How to Manage a Successful Accounting Software Implementation

Recently updated on December 6th, 2024 at 06:12 am

At some point in the life of your business, the accounting software you started with will no longer meet all your business needs, and you will need a more robust, cloud-based accounting solution. It will take a while to find the right solution, and once you do, your work is not over yet. Next, you must focus on How to Manage a Successful Accounting Software Implementation. These tips will help you get on the right track.

Make Your Expectations Clear

It is easy to get blinded by all the new bells and whistles that come with your new accounting solution. Your new software will be able to do new things for your business and make processes more efficient, but you must keep in mind what your old software already did for you. It is just important to make sure the software vendor knows how you used your old software so that the new software can be set up accordingly.

Get Requirements in Writing

Many people in your company will use the new software, not just the financial team. Other stakeholders will depend on the reporting it provides. Get each team’s requirements in writing so that those can be used as a reference during development.

Assign a Project Leader or Implementation Team

Depending on the size of the Accounting Software Implementation, you will want to assign a project leader or implementation team to track progress on the project and ensure it stays on track. Your project leader or team will be the contact point for both your company and the software vendor.

Create a Shared Project Plan

A project plan is critical to a successful accounting software implementation. It will help ensure your project gets done on time and within budget. This plan should have details on milestones, deliverables, and deadlines. It should also designate who handles each of the tasks.

Prepare Your Books for the Change

While the new solution is being implemented, it is the perfect time to clean up the data in your old system. You want to start with clean data. It is important to keep the records in your old system up-to-date and reconciled during the implementation period so that when the new system is ready to go live, you can start fresh with accurate data.

Leave Time for Testing

Always test the solution. You may be excited to use your new system, but launching it too soon could lead to problems you weren’t prepared for. Make sure to include everyone who will be using the new system in the testing process because they will be the ones using it and most likely to spot issues. It will also give them an introduction to the software before it goes live.

Have a Go-live Plan

Despite all your planning and testing, there will be some things you forget when your solution finally goes live. You may need a team on call who will find these issues and address them for a period. You may also need to review some workflows you used with your old system and change them so that they work better with the new system. And don’t forget about training. To get all the benefits from your new accounting software, your staff needs to know how to use it correctly.

At PathQuest, we can help you transition to a better accounting solution. Our team of experts can help you get set up with PathQuest SCALE, our end-to-end automated accounting solution. SCALE connects to financial data from QuickBooks, Xero, Sage, Intacct, and more from the cloud. That way, the information needed for accounting and reporting tasks is always available. SCALE also comes with PathQuest BI to provide customized reporting and accounting dashboards, as well as a dedicated accounting team.

Don’t make the change alone. Talk to our experts, explore the possibilities, and see how you can get started with PathQuest today by booking a demo! To learn more about business intelligence watch our podcast.

Published on: 25 October 2022

Author

John Bugh

John Bugh is Chief Revenue Officer for PathQuest, responsible for the strategic direction, planning, vision, growth, and performance of the company’s marketing, branding, and revenue streams.

As a seasoned professional with over 35 years of experience in executive sales, marketing, and operational leadership, John has worked to build high-performing leadership-teams that have a demonstrated track record of accelerating growth, increasing revenue, establishing sustainability, and improving profitability.

He is an avid life-long fan of the NY Yankees and loves to snow ski with his family whenever he has the opportunity!