New Features: Capture Fine Detail for ERP Financial Reporting, Traceability, and More

In this issue of New Features, we begin with new Icicle accounting features and a preview for exciting future developments in Icicle’s ERP financial reporting! We’ve also released some traceability and inventory management features, such as automatic lot code formatting and the ability to see planned production in inventory management as well as costing during inventory reconciliation.

And there is more…scroll through the list to learn how these new features work and which Icicle users suggested them!

Services (in Accounting)

When was it released? October 5 2021

What does it do? Some of our customers may sell services along with products – just like we do at Icicle Technologies with our add on services like custom integration and food safety consulting! Now when you issue a purchase order (to a supplier) or an invoice (to a customer), you can add predefined types of services. Shortly, you will also be able to add services to price lists, purchase orders, and sales orders as well.

In other accounting news, we want to give a little preview of upcoming Icicle features that are currently available to play around with in the experimental section of Icicle. These features have not been officially released yet but what we’ve been working on includes: 

• A completely reworked financial accounts interface in which users can create a chart of accounts;
• Taxes and Tax Groups to define the taxes applied to goods and services;
• Payment  Methods, to define various ways that payments can be made (e.g. cheque, e-transfer, cash, etc.).

 We are excited to release improved ERP financial reporting capabilities. Look out for more accounting developments in the months to come!

Inspection Scores

When was it released? June 24 2021

What does it do? Icicle’s inspections feature previously only supported pass/fail or N/A results. We then added the ability to capture numeric answers to questions (e.g. temperatures), but you couldn’t determine an inspection score until now.

With this new update, you can create a weighted grading system in your inspections template so that when you save an inspection in Icicle, the system automatically calculates a score. This is particularly useful for companies that have GFSI-recognized certifications since their auditors use a weighted system as well. In other words, with Icicle’s inspection templates, you can approximate the scoring system that your auditors will use (e.g. SQF or BRC).

Where did the idea come from? Thanks to Garry from Anita’s Organic Foods for this helpful feature request!

Planned Production in Inventory Management

When was it released? October 10 2021

What does it do? Prior to this new update, you could navigate to Icicle’s inventory interfaces and see how much you have in stock, but you wouldn’t be able to tell immediately what portion of that inventory is already spoken for in terms of planned production. Now Icicle calculates and displays not only the quantity that you have on hand but the exact quantities of inventory (ingredients, materials, and packaging) that are already allocated for future production. This, along with our smart Purchasing Suggestions feature, will help you plan with maximum accuracy and efficiency.

Where did the idea come from? Thanks again to Garry from Anita’s Organic!

Automatic Lot Code Formatting

When was it released? September 16 2021

What does it do? Users pointed out that if you entered a lot code in uppercase (the industry best practice) but then again in lowercase, the system would not recognize the two lot codes as the same. We have now changed this so that all lot codes are automatically standardized into uppercase letters.

Where did the idea come from? Thank you Neil from Snow Cap!

Decimal Point Settings for More Detailed ERP Financial Reporting

When was it released? September 15 2021

What does it do? Most of the time, two decimal places are all that is necessary for purchase orders and sales orders, but for companies manufacturing commodity products at volume, a more granular approach is often necessary. By default, Icicle sets accounts to use two decimal points, but you can now change the account settings to capture up to six decimal places. This means more detailed tracking for ERP financial reporting.

Where did the idea come from? Thanks again to Garry from Anita’s Organic!

Costing in Inventory Reconciliations

When was it released? September 27 2021

What does it do? As we continue to evolve the accounting side of Icicle, we’re always excited to announce new developments in that major project. We already added the ability to report actual production costs at the lot code level (production run costing), which is already pretty much unique for accounting systems that usually only use standard costing based on periodic updates. With Icicle’s ability to calculate real costs based on your actual production, Icicle users can tell if their costs are changing from batch to batch in real time, providing crucial data for informed business decisions.

However, our wonderful Icicle users pointed out that when you are first entering your opening inventory, you could record the quantities but not the monetary value. Now, you are not only able to determine your costs from the point of implementing Icicle, you can also track the value of your opening inventory value.

Where did the idea come from? Thanks to Jayda from Anita’s Organic for this great idea!

Email Purchase Orders

When was it released? June 16 2021

What does it do? Previously, Icicle users who wanted to send purchase orders would have to download the purchase order and then attach it to an email. Now you can send purchase orders directly from Icicle.

We have also added a button to send an email copy of bills of lading to a customer directly from a shipping record.

Where did the idea come from? You guessed it, Garry was on a roll this summer!

Force User Log Off

When was it released? September 7 2021

What does it do? Say one day, a worker finishes their shift and checks their mobile device back in, but they forget to log off. The next day, a different user uses that same device and doesn’t change accounts. Whether that user is doing an inspection or warehouse work, the accountability chain is broken. Now, Icicle admins can go to the user section of Icicle and force users to log off (for example, at the end of each shift) so that the device is ready for the next user.

Where did the idea come from? Thanks to Dayna from Country Prime Meats!

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