Do you want to create your own MYOB manual for your workplace? There are a lot of things that you should know before jumping in the deep end. Is it financially viable? Do you know enough about the product? Do you need to go to a couple MYOB courses to get your head around things first? Hang on... what is MYOB?

What is MYOB?

MYOB is an Australian owned company that specialises in business management and accounting products intended for 'small to medium sized enterprises' (commonly known as SMEs) and is also commonly used by professional accountants. There is currently over 700,000 different businesses in Australasia using MYOB - there is no wonder why it is so damn popular.

What You Need to Include in Your MYOB Manual

There are heaps of things that you should include in your MYOB users manual. But it is important to keep it simple and easy to follow. The following is just an example of important things that you should cover in your MYOB manual. Firstly, your MYOB manual (like any good users manual) should have an introduction section. Here is where you should go into detail about the overall target the business and how the of use the particular software is intended to benefit your business. Then, the manual should go through the basics of how to set up a MYOB file and how to define your accounts, tax codes and inventory items. Next, the manual should go into detail about the day-to-day processes of using the MYOB software. This section should describe how to record and bring together your business' financial information and transactions on a day-to-day basis. There should also be a chapter on the advanced processes of your MYOB software.

These are the procedures that go beyond the day-to-day use of your MYOB software. Whether you go through the entire payroll process, working out your stock-take or how to organise the group certificates at the end of the financial year, here is a good place to go through the basics of those types of advanced procedures that you do not use everyday. Then you should go into detail about your payroll management techniques. Describe how to set up payroll systems and the process regarding employee pay runs, including the different tax tables, superannuation, how to produce the end of financial year group certificates, how to complete BAS statements and working out GST.

If your business bills customers for your time, it is important that your MYOB users manual goes through the process of setting up invoices for your customers and how to define the current billing rates and how to analyse the success or profit of each job. Do you know how to manage your customers by using the MYOB Card File? Using the Card File will help you to communicate with customers and when it comes to generating reports and setting reminders. It is like a giant mail-merge. You should be sure to explain the process of how to produce personalised letters using MYOB Card File. Finally, it is a good idea to have a section that notes any helpful tips and tricks of MYOB.

You should cover any troubleshooting techniques that will help to improve your business' operations and will increase the overall efficiency and effectiveness of your business. Finally, you should keep in mind that there are often MYOB version updates and upgrades and you need to keep your MYOB users manual up-to-date with the current MYOB version your business is using. You also need to update your billing and tax rates if there is a change. Yes it can be a pain continually updating your MYOB manual - but it will pay off in the long run. That is, when the time comes to find the solution you your issue!

MYOB Manual - Buy or Create? That is the Question...

Is it really worth going to all the trouble of creating your own MYOB user manual? Your initial response will probably be a stern, no! But if you stop to think about it, it is not such a silly idea. Yes, it will take a bit of time to initially set up, but by creating your own manual - you can concentrate on the main sections of the software that your business uses all the time and only touch on the parts that you rarely use (if at all). This will ensure that your manual is a lot more concise that any book or manual on the market and that you can aim the manual at the target audience and not fill it with confusing accounting and computing jargon! You could go to one of many MYOB courses on the market, which might make everything seem crystal clear on the day - but when you get back to the office, you have forgotten everything and only have a confusing (sometimes not so user-friendly) manual to try and solve your problems. If you plan on using a pre-made MYOB manual prepared for MYOB courses, be careful about copyright issues. Don't just copy and paste slabs of information if you are not allowed.