A Fresh Look at the Core Strengths of Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management
Recent updates to Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management have brought in new tools, features, and functionalities that can help you streamline workflows across your business and help your team work more efficiently. While it’s easy to settle into using common processes that your team is familiar with, it’s worth looking into how you can improve processes and empower your team even further.
Whether you're a seasoned Dynamics 365 veteran or just starting your ERP journey, this blog will walk you through the highlights—from new warehousing capabilities to demand planning enhancements, you will find something that benefits your business.
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Immersive Workspaces: A New Way to Navigate
The default dashboard is getting a facelift after nearly a decade of stagnation. The new immersive home experience puts your workflow items front and center and integrates Copilot agents for tasks like account reconciliation and supplier communication.
Why it matters:
- Role-Based Views: Tailored dashboards for procurement, finance, and operations. This ensures that all the apps, data, and tools that appear on a user’s screen are pertinent to their job.
- By increasing your users' ability to focus, they can perform their tasks more quickly and efficiently without getting distracted by unnecessary information. Your team will be off and running as soon as they sign into their D365 FSCM app.
- Agentic Future: Agentic AI is starting to establish roots throughout the Dynamics 365 ERP system. This means there are new game-changing AI abilities you can use with Copilot. There are already several new agents in preview you can test, including:
- Supplier Communications Agent: Helps procurement teams interact with suppliers without having to go through and manually update dates in the system. It automatically reads supplier emails, updates purchase orders, and triggers MRP runs.
- Account Reconciliation Agent: This agent goes out and reconciles easy or “low-hanging fruit” transactions and then gives you the exceptions. This lets you reduce the amount of time you spend on easy transactions, allowing you to focus on larger, more complex ones.
Note: If you want to revert to the original dashboard, you can do that through your User Options.
Inventory Management: The Beating Heart of Supply Chain
Dynamics 365 FSCM doesn’t just track what’s in your warehouse; it orchestrates the entire lifecycle of goods, from inbound receipts to outbound shipments, internal movements, and quality assurance. This ensures accuracy and helps you meet customer needs.
Some standout features include:
- Advanced Quality Management: Think FDA compliance, 21 CFR Part 11, and CGMP—all baked into the system. Taking these compliance processes off your and your team’s shoulders allows your business to focus on core tasks that bring in more value.
- Traceability App: A new Power Platform-based tool that lets you trace items forward and backward across your supply chain. Whether it’s a batch number or a serialized asset, you get real-time visibility with sleek visuals and downloadable reports.
- Inventory Visibility Service: Pull in external data sources to get a unified view of inventory across multiple systems. No more SQL gymnastics or SSRS wizardry—just clean, consolidated data.
Warehouse Management App: Your Mobile Command Center
If you’re still rocking the old black-and-green warehouse app, it’s time for an upgrade. The new Warehouse Management App is sleek, secure, and packed with productivity boosters.
Highlights include:
- Copilot Integration: Get a daily workload summary right in the app. Know what orders to pick, where to go, and what’s waiting at the dock. Copilot helps you plan your day and know what to expect.
- Driver Check-In/Check-Out: Streamline transportation management with self-service kiosks or tablets. Drivers can check in, get dock assignments, and trigger alerts for your putaway team.
- Advanced Location Management: Define aisles, racks, bins, or virtual locations to suit your warehouse layout. It’s flexible, scalable, and built for real-world complexity.
- iOS Compatibility: The app now works on iPhones and iPads, making it easier than ever to deploy across your team.
Planning Optimization: MRP Reimagined
Material Requirements Planning (MRP) has come a long way. What used to take 20 hours now runs in 20 minutes, thanks to Planning Optimization—a microservice that decouples MRP from the core system for lightning-fast performance.
Key upgrades:
- Full Feature Parity: Support for Kanban, lean manufacturing, and process manufacturing is now live. This gives you a more holistic solution to help you plan smarter and more efficiently.
- Net Requirements Form: Your go-to screen for understanding supply and demand. See planned orders, action messages, and pegging details in one place. This gives you a high-level view of your items.
- Copilot Potential: While not yet embedded, imagine a future where Copilot explains why an order was delayed or why inventory dipped below safety stock. It’s coming, and it’s going to be a game-changer.
Demand Planning: Forecasting Gets Smart
Say goodbye to static spreadsheets that need to be updated manually and hello to intelligent, automated, and AI-enhanced forecasting. The new Demand Planning app, built on the Power Platform, takes historical data and turns it into actionable insights.What makes it special:
- Algorithm Variety: Compare models like Prophet and ARIMA to find the best fit for your business.
- Generative AI Insights: Copilot analyzes clusters, seasonality, and trends to explain why demand is shifting.
- External Data Integration: Import weather data, customer forecasts, or market trends to refine your predictions.
Advanced Quality & Compliance: Going Deeper
Dynamics 365 FSCM is leveling up its compliance game with features tailored for regulated industries:
- Skip Lot Testing & Flexible Sampling: Optimize your testing strategy based on risk and history.
- Electronic Batch Records: Capture every detail for traceability and audit readiness.
- CAPA Management: Built-in corrective and preventive action workflows that align with medical device regulations.
These enhancements make it easier to meet industry standards without relying on third-party tools.
Supplier Engagement: Stronger Connections, Smarter Communication
In addition to the Supplier Communications Agent, there is also a new Supplier Engagement app that is set to be released in October. This app is built on Power Pages and provides you with a more modern, user-friendly experience, acting as a centralized workspace for managing supplier performance, scheduling appointments, and tracking communications.
In the manufacturing industry, establishing and maintaining strong relationships with external vendors – including suppliers – is vital. This app makes it much easier for you to do that.
Final Thoughts: Why It All Matters
Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management isn’t just a business system—it’s a platform for transformation. With AI-driven insights, mobile-first tools, and deep industry functionality, it empowers organizations to be more agile, more efficient, and more connected.
Whether you're optimizing inventory, forecasting demand, or managing supplier relationships, D365 FSCM gives you the tools to do it smarter, faster, and with less friction.
Streamline Your Business with Stoneridge Software!
Our team of experts is constantly learning about new and emerging technologies within Dynamics 365. At Stoneridge, we can help you implement and optimize these new features to empower your team and organization to perform more efficiently.
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