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Help requested! When is the best time to make change?
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Help requested! When is the best time to make change?
I am researching some practicalities of change (which I am happy to share) on WHEN is best to make change in finance.
Assuming a December year end and the traditional cycles of accounting and finance throughout the year, when is the best time to start making change (org changes, implementation, technology projects, etc.)
If you could explain three things;
WHEN
WHY THEN
Is it DIFFERENT for different accounting and finance teams.
Thanks in advance!
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2 Replies
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Now ???? Always now. The logic being:
1) If you have time now, great – crack on
2) If you feel like you don’t have time now, something needs to change!!
Jokes aside, I think timing depends as much on the nature of the change as the situation of the team. Big difference between “starting” change and “implementing”/”going live” with change. The classic example is changing ERP, and the timing of that relative to year end. The sooner you can start planning, socialising ideas, researching etc. the better, usually – but for a go live date, absolutely sooner’s not always better, obviously!
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More thoughts on this:
I guess your general rule is that you don’t want to take unnecessary risks with systems & data at a point in time that’s going to potentially undermine your ability to either transact, or report to stakeholders, at critical points. If you have a really tight stat accounts window, don’t change system two weeks before you close P12.
The next driver that springs to mind for me on timing is – how urgent is the need to change? Is there a rapidly burning platform, or is it a nice to have? How much discretion do you have?
Another consideration – risks & opportunities around doing or, equally, *not* doing it “now”. Is there anything else more urgent/important that needs to be resourced in preference? Is this change going to clash with another one? Conversely, do I have someone talented on my team who is bored, for example, and needs a project to get their teeth into in order to avoid becoming a flight risk?
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