Marina Dock Age, January/February 1999

Computer Systems: Work-Makers or Time-Savers?
by Dennis P. Kissman

Through years of consulting with many marinas, I have had the opportunity to observe a variety of manual and computer systems used to track and record the operations of a marina. I would estimate that nearly 50 percent of the information gathered, particularly with computer systems, has little relevance to measuring business performance. What I find particularly disturbing is that many of the people utilizing these systems don’t have a clue about what the information is that they are looking at, let alone if it is right.

When it comes to business applications, you should be more interested in the system’s efficiency in gathering, storing and retrieving information in a meaningful way. Most of all, you want the software to adapt to your particular needs.

I am not in a position to recommend one computer software package over another. I am one of those people who knows just enough to be dangerous. What I would like to do is pass along a few tips if you are considering purchasing new software for your marina.  

Do not make your choice of software based on a demonstration disk. Insist that actual data from your marina be used in a demonstration, and make sure the information the new software puts out is comparable to your existing system, less time-consuming and more user-friendly.

You should have a clear understanding of the cost and timing involved if modifications have to be made to the software to fit your needs. You should also try to anticipate your future needs and what may be involved if the software has to be modified. For example, if you add a dry stack facility to your operation, how would that be handled?

Even though the software vendor says your machine has sufficient capacity to run the software, it may not in reality. Determine whether the new software will work on your existing hardware or whether you will have to invest in new equipment. Try the software out with real data on your equipment and with enough records to see if there is an impact on the processing speed as the number of records increases. The other applications you have on your hardware may also seriously impact the performance of the new software. Continue »