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Mistake 1: Start with selecting the program, not with describing the processes
“We were recommended program X, let’s buy it.” A classic scenario of failure. Without a description of our own processes, it is impossible to understand whether the program is suitable and impossible to configure it correctly.
How to avoid: always start with an examination and description of business processes. The time invested in this step pays off many times over — due to correct settings from the first time, without further rework and additional payments. Only after describing the processes should you move on to formulating requirements for the system — and only then choose a contractor.
Mistake 2: Saving on the technical specifications or not creating it at all
“The contractor understands what we need.” The reality: the contractor understood it in their own way, you expected something different — and the difference only becomes apparent at the acceptance stage, when everything is already done.
Result: rework, additional payments, conflicts, delays. Often the project ends in court or simply in a breakup without results.
How to avoid: always document the requirements in writing. At least in the form of a simple description - what the system should do, what reports to generate, which processes to cover, how acceptance works. This is insurance for both parties.
Mistake 3: Not assigning a "project owner" from the business side
How to avoid: even before the project starts, identify a person who will be the "owner" on your side. This does not necessarily have to be a manager — it should be someone who understands the processes, has the authority to make decisions, and has time for the project. If such a person is not available in-house, consider hiring a freelance analyst.
Be sure to include regular meetings with the project owner in the project — weekly or every two weeks, depending on the intensity of the work. In these meetings: the current state of the project is assessed, the work of key business employees is coordinated, compliance with deadlines by the team is monitored, and risks and blockers are identified in a timely manner.
Without such a rhythm of meetings, the project "hangs" — the contractor is waiting for decisions from the client, the client thinks that "everything is going according to plan for the contractor," and the reality only becomes visible at the acceptance stage, when it's too late to make corrections.
Mistake 4: Skip the training stage
They bought a powerful system, set it up — and told the team "figure it out." A month later, half of the employees are keeping "parallel records" in Excel because "it's more familiar."
Result: you are paying for a system that actually no one uses.
How to avoid it: allocate a budget for training during the planning stage. Training should be tailored to specific roles: an accountant learns their own, an HR specialist learns theirs, a manager learns how to work with reports. And it is essential to train new employees who will join later.
Separately — the motivation of your own team. Training alone will not yield results if employees are not interested in transitioning to the new system. Resistance to change is a typical situation: people are accustomed to the old programs, fear making mistakes in the new one, and do not want to retrain. Without active motivation from management, the team will continue to maintain "parallel accounting" in Excel — and the project will not be effective.
What helps: honest communication about the purpose of implementation, demonstrating real benefits for employees (less routine, faster reports), support from management by example — if the manager uses the new system, the team follows suit. If necessary, a bonus system for mastering new functionality or KPIs for adaptation for department heads.
The most important thing: the success of the automation project depends on people as much as on technology. A motivated team will get the system to full capacity in 3-4 months; an unmotivated team will never achieve it, even if everything is technically perfect.
Mistake 5: Not considering data migration
Do you think that data will just "drag and drop" from the old system to the new one? In 90% of cases — no. Data needs to be prepared, cleaned, mapped, and the accuracy of the transfer needs to be checked.
If this work is not planned, it appears in the middle of the project as "unforeseen" costs of 20-50+ thousand UAH and several weeks of delays.
How to avoid: discuss data migration at the stage of forming the technical specifications. Separately: who prepares the data for transfer, who checks the accuracy, what closing balances we take.
One specific piece of advice from our experience: we do not recommend transferring historical data. It is time-consuming, expensive, and—most importantly—practically unused. In practice, an accountant accesses historical data from five years ago at best 2-3 times a year. In contrast, migrating the complete history can take weeks and cost tens of thousands of hryvnias additionally.
The better solution is to leave the old system "in read-only mode" — so that if needed, one can access and view the necessary information, but not maintain new records in it. This costs a fraction compared to a full migration, and access to the history is preserved. In the new system, we only transfer: reference books (counterparties, nomenclature, employees), balances as of the start date, open calculations, and documents.
This approach saves the budget on implementation and accelerates the launch—without losing information that may be needed.
Mistake 6: Hire a freelancer or a “two-person company”
Cheaper? Yes. Riskier? Very. If the freelancer suddenly "disappears," or the only developer quits — you are left with a system that no one can support.
Real story: a company ordered automation from a freelancer for half the "market" price. A year later, the freelancer left, and the system stopped updating. Another year later, they had to redo the automation from scratch with a proper contractor — and it cost three times more than the initial reasonable offer.
How to avoid: choose partners with a stable team, real cases, a contract, and accountability. Not just based on price.
Mistake 7: Do not plan for post-implementation support
“We launched it — and we’ll manage on our own.” Three months later, the legislation changed, and the reporting stopped being generated correctly. After six months, a new accountant came in, and no one trained them. A year later, the system hadn’t been updated and was no longer compatible with the new versions.
How to avoid: support should be part of the project from the very beginning. Sign a support contract before the launch — for at least 6-12 months. This guarantees that the system will operate stably and develop.
The additional bonus of the support contract is addressing the "wish list" issues after the launch. In practice, every implementation goes through the same stages: in the first 1-2 months, the team is getting accustomed and does not notice shortcomings; after 2-3 months, specific requests start to emerge — "can we add this report?", "make it so there is another field in the document", "can we automate this process?". This is normal and even desirable — it means that the team is actively using the system.
Without a support contract, each such "wish" becomes a separate commercial proposal, budget approval, and waiting for the contractor. This is long, expensive, and often ends with the refusal to make revisions "because they don't want to negotiate again."
With a support contract, all these requests are processed within the subscription package of hours, promptly, without additional agreements. The system evolves along with the business, and the team receives exactly the tool that is convenient for them.
Summary
All these 7 mistakes arise from one reason — not enough time and attention is allocated for preparation. The business wants "faster and cheaper," and the contractor often does not insist on the right approach because they fear losing the client.
If you are planning an implementation, allocate time for preparation, do not skimp on the technical specifications and training, and choose an experienced partner. This will save you significantly more money than the cost of the preparation itself.
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