and it reveals more detail…
RELEASE UPDATE: We are expecting to release Spark 5.5 very early next year (February timeframe) which will bring a whole host of new features, updates and fixes to all Spark users.
