Implementing a comprehensive procure to pay process transformation represents a significant capital and operational investment from an organisation. Because the financial and operational stakes are high, you need to make sure you make the right decision from the outset. Before selecting an external integration team, it is important to understand exactly what characteristics, methodologies, and technical capabilities make a real difference to a successful deployment.
As a minimum, you can expect your partner to take the time to understand what you feel your company needs. They should present a technical solution that addresses the immediate challenges you face and propose a project plan which details clear timelines and deliverables. However, a true software transformation is so much more than the simple selection of a software platform and the target date by which it will be live within your organisation. Your expectations of a great strategic partner should extend far corporate-wide if you want to fundamentally modernise your wider P2P implementation process.
What makes the real difference?
A Consultative and Collaborative Approach
Partners providing procure to pay implementation services that make a genuine difference are true collaborators. They are deeply consultative in their approach, taking the time to thoroughly understand your organisation, your cultural readiness, and the particular workflow challenges faced by your procurement and finance teams. They should want to know exactly how you arrived at the decision to implement a digital solution, and explore whether all peripheral areas of the business have been considered that could potentially be impacted by a modern P2P implementation innovation. This consultative approach will tease out the critical focus areas for your business and identify any operational bottlenecks that internal teams may have entirely overlooked.
Whilst your partner should be curious, it is crucial too that they are sensitively critical. In a non-judgmental and non-confrontational way, your partner needs to be open and honest whilst focusing on long-term solutions. Exploring systemic challenges should never be done critically, but with a deep respect for the here-and-now and a focus on enhancing the business going forward. A good partner will encourage the organisation to think strategically, shining a longer-term lens on the problems encountered and factoring in where the business sees itself in 5 to 10 years and beyond.
Following this exploration phase, you should expect a completely bespoke configuration from your proposed partner. In enterprise software transformations, one size most certainly does not fit all. If your partner has listened attentively and explored your organisation’s situation in-depth, then they will present a solution that is entirely unique to you, rather than offering rigid, pre-prescribed templates. Often, clients fear that a bespoke approach to a procure to pay process is more costly, but this is not always the case, as you will never pay for an app or a feature that does not actively enhance your organisation.
Transparency between the client and partner is key. Your partner should be completely transparent in terms of the outcomes that their proposed solutions can deliver and detail the achievement possibilities within defined timeframes. A transparent approach is important because it acts as a catalyst for internal engagement and momentum. A milestone-driven project, for which the partner will be held to account, will keep the project on track and encourage widespread action across your departments.
Accessibility of the Support Partner
In complex enterprise transformations, sometimes things can go wrong, or your team may just need a quick response on a technical issue. You should expect to be able to speak to your partner whenever you need to; seamless connectivity is crucial. If you find that your implementation partner does not have a permanent team, or that their support is not accessible due to the geographical constraints of not being based in your native country, this could create endless frustration and unnecessary delays.
Far better that you address the following areas from the outset to understand if your business can work within any possible constraints:
- Is the support team permanent, and therefore will your primary support contact fully understand my account and our position within the project?
- Is the support team based within your operating region, and therefore likely available during your core working hours?
- Even if the partner is geographically local, do they measure themselves by strict response turnaround metrics, and are those metrics workable for your operational needs?
Specialist Knowledge and In-House Experience
When embarking on a P2P implementation, you need to be entirely confident in the capability of the technical implementation team. Asking highly targeted questions during the vetting process will ensure you secure the right procure to pay implementation services:
- Are the architects working on your account platform certified? This provides reassurance that the architects have validated expertise in the platform.
- Do the architects have in-house experience from a user perspective? An architect who has experience from being client-side will better understand the practical challenges faced by an organisation implementing a software transformation. This awareness will prove valuable throughout the life of the project.
- Will the partner delivery team commit to a formal project management approach? A delivery team with sufficient knowledge and experience will be capable of creating a timeframe that is both realistic and achievable from both the client and partner perspective. If the timeframe looks too long or too short, question it. Effective communication between you and your partner is crucial, and an experienced partner will welcome the opportunity to explain how they arrived at the milestones they have set.
- Do you feel confident that the delivery team have sufficient stakeholder experience to manage the implementation effectively? A system transformation requires involvement from individuals across the whole organisation, both in terms of department and seniority level. An effective partner will give you the confidence that they are capable of liaising effectively with these stakeholders. You should be clear on the structure of the delivery team if escalation of issues is ever required. If you are not confident in the skills across the entire delivery team, walk away.
A team with specialist knowledge will have an established reporting process which they will agree with you before the implementation begins. They will discuss the level to which you require a status update, whether weekly or fortnightly. Their project management plan will ensure that the appropriate stakeholders are briefed at the right time within the project and will provide mid-project check-ins and governance cadence as required to protect your procure to pay process.
Added Value Support and Managed Propositions
The difference between an effective partner and others is the added value support that they can provide to your organisation. Because a software deployment is inherently complex, you should seek out a partner that will understand the wider corporate implications and take a broader view of the project. Some partners will have additional knowledge that can support a successful implementation, such as the ability to assess an organisation’s procurement maturity and the impact that will have on the project. They may also be able to support with a managed service proposition, which could prove vital if your organisation is currently lacking in internal specialist knowledge.
Sharing of Knowledge and Leaving a Legacy
It is reasonable to expect that your partner will take an enabling approach to the system deployment. Client-side teams are all different, with varying skillsets and attitudes towards a digital transformation. You should expect your partner to empower and enable your teams to achieve more with the technology available. Upskilling your internal client base is important to protect the longevity of the financial investment and provides a trust that future challenges can be overcome independently.
Even with a dedicated training and education programme, it is still highly possible that your existing team may require technical support post go-live. If this is the case, check the terms and conditions with your partner to establish if this is possible, the precise time period that aftercare support can be provided, and the costs involved. Selecting a partner that has an open-door policy and caters for additional support can be a spend worth investing in.
Conclusion
When selecting a partner for your P2P implementation, expect more. The characteristics and attitudes of the delivery team will define the success of your project, so it is important to select a partner that will work collaboratively with you and be open and transparent. Being confident that you can access support when it matters is crucial. You should also expect a partner to provide that added value and specialist knowledge that can transform your procure to pay process from effective to remarkable, delivering a sustainable legacy that will support the commercial success of the business for years to come. By choosing Barkers, you gain access to premier procure to pay implementation services tailored to secure your long-term procurement efficiency.