Module 
Checklist
By J. Carlton Collins, CPA
When I evaluate an accounting software package, I like to use the following checklist of modules to help me quickly determine which modules a product does, or does not have. This process is tougher than you might think because publishers use different names to refer to their modules and often tout modules which in my mind, are not modules at all, they are just an important feature or feature set.

 

Core Modules:

1

General Ledger

2

Accounts Payable

3

Accounts Receivable

4

Payroll

5

Inventory

6

Order Entry

7

Job Cost

8

System Manager

 

 

Advanced Modules:

 

 

 

Various Advanced Modules:

9

Bar Coding

10

Bill of Materials

11

Business Intelligence (helps a company analyze customer data)

12

Commitment Tracking

13

Contact Management

14

Customer Relationship Management CRM

15

Federal Magnetic Media

16

Fixed Asset

17

Fund and Encumbrance Accounting

18

Grant and Endowment Management

19

Human Resources

20

Mobile User (enables the integration of wireless devices with company data)

21

Point of Sale (allows company to record sales via a cash register or POS terminal)

22

Property Management

23

Regulatory Reporting

24

Rental Billing & Tracking

25

Service Contracts

26

Service/Dispatch

27

Call Center Tech Support (helps a company manage customer support telephone calls)

28

Time & Billing

29

Transportation Management

30

Travel Expenses

31

Warehouse Management

32

Warranty Repair Orders

 

 

 

Web Related Modules:

33

Web Based Requisitioning (allows employees to order supplies via the web)

34

Web Commerce Catalog (allows company to publish a web catalog)

35

Web Customers (allows customers to log in to their account history via the web)

36

Web Employee (allows employees to maintain their personal data and investments via the web)

37

Web Financial Statements (allows executive to access password protected financial statements via the web)

38

Web Orders (allows the company to accept orders via the web)

39

Web Tools (allows company to create web sites and integrate their accounting system with their web catalogs)

 

 

 

Industry Standard Add-on Modules:

40

F9

41

Crystal Reports

42

FRx

 

 

 

Plant Related:

43

Capital Project

44

Equipment Maintenance

45

Fleet Maintenance

46

Plant Maintenance

47

Preventive Maintenance

 

 

 

Development Tools Related:

48

Customization Tools

49

Data Import Tools

50

Data Integration Tools

51

Financial Statement Designer Tools

52

Forms Designer Tools

53

VBA Tools

 

 

 

Manufacturing Related:

54

Capacity Requirements Planning (allows company to calculate maximum capacities for labor, machinery, work centers, and the entire plant)

55

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) (allows company to send electronic orders through an intermediary to their suppliers without human intervention)

56

Labor Performance

57

Manufacturing Cost Accounting (allows company to accumulate and analyze actual costs compared to preset standards)

58

Materials Requirements Planning (allows a company to calculate the materials needed to fulfill work orders, and plans the ordering of those materials so that they arrive just in time)

59

Product Configurator

60

Production Order Processing (allows a company to record an order to perform a specific task)

61

Production Scheduling (efficiently schedules tasks based on equipment, labor, and work center availability)

62

Quoting/Estimating

63

Routings (manages the routs in which materials must travel through a plant from beginning to end)

64

Supply Chain Management (allows company to send electronic orders directly to their suppliers without human intervention)

 

 

 

Advanced Add-on Sub-Modules (Some publishers call these modules. However, in my book, these do not qualify as a full module; none-the-less, these are important strong add-on sub-modules that you may want to look for)

 

 

65

Bank Reconciliation

66

Cash Basis Accounting

67

Cash Forecasting

68

Contract Management 

69

Currency Manager

70

Data Explorer (allows user to gain quick access to data)

71

Direct Deposit

72

Employee Benefits

73

Employment Development (allows company to manage unfilled positions and recruits)

74

Import Manager

75

Multi-Company

76

Multi-Currency

77

Multidimensional Analysis

78

ODBC Drivers 

79

Promotion Management

80

Purchase Order

81

Recruitment (allows company t manage an on-going employee recruitment campaign)

82

Report Writer

83

Returns Management

84

Sales Forecasting

85

Serial Number Tracking

86

Shelf Life Management (allows company to identify and sell oldest items)

87

Standard Costing

88

StarShip (allows a company to look up accurate freight charges using the Starship database)

89

Training (allows a company to manage the on-going education of employees)

90

Work Center Definition (allows the company to define the machinery and labor associated with a work center)