The Secret Ingredient to a Successful Finance System Rollout: Change Management

Estimated time to read: 4 minutes

Rolling out a new finance system is a big step for any organisation looking to boost efficiency, accuracy, and smarter decision-making. But here's the catch: even the most cutting-edge systems can fall flat if you don’t take the people and processes behind them into account. That’s where change management comes into play. 

Beyond the Technology: Why Change Management Matters 

It’s easy to get caught up in the technical side of things—system specs, capabilities, timelines, integrations. But a successful rollout goes beyond the tech. It starts with understanding how things work right now, what the compliance landscape looks like, and how the people who rely on the system day in and day out actually use it. 

When change management is missing, things can quickly unravel. Employees might resist the new system, workflows can get disrupted, and critical know-how could slip through the cracks. Change management makes sure the switch isn’t just technically sound but also welcomed and adopted by the people who make it work. 

Take, for example, a major UK retail chain that launched a new ERP system to bring its finance operations up to speed. On paper, everything worked fine—but their frontline teams hadn’t been properly trained or brought into the loop. What followed was a spike in reporting errors and delayed reconciliations. It wasn’t until a dedicated change management plan was introduced—complete with training sessions, stakeholder meetings, and process reviews—that adoption picked up and the system started delivering real value. 

Understanding Current Processes and Requirements 

Before diving into a new system, it pays to take a good hard look at what’s already in place. What are the current workflows? Where are the pain points? What compliance boxes need to be ticked? Doing this groundwork ensures nothing essential gets lost and opens up opportunities to streamline and improve how your teams work. 

One great example comes from a mid-sized German manufacturer. They struggled with delayed month-end reports due to inconsistent processes across their regional teams. When upgrading their system, they first took the time to map out these variations, identify the issues, and then build a streamlined, standardised process into the new setup. The result? Their month-end close dropped from 12 days to just five. 

Bringing stakeholders into this early discovery phase not only gives valuable insights but also builds trust. It helps shape a system that genuinely supports how people work, not just how it should work in theory. 

Putting People at the Centre

At the heart of change management is a simple truth: it’s people, not just processes, that determine whether a new system succeeds. That’s why clear communication, hands-on training, and consistent support are crucial. When teams understand how a new tool will help them—not just the company—they’re more likely to get on board and help make it a success.

Finance teams, especially, are the backbone of operations. If they feel overlooked or unsupported, things can grind to a halt. 

A global logistics firm learned this the hard way. They launched a shiny new finance and procurement platform without looping in their accounts payable and receivable teams. The result? Confusion, frustration, and a backlog of supplier payments. It wasn’t until they stepped back, brought those teams into the conversation, ran role-based training, and opened up feedback channels that things started to improve. 

A Strategic Advantage 

In the end, companies that make change management a priority don’t just end up with a new system—they build a workplace that’s more agile, resilient, and ready for the future. At Positive8, we see time and again that the best finance system implementations happen when technology meets thoughtful, people-first change strategies. 

So if you’re thinking about bringing in a new finance system, don’t just plan for the go-live. Plan for the people. Plan for how adoption will happen. Because change management isn’t just a safety net—it’s the key to making transformation stick. 

When done right, change doesn’t have to be a hurdle. It can be your competitive edge.