Finance ERP

Finance ERP Strategy, Scope, And Business Case

• Finance ERP Vision And Target Outcomes: Define the CFO agenda for the program (close acceleration, controls uplift, working capital, reporting quality, automation); translate strategy into measurable outcomes and decision principles.
• Program Scope And Release Strategy: Set scope boundaries by legal entity, geography, business unit, and module; define phased vs. big‑bang deployment approach and release roadmap that matches capacity and risk tolerance.
• Business Case And Value Realization Model: Build the investment case with quantified benefits, one-time and run costs, and value timing; establish benefit owners and tracking cadence to prevent “ROI drift.”
• Finance Transformation Alignment: Align ERP design to the finance operating model (shared services, CoE, outsourcing, local finance); ensure the ERP program actually enables the intended org changes.

System Selection And Vendor Commercials

• Requirements And Fit‑to‑Standard Evaluation: Lead a requirements process that emphasizes standardization; run fit assessments across platforms without letting requirements devolve into “reinvent the legacy system.”
• Vendor Shortlist, RFP, And Evaluation Governance: Structure the selection process, scoring, demos, and reference calls; ensure decisions reflect end‑to‑end finance needs (R2R, P2P, O2C, assets, treasury) and not just IT preferences.
• Total Cost Of Ownership And Contract Benchmarking: Evaluate license/subscription, implementation, integrations, environments, and long‑term support; benchmark commercial terms and identify cost/risk traps.
• Implementation Partner Selection: Help evaluate and select the system integrator (SI) based on delivery capability, industry experience, and staffing model; design an SI model that fits the company’s internal capacity.
• Contracting And SOW Structuring: Shape statements of work, deliverables, acceptance criteria, change control, and incentives; reduce downstream scope battles by tightening what “done” means.

Finance Process And Global Design

• Global Process Standardization And Design Authority: Establish global design principles and decision rights; run cross‑functional design forums to avoid “country-by-country” fragmentation.
• Record‑to‑Report Process Design: Define close calendar, journal governance, intercompany, allocations, consolidations approach, and reconciliation standards; reduce close effort and improve controllership.
• Procure‑to‑Pay Process Design: Standardize vendor onboarding, approvals, invoice handling, exceptions, and payment controls; balance efficiency with auditability and segregation of duties.
• Order‑to‑Cash Process Design: Define billing rules, revenue accounting implications, credit/collections, dispute handling, and cash application; reduce leakage and improve cash conversion.
• Chart Of Accounts And Ledger Strategy: Redesign COA and segment structure for management reporting and statutory needs; align to operating model and reduce “shadow finance” reporting.

Program Leadership And Governance

• CFO‑Led Governance Model And Decision Rights: Build practical steering routines, design authorities, and escalation paths; ensure finance owns finance decisions and IT owns technology decisions.
• ERP Program Management Office (PMO): Stand up integrated plans, dependency management, RAID, change control, and status reporting; make execution transparent and predictable.
• Integrated Workplan Across Finance, IT, And SI: Align cross‑team milestones and deliverables; prevent gaps between “business readiness” and “technical readiness.”
• Risk Management And Recovery Planning: Identify common failure modes early (data, scope, testing, change adoption, SI performance); build recovery plans before schedule slips become structural.
• Benefits Tracking And Value Governance: Define value KPIs, baselines, and measurement methods; keep the program oriented toward outcomes, not just delivery.

SI Oversight And Delivery Assurance

• Independent Delivery Assurance (IDA) / Quality Assurance: Provide objective oversight of SI delivery quality, staffing, and progress; surface risks that internal teams or vendors may under-report.
• Design And Build Review Governance: Implement structured design review checkpoints (process, controls, reporting); prevent late-stage rework by catching issues early.
• Scope Control And Change Management For Build: Enforce disciplined change control; separate “must have” regulatory needs from “nice to have” customizations.
• Testing Governance And Business Participation Model: Ensure realistic test strategy, exit criteria, and business ownership; prevent “IT-only testing” that fails at go‑live.
• Vendor Performance Management: Track SI performance against milestones and deliverables; run fact-based governance to resolve disputes and protect timelines.

Data, Controls, Reporting, And Compliance Readiness

• Data Strategy And Ownership Model: Define data owners, data domains (customer, vendor, COA, assets), and governance; treat data as a workstream with accountability.
• Data Cleansing And Migration Readiness: Plan and manage data profiling, cleansing sprints, and mock conversions; prevent “last‑minute data miracles.”
• Finance Controls, Audit, And Segregation Of Duties (SoD): Design controls and SoD aligned to the future process model; coordinate with internal audit to avoid late go‑live blockers.
• Statutory, Tax, And Compliance Requirements Translation: Convert regulatory requirements into clear design and testing needs; reduce the risk of compliance surprises late in the program.
• Reporting Strategy And Close/Management Reporting Readiness: Define what reporting lives in ERP vs. EPM/BI; ensure management reporting and close reporting are ready on Day 1.

Change Management, Communications, And Training

• Change Strategy And Stakeholder Management: Build a change plan tailored to finance roles (accounting, FP&A, AP/AR, shared services); manage resistance where it actually shows up.
• Finance Role Redesign And Ways‑Of‑Working: Define how jobs change with standardization and automation; prevent “new system, old behaviors.”
• Training Strategy And Role‑Based Curriculum: Design role-based training paths with practical scenarios; ensure training aligns to the future process model (not screenshots alone).
• Communications And Leadership Cadence: Create a communications plan that sustains attention over a long program; enable leaders to explain “why we are changing” consistently.
• Readiness Assessments And Adoption Tracking: Conduct readiness checks and adoption metrics (process compliance, cycle time, error rates); intervene early where adoption is slipping.

Cutover, Go‑Live, Hypercare, And Stabilization

• Cutover Strategy And Runbook Leadership: Define cutover approach, blackout windows, responsibilities, and sequencing; run dress rehearsals that actually simulate reality.
• Go‑Live Readiness And Decision Governance: Establish objective go/no‑go criteria across data, testing, process readiness, and support readiness; avoid “hope-based” go‑lives.
• Hypercare Model And Triage Operations: Set up issue triage, severity definitions, and decision rights; ensure finance disruptions are handled with speed and discipline.
• First Close And Stabilization Support: Plan the first close in detail (journal plans, reconciliations, workarounds); reduce the risk of a chaotic first month-end.
• Post‑Go‑Live Value Capture And Optimization Roadmap: Identify quick wins and backlog items; convert “stabilization” into continuous improvement rather than indefinite firefighting.

Special Situations And Advanced Programs

• Global Template And Rollout Factory: Build a scalable template and repeatable rollout method; reduce cost and variability across countries and business units.
• Shared Services Enablement: Align ERP design to SSC processes, SLAs, case management, and controls; realize productivity benefits rather than just centralizing work.
• M&A Integration And Carve‑Out ERP Readiness: Support Day 1 finance continuity, TSA planning, and carve‑out reporting requirements; manage transitional complexity without derailing the core program.
• Operating Model And Service Delivery Design: Define long-term support model (L1–L3), release management, and finance system ownership; avoid a “project team forever” reality.