Preparing for system migrations: 6 key elements to ensure you successfully trade up

System implementations can be nerve-racking. You wonder if you have the right solution, the right partner, what might break along the journey, etc. It is not as simple as gathering detailed requirements from stakeholders and executing against those requirements. There are some obvious flaws you might be introducing to your project by over relying on that approach.

First, it can be a short-sighted approach akin to transferring current processes into a new environment and expecting a different outcome. We need to think bigger, more strategically. Challenge the status quo; ask ourselves if we are optimizing not only the processes but also the ecosystem itself to support the scaling of the business.

Second, expecting detailed requirements from your stakeholders assumes they have in-depth knowledge about both the current environment and the one you are spending a lot of money to implement. To avoid introducing new problems while solving others, we must also serve as a translator, opening eyes and minds to different ways of thinking.

Including the following steps in your plan will help you prepare for an implementation while minimizing the pitfalls of misalignment, errors, and delays.

Understand your environment

Beyond memorializing the current ecosystem, it is crucial to understand its most critical components. Familiarize yourself with its evolution and constraints. Which factors (e.g. know-how, budget, geo presence) influenced/determined the current design?

Determine which features and connected apps/systems need to stay, both from a business and compliance perspective, and define who the customers are for the various outputs. Which of the business’ requirements are not being met by the current system that the new system needs to deliver? Now is also a good time to identify those processes which have no customers and can be eliminated.

Answer the question, 'What are we trying to accomplish'?

• Ask ‘why’ a lot to make sure you are achieving goals and/or solving problems, not treating symptoms.

• Assess whether there is a common understanding and prioritization of the goals amongst the stakeholders.

• Develop your data strategy.

  • Determine which functionality needs to stay and what the company has outgrown

    • Have other tools, such as a BI platform taken over the heavy lifting such that you can eliminate redundancies?

    • Analyze where the source of truth should reside, and map how the data should flow

  • Are new tags/dimensions required to support segment/analytical reporting?

    • A well-designed system has a place for everything and everything is in its place. Give careful consideration to the design of analytical dimensions to promote flexibility.

Clean house and prepare for the new environment

We’ve all heard the expression garbage in, garbage out. It is especially relevant when preparing data for migration. Before signing that contract for the new system, leverage your resources to scrub and standardize the data you plan to migrate.

Then, apply additional dimensions that will enable you to expand your capabilities to aggregate and analyze your data. Remember, this is your big chance to optimize.

Choose a partner who understands the tech & your business

As an accountant, in my mind, much of the profession’s nomenclature spills into everyday life. For example, you receive an invoice/receipt when you buy something, you track your investments in accounts. It all seems like second nature. Have a conversation with your friends and colleagues in other fields though and you may discover these terms are far from second nature to them.

When evaluating potential implementation partners, seek the one that understands both business and technical concepts to minimize misunderstandings and delays. Invest time in explaining your business model so that the implementation partner adequately represents it in the design and change requests are avoided.

Iterate development

Thinking of the stakeholders again, one of the most effective ways to ensure the design tracks with their expectations is to provide demos throughout the journey. This begins with pushing the software vendor to show you examples that apply to your business during the sales cycle, and continues throughout the project with validation sessions. Why keep a concept abstract when you can share and adjust real examples on the fly? Involve the users early and ask them to provide the ‘definition of done’ for anything that will be subject to User Acceptance Testing (UAT). Here again, take the opportunity to challenge and expand capabilities.

Conclusion

Preparing for a system implementation requires considerable planning and organizing, and when well-executed, produces return on investment for years. By making the above elements part of your process, you’ll be well on your way delivering an implementation which acts as a catalyst toward your company’s success.

About the Author

Yvonne Sandner brings over 20 years of experience in finance including system implementations and migrations, corporate and international finance, as well as mergers and acquisitions. She began her career at a division of General Motors in the United States. After completing an expatriate assignment near Milan, Yvonne turned her focus to enabling start-ups in the SaaS, pharmaceutical, and e-Commerce industries to scale and/or undergo mergers or acquisitions. She lives near Barcelona and enjoys maritime activities and music.