Dynamics NAV Consulting and a Big Drooling Bloodhound
When he is able, my husband likes to pick me up from the airport when I return from business trips. As an added bonus, he brings along our bloodhound “Groot.” Groot is the only one of our five pets (and three children for that matter) that is excited to greet me when I arrive home. We live in the New York area and idling curbside at the airport, waiting for a loved one, is heavily frowned upon. Fortunately, the breaking of laws is to be expected so you’re more likely to get “hit” with a grumble than a ticket, so we all do it anyway.
On one particular occasion, my husband and Groot were idling curbside, creating all kinds of crazy carbon emissions, waiting for me to exit the airport. A K9 unit, patrolling the airport looking for bombs and contraband, stopped next to my husband and rolled down the window. In turn, my husband rolled down his window. The officer bellowed, “You caught my dog’s attention.” My husband rolled down the rear window to reveal an equally curious Groot and answered, “You caught my dog’s attention.” The doggie camaraderie was enough to keep my husband idling curbside, without the grumble.
At this point you are probably wondering what this has to do with Dynamics NAV. As a consultant, sometimes we hear things that catch our attention and they are worthy of some investigation. Sometimes just a few, well thought out questions, can reveal that there is nothing to see here (just a big, drooling bloodhound). While I have had other occasions when a question revealed a real whopper of a problem. Like the time I asked, “How are you creating purchase orders in US dollars and then receiving invoices against them in Euro, without having any foreign currencies set up in your system?” I did not enjoy that answer.
I cannot overstate the importance taking the time ask a question or two when your Spidey-senses start to tingle. Hopefully you can prevent the client from experiencing pain and suffering. Unfortunately, this was not the case for my “no currencies” friend. Hopefully you identify a potential issue before it becomes a full blown nightmare. It really is part of the job of a being a value-added reseller. Part of the value that you bring to the table is your experience and those experiences can help prevent clients from making costly mistakes. In short, it is your duty to ask revealing questions, it is your duty to dig. Hopefully, all you find is a big, drooling bloodhound, but if it is something bigger, everyone will be the better for your asking.
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