Viewpoint Spectrum

I am the administrator for Spectrum in our company and overall the Experience has been very good!

Comments: Ease of administration and our accounting team rarely has any issues with the software

Pros:

The support team is amazing. They are extremely helpful and are good at fixing the annoying bugs and getting to the root causes of our problems. The accounting and hr side of the software works extremely well and I have very few if any complaints or issues that I have to fix or call support for.

Cons:

The project manangement side of the software was never really completed so its less than impressive. But I think on the positive side since Viewpoint has purchased Spectrum I think that integrating it with their Team software will make a huge difference in this section!

New Spectrum User

Comments: We are still developing our processes as we are still a relatively new user, but overall we have had a very good experience with Spectrum.

Pros:

The software was relatively easy to implement and start using after going live. There are numerous canned reports that are very helpful and it is also easy to navigate the database when creating custom reports.

Cons:

The cost projection entry screen desperately needs to be updated. It was so cumbersome to use that we had to hire an outside consultant to build us an Excel template that interfaced with the system. Also, we allocate overhead based on a rate per manhour and this turned out to be a manual weekly process (our old software actually did this automatically).

Comments: I am employed by a large, heavy civil construction contractor in Oregon. I was hired five years ago in the payroll department, and Spectrum was the software that this company was already using. In the past, I had used a construction software called Foundation which was exceptional at job costing materials by piece versus hourly wage. Spectrum's latest upgrade to the new version 14 has had some major changes in the payroll and human resource module, and has taken some time to get used to. I found that the basic data entry screens are easy to use but it's taken more time to locate where the functions are than I had hoped. If our company had invested in having on-site training prior to the upgrade, I believe these changes would've been easier on all of our employees. One of our employees did attend the Seattle conference but she was disappointed that there was not more hands-on learning and training, and thought that our company should have received a team training session prior to the upgrade, as well. Our payroll, human resource, purchasing department, contract administration, and accounts payable departments have all requested additional training with this latest upgrade so that they can use Spectrum with confidence, and complete their daily tasks faster on a regular basis. I am awaiting several changes that our company has requested from Dexter and Chaney's support team via telephone and multiple emails. The human resource module needs some serious work in terms of versatility. I am still hoping to take a crystal reports training class in order to create reports in Spectrum, rather than exporting everything into an Excel spreadsheet and spending hours manipulating the reports to get the outcome that our company required for individual, specialized reports in payroll and human resources. The project management module also has one grave error in changing the appearance, flexibility, and directory for creating and maintaining transmittals. This particular flaw has cost our company a minimum of 5 hours per week in additional office clerical hours just to keep up the creating, sending, and scanning of all documents through transmittals. That's very upsetting to a fast-passed construction company that processes between 75 and 100 transmittals per week! The largest advantage I've seen since this last upgrade is that the system works faster on the Internet and I am able to access Spectrum from home.

Implementation Phase

Comments: We got off to a slow start. It took about 7 weeks to get started which is causing us to delay our go live date. The implementation plan is comprehensive. I think it will make the transition very manageable.

Pros:

We are in the implementation stage. I like the integration between the field, project managers and accounting. It handles intercompany well. The SDX importer uploads most of the history and settings. I think it will be a great system when we get up and running.

Cons:

I don't like the data entry screens. Many items that could be entered in a grid list open an data entry window. The system doesn't let you go to the next field until required fields are complete. Also, things like timesheets are not viewable in a grid. You can only print reports. The help menu search isn't very good. It references other items that would be nice to click into.

Viewpoint Spectrum

Comments: For the most part Spectrum is a well rounded program, a one stop shop. A few entry tweeks would be welcome.

Pros:

When looking at projects it is easy to find what relevant information is required in respect to costing. It is nice to have the document images at the tips of your fingers. Reporting and exporting data.

Cons:

Integrating some of the entries would be easier ie: setting up new customers and the sites - have to go to different sections to set this up. Would be more efficient if you were able to bypass this function or have it in the main set up screen. The amount of 'clicks' to be able to complete a task can be cumbersome. In the AP section, there are many different areas that have to be navigated to approve and get them to the GL. Not being able to see invoice images that are connected to a work order within the work order screen.