MVP Insights: Steve Chinsky on Finding Community, Influence of AI, Business Central Sessions at Summit NA
Welcome to “MVP Insights,” a podcast that explores the universe, ideas, and opportunities of the brightest stars in the Microsoft business applications ecosystem.
In this episode, John Siefert is joined by Steve Chinsky, Director, Dynamics Practice, Accelerynt, Microsoft MVP. The two explore how Steve came to be an MVP and the journey that took place to get there, the influence of artificial intelligence in Business Central and what it means for the future, and details Business Central sessions at the upcoming Community Summit North America 2024.
This episode is sponsored by Community Summit North America, the largest independent gathering of the Microsoft Business Applications ecosystem, taking place Oct. 13-17, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Register today to connect with thousands of users across the Microsoft business applications ecosystem at the for user, by user event.
Key Takeaways
- Overview: Steve has been a part of the Microsoft Business Applications community for 25 years, focused on Dynamics 365 Business Central during the entirety of his journey. He transitioned from a 17-year career in accounting to a role where they became actively involved in the community, contributing to programming committees for various conferences. Steve received his MVP status in early 2023.
- Business Central journey: Steve describes how he began working with Business Central, which was formerly known as Navision (NAV). He “fell in love” with the product because it was easy to understand and there was a clear future for it. As the product continued to evolve and more features and functionality was added, he came to admire its flexibility and versatility. He maintains a strong sense of commitment to the product and the community of users that surrounds it.
- AI infusion: Business Central continues to evolve and integrate more AI-based features, Steve expresses enthusiasm for the new functionalities, particularly the enhancements to Bank Reconciliation which he finds to be a significant improvement in user productivity. He expresses interest in the potential of AI to enhance various features, although he acknowledges that habit formation and user comfort with new technologies can take time. He remains optimistic about the ongoing developments and capabilities of the system, driven by AI advancements.
- Overcoming project hurdles: Steve describes a challenging project that took place in the mid-2010s. It was a takeover project where the customer wanted to implement Dynamics NAV but had made little progress with the previous partner. The project was complex due to numerous external moving parts, external software, and integrations, which made it difficult in the NAV days. He notes that if faced with a similar project in Business Central today, he’d approach it differently and find it less daunting due to the advancements in technology. Today, he expresses that his biggest challenges relate to change management.
- New Summit speakers: Steve, who is co-chair for the Business Central software track at Community Summit with Kim Dallefeld, notes that of the 160 BC sessions, roughly 127 of those are individual speakers.
- Connect with Steve: Register for the sessions Steve will be leading at Community Summit North America 2024, check out his podcast, “The BC 3 Amigos,” and his LinkedIn.
Stream the audio version of this episode here:
