A thoughtful plan on the front end can save your snow business team significant time, cost, and frustration after a software implementation begins

In the last article, I explained why hiring a consultant can be valuable during a software implementation. In this article, I’ll outline several key considerations for planning a new software platform for your business, whether you are replacing an existing system or adding automation to part of your operations. Over the past 20 years, I have helped dozens of companies implement new software and make the process and structural changes needed to build scalable, sustainable businesses. While this article cannot cover every complexity, the considerations below are among the most important places to start.

Start with the system’s structure

A software system or a collection of systems should be somewhat rigid by design. It should operate with consistent inputs, processes, and outputs. The more you customize or alter the setup to fit a different workflow, the greater the risk that your reported data will become inconsistent or inaccurate. Before implementation begins, plan for the adjustments you and your team will need to make to your business processes to accommodate the new system. Some change is inevitable.

Align responsibilities with the new workflow

Next, consider whether responsibility assignments—or even your organizational structure—need to change to support the system’s mechanics and related process adjustments. Aligning your team and their responsibilities is critical to successful adoption and to reducing friction between your people and the software. In many new operating systems for businesses with more than $1.5 million in revenue, responsibility for creating and managing records is no longer simply an administrative function. Tasks such as documenting job-cost purchases or assigning inventory to jobs often need to shift to the operations team, which has firsthand knowledge of what was used and where.

Use implementation as a chance to improve reporting

As you build your implementation plan, step back and consider what can be improved in your current operations and financial reporting structure. Many new operating systems allow you to report operational performance down to gross margin without carrying all of that detail into your accounting P&L. They can show revenue, direct costs, and gross margin at the service level without requiring a separate division for each category.

One approach I prefer is simplifying the division structure based on how revenue is contracted and setting those divisions up as QuickBooks classes:

• Maintenance: Recurring green or facility service revenue
• Enhancement: One-time small project work sold to maintenance customers
• Project: Larger-scale one-time project work, often requiring a design or plan
• Snow: All revenue from snow operations

This approach keeps your P&L clean, easy to interpret, and aligned with your ability to separate recurring and non-recurring revenue and gross margin streams. In many cases, selling, general, and administrative costs are not directly assignable to one of these divisions, which is another reason to avoid overcomplicating the structure.

Review and update your SOPs

Finally, outline your existing SOPs and determine whether their current approach aligns with the new system. In some cases, the answer will be yes, and the process can remain unchanged. In others, the answer will be no. Making the necessary SOP adjustments—and possibly the responsibility changes noted above—will reduce friction and stress for your team during implementation and support more effective long-term use of the system.

Plan ahead to avoid rework

One of the greatest contributors to software implementation failure—or prolonged frustration—is failing to plan for these considerations before getting started. I have seen many companies complete an initial implementation only to rework the system setup later because it could not effectively support the way they had “always done it.” In other cases, they do something worse: they keep using the system as implemented and create workarounds, ongoing pain, and unnecessary friction for their team. Much of this can be avoided by planning ahead.

Before you begin your next software change, take time to evaluate your processes, responsibilities, reporting structure, and SOPs. A thoughtful plan on the front end can save your team significant time, cost, and frustration after implementation begins. 

David Gallagher is principal for Spiritus Business Advisors. He has over 25 years of experience as a senior service-oriented leader in all aspects of property service. Contact him at david@spiritusba.com.