The answer to this challenge? View continued professional development as part of your work commitments.
Why consider investing time in CPD?
Before we look into Business One and the challenges around CPD, what are the main reasons you would even want to spend your time in this way?
● Identifies knowledge gaps - not even the wisest man on Earth could make a list of what he does not know. There may be opportunities for you to work in a more streamlined, efficient way and you might not even know! Listening to talks and reading blog posts can help to identify these opportunities.
● Improve your skills - identifying your skill gaps is the first step. Next is to actually go on to learn new things! CPD gives you a great opportunity to fill in these gaps in your knowledge.
● Industry bodies - such as Chartered Institute for IT will often ask you to complete CPD each year. This is to ensure that their membership stays up to date with current developments.
● Remain competitive - in a global economy, remaining competitive is more challenging. If your peers are improving their skill set, and you are not, it is likely you'll fall behind.
Even if you are onboard with the concept of CPD, finding good quality CPD opportunities can be a real challenge.
Business One & CPD Challenges
Unlike many tools within the SAP product suite, Business One is sold through Value Added Resellers. These companies are invested in the success of your Business One journey. They don't take the 'sell you the tool and get on with it' approach. They work with you to ensure the package is meeting the needs of your company.
This has however meant that there is much less 'self help' content relating to Business One compared to packages where you have the option of self-service. Self-service software models tend to lead to a 'do it yourself' related content and events.
So, if this is the way things are, where could you go for CPD content?
CPD Opportunities
So, if you were looking at/for CDP opportunities, then here are a few that you should consider.
● User groups - while you could join ourselves (we would love to have you), there may also be user groups local to you.
● Conferences - these are a great way to expose yourself to a range of creative thinking and new practices. It's rare to leave a conference without your head buzzing with new ideas and concepts.
● Online blogs - some companies, authors and indeed other users, write blogs. These can be an invaluable source of new information.
● Online training - is a great substitute for in person training and events. Especially suited to those who are short on time or work remotely.
● Your SAP partner - don't overlook the most simple CPD opportunity! Your VAR is likely to have a blog on their website. They may hold regular webinars or offer training services. Consider reaching out to them and letting them know you're looking for opportunities. You never know what they might already be doing to help you here.
● LinkedIn - is a great source of learning. There are many groups on social media which aim to support other Business One users.
-- We've written an entire post on social media accounts that Business One users should be a part of. You can read this here
What we would suggest with any less structured CPD time, is that you allot time in your
schedule. If you are going to start reading blogs, book time in each month to review the content.
Take a look at apps like Feedly to help collate content for you.
Inspired to take on some CPD?
If you would be interested in seeing a bit more about what a joining a user group would be like; we're hosting a free, one day, Business One conference.
The event is taking place on the 12th November at the ICC Birmingham. You can secure your ticket here.ticket here.
