Software Implementation Checklist: What to Decide Before You Start
Most software rollouts that stall do so because of decisions nobody made. Here are the decisions to settle, in order: owners, data, numbering, approval rules, opening balances and a go-live date.
Software rarely fails to go live because the product didn't work. It stalls because nobody decided which invoice number comes next, who approves what, or which customers to bring across. This checklist puts those decisions in order, so they're made before the first login rather than during the first month-end.
Work through it in sequence. Each section depends on the one before.
1. Owners and dates
- One owner. Name a single person who decides when there's a disagreement. Usually the finance manager.
- A team. One person from billing, one from HR or payroll, one approver. Three or four people is enough.
- A go-live date. Pick the start of a month, and not the month your VAT return or year-end is busiest. If you're moving in October, aim for 1 November.
- A cut-over rule. Decide what happens to work in flight. A common rule: anything raised before the go-live date finishes in the old process; everything new starts in the new system.
2. What data to bring
You don't need everything. You need what you'll use.
| Data | Bring it? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Active customers | Yes | Legal name, TIN, VAT and RC numbers, billing contacts. Clean duplicates first. |
| Dormant customers | Usually no | If nobody has invoiced them in two years, leave them in the archive. |
| Open (unpaid) invoices | Yes | So statements and reminders are right from day one. |
| Paid invoice history | Optional | Keep the old system or exports for reference. Your adviser can confirm how long to retain records. |
| Employees | Yes | With pay elements, pension (RSA) details, bank accounts and any staff loans outstanding. |
| Chart of accounts | Yes | Usually an Excel import. |
| Suppliers and beneficiaries | Yes, active ones | With bank details checked. |
Clean before you import. Importing a messy spreadsheet just moves the mess. A typical clean-up for a business with 300 customers takes a person two or three days: merge duplicates ("Lekki Heights Montessori" and "Lekki Heights Montessori School"), fill in missing TINs, and confirm billing emails.
Our guide to onboarding employees in bulk covers the staff side in more detail.
3. Numbering
- Invoice numbers. Will you continue your existing sequence (so INV-2026-0417 is followed by INV-2026-0418), or start a new format? Continuing is usually simpler for customers and auditors.
- Voucher numbers. Same question.
- One sequence per company. If you run several companies, each needs its own sequence.
Changing numbering after go-live is painful, so decide now. Invoice numbering rules and common mistakes has the detail.
4. Approval rules
Write these down before anyone configures anything.
| Decision | Example answer |
|---|---|
| Who reviews invoices? | Chiamaka Obi, accountant |
| Is there a final approval? | Yes, above ₦1,000,000 |
| Who gives it? | Tunde Bakare, MD |
| Can the raiser approve their own invoice? | No |
| Who approves payment vouchers? | Accountant reviews, MD approves |
| Who approves the pay run? | HR prepares, accountant reviews, MD approves |
| What if an approver is away? | A named deputy, agreed in advance |
If you're unsure where to set the threshold, see how to design an invoice approval process.
5. Opening position
- Open balances per customer. What each customer owes on go-live day, matched to the open invoices you imported.
- Payroll year to date. If you go live mid-year, each employee's year-to-date pay and tax, so annual calculations come out right.
- Outstanding staff loans. Balance and monthly deduction for each.
- A sign-off. The owner confirms the opening figures match the old records before go-live. Keep that sign-off.
6. Branding and documents
- Logo, colour and footer text for invoices and receipts.
- The email address customers will receive invoices from, and the domain set up to send it.
- Issuer details: legal name, address, TIN, RC number.
- A test invoice sent to yourself, checked on a phone.
7. Go-live week
- Run a parallel test. In the week before go-live, raise five real invoices and one test pay run in both systems. Compare.
- Train by role. The billing officer needs an hour on invoicing; the MD needs ten minutes on approving from a phone.
- Tell customers. A short note that invoices will now come from a new address with a payment link.
- Freeze the old process. From go-live day, new work only in the new system.
- Book a review. Thirty days in, list what's working and what isn't.
The three decisions people skip
If you only do three things from this list, do these: name one owner, write down the approval rules, and clean the customer list before importing it. A stalled rollout can usually be traced back to one of them.
How Flux helps
Flux supports the set-up above directly: Excel import for customers, employees and the chart of accounts; invoice numbering by sequence or your existing format; two-stage approvals with a final-approval threshold; and organisation branding with your own sending domain. See how the controls fit together on the Platform & Control page.