New National OA Software

[jg0017]

I posted this in another section, but probably should have posted it here. Below are the post and an email combined.

 

Some of you know that National is issuing standard lodge software (completely voluntary) at NOAC 2006. A small group of dedicated OA members have been programming for about a year. Eleven lodges have been testing the first release for about two months and are now testing the b version of the first release. Many, many things that the national office (both BSA and OA) does leave much to be desired, but as someone who is involved in the testing I can assure you that this is something that will revolutionize OA record keeping. For example: the data will be stored at national so backups are done automatically (but password protected by the lodges) and every event in a members history will be recorded and kept permanently. Goto http://www.lodgemaster.org/about/ to get the details.

 

From a followup email:

 

My lodge is one of the 11 lodges testing the new software. It is in Access database. We just got the 'b' version last week. It really is outstanding. It has full future member records including unlimited events attended, unlimited ceremony parts, unlimited offices held, complete O, B & V records, unlimited years of dues records, standard awards plus the ability to insert local awards, ability to track service hours. For mega-lodges it has assets inventory for equipment and who has checked it out, a full accounting system for accounting and an auction management system.

 

There is a function to directly cross check the lodges records to the BSA system to verify BSA registration. One of the member fields is the BSA ID. Im not use is it will rely on that or do a name search. But the cross check was one of the early requirements.

 

Records will be housed at national and those in the lodge with passwords can logon and update information and print reports for anywhere.

 

We are hoping to have the first test version capable of holding real-time (individual) records in January.

 

Since each lodge now uses their own system, the plan is to ask each lodge to bring their data to NOAC 2006 and while they are at NOAC 2006 it will be converted and either loaded on the national system or given to them on a CD to update when they get back.

 

Mike Greene

Email: jg0017lt@bellsouth.net

 

[Scout Commish]

This was first envisioned at the OA Adviser training at Philmont in 2000. In BSA terms, this was accomplished relatively quickly.

[jg0017]

The test sites are scheduled to get the last of the Phase 1 test releases this month. The word from the people in charge is that it is still on schedule for a NOAC release. I was a real doubter to start with but I have been greatly pleased. So far as I know the plan is still to have lodges bring their data to NOAC and the development/test group will convert it for you.

 

Please thank the programmers/developers who have spent hundreds of hours making this happen for the members of the future.

 

Mike Greene

Americus, Georgia