Most people would rather have a long, slow root canal performed on them than make an type of technology transition. But, it has to be done and there are things to consider before you do it.

During a session at an American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) conference, panelists suggested you need to consider data conversion, the financial chart of accounts, change management and system integration.

Data Conversion

• Determining how many years of transactional detail data to convert • Tips and traps for generating Form 1099’s for the year of conversion

Process Improvement

• Retooling your business processes to take advantage of the full benefits available in your new system

Chart of Accounts and other “dimensions”

• Creating an account structure that streamlines your chart of accounts and also captures all information you need for reporting purposes
• Using custom fields to track projects, grants, endowments and other specialized information; and what not to do.

Change Management

• Proper involvement of your user departments in the planning process
• Developing tools for rolling out your new system for your Finance staff as well as user departments

System Integration

• Integrating your new system with other systems such as development/fundraising, payroll and budgeting.