A Top Technology Initiative Article
By Randy Johnston – October 2025.
This year has been one of rapid changes. As written in previous columns, you have seen AI Agents, PE investments, and new products in almost every practice category. You and your team are likely struggling to stay informed and avoid burnout from change. As I reflect on my consulting engagements over the last two years, around half of the CPA firms I have assessed have tried to take on too much in too short a time, unsuccessfully. Are you or your team suffering from change management exhaustion?
While there are formal methodologies for change management as we cover later in this article, a common-sense assessment of what your team can handle can serve you well in the right situation. Maintaining a sense of order will give you and your team a sense of calm during turbulent change. Most families live in hectic circumstances, and many firms regularly deal with agitated clients. Why shouldn’t a technology change be managed to a composed completion?
Brian Tankersley, my fellow podcaster on the Accounting Technology Lab, and I have frequently discussed the impact of selecting new products and the claims and features of software publishers. It is probably time we discuss change management using the framework outlined below, but in the meantime, consider the following change management ideas.
Recommended Articles
Firm Management February 11, 2025
Experiences 2025 – AI Search
Technology August 18, 2025
Experiences 2025 – Not So Secret AI Agents
Firm Management September 17, 2025
Experiences 2025 – PE? To Be or Not To Be
Keep Calm and Carry On!
Keep Calm and Carry On was a motivational poster produced by the Government of the United Kingdom in 1939 in preparation for World War II. The poster was intended to raise the morale of the British public, which was threatened by widely predicted mass air attacks on major cities. We have witnessed harried accounting professionals, completely exasperated by well-meaning partners who have asked them to do more than they can bear, with products that have delivered less than was claimed.
The underlying issues (common errors) were multi-fold: 1) lack of due diligence during the selection process, 2) misalignment of expectations of the buyer and the seller, 3) lack of training, and 4) taking on too many tasks at the same time. In the profession, we have often allocated administrative time, a form of release time, to tackle new projects. In these days of reduced time sheets and incessant email, it is difficult to find blocks of time to focus on the most important things, let alone a “new” important thing.
Consider the following as a simple list to implement a new product:
- Define Objectives and Scope
- Clarify the need. Identify the problem the application solves or the improvement it brings.
- Set success criteria. Define measurable outcomes (time savings, reduced errors, cost reduction, improved reporting).
- Determine scope. Decide what is included and excluded in this project to prevent scope creep.
- Build a Project Team
- Assign ownership. Designate a project sponsor (executive) and a project manager.
- Include stakeholders. Involve end users, IT staff, and accounting/management staff who will be impacted.
- Set responsibilities. Clarify who evaluates vendors, who manages data migration, who oversees training, etc.
- Perform Due Diligence in Selection
- Requirements gathering. Create a detailed list of functional and technical requirements.
- Vendor research. Shortlist applications that meet requirements.
- Demonstrations and pilots. Test usability with real data and processes.
- References and reviews. Check customer references and independent reviews.
- Total cost analysis. Consider licensing, implementation, support, and training costs.
- (Addresses common error #1 – lack of due diligence.)
- Align Expectations with Vendor
- Contract clarity. Document the scope of services, responsibilities, support, and SLAs (service level agreements).
- Implementation plan. Ensure timelines, deliverables, and success metrics are agreed upon.
- Escalation path. Define how issues will be resolved with the vendor.
- (Addresses common error #2 – misalignment of buyer and seller expectations.)
- Develop a Change Management Plan
- Communication strategy. Inform staff early about why the change is happening and what benefits are expected.
- Engagement. Address concerns, gather feedback, and keep users involved.
- Resistance management. Identify potential pushback and plan responses.
- Plan Training and Knowledge Transfer
- Role-based training. Tailor sessions to end users, power users, and administrators.
- Training formats. Blend classroom, online, and on-the-job learning.
- Documentation. Provide quick-reference guides and recorded sessions.
- (Addresses common error #3 – lack of training.)
- Implement in Phases
- Pilot phase. Roll out to a small group of users first.
- Refine. Fix problems discovered in the pilot before full deployment.
- Staged rollout. Expand to more departments gradually.
- (Addresses common error #4 – taking on too many tasks at the same time.)
- Test and Validate
- System testing. Confirm integrations, performance, and data migration.
- User acceptance testing (UAT). Have users validate that the application meets their needs.
- Issue tracking. Document and resolve bugs or process issues before full go-live.
- Go-Live and Support
- Transition plan. Decide whether to run the old and new systems in parallel temporarily.
- Help desk readiness. Ensure support staff and vendor help resources are in place.
- Early monitoring. Track system stability and user adoption closely in the first weeks.
- Post-Implementation Review
- Evaluate success. Compare outcomes against original objectives and success criteria.
- Gather feedback. Survey users and management about satisfaction and issues.
- Continuous improvement. Create a plan for ongoing optimization, updates, and training refreshers.
By following these steps, you minimize the risks of poor vendor selection, unmet expectations, lack of adoption, and project overload. Still too complicated? Consider this similar five-step framework.
- Define Goals and Build the Team
- Clarify the problem the new system must solve and set measurable success criteria.
- Assign a project sponsor and project manager.
- Involve key stakeholders and end users early.
- Select the Right Application
- Gather detailed requirements.
- Research vendors, see demonstrations, and check references.
- Compare total costs (license, training, support, upgrades).
- Align expectations in the contract and implementation plan.
- Plan the Change
- Communicate the “why” of the project to staff.
- Create a realistic timeline and prioritize—avoid doing too many things at once.
- Plan for phased rollout rather than a “big bang.”
- Train and Implement
- Provide role-based training with clear documentation.
- Pilot the system with a small group, refine, then expand.
- Ensure vendor and internal support are in place during go-live.
- Review and Improve
- Gather feedback and measure results against the original goals.
- Fix issues quickly and make improvements.
- Schedule ongoing updates, support, and refresher training.
This 5-step version still covers the common pitfalls: due diligence, expectation alignment, training, and pacing.
The Best of the Best!
As you already know, the leading change management programs and models have evolved thoughtfully over time. During our consulting engagements with larger firms, we routinely ask for 1 to 3 people to obtain a change management certification, typically Prosci. This table outlines the major change management programs, including their focus, typical use cases, and key implementation steps.
These approaches can be applied individually or blended to suit organizational needs. Among these, Prosci + ADKAR and Kotter’s 8-Step Model are among the most frequently adopted in practice and taught in change-management training (e.g., Prosci’s certifications).
Many organizations don’t rigidly follow just one model; instead, they blend elements from multiple approaches (e.g., using Kotter’s 8 Steps at the organizational level and applying ADKAR for individual transitions) to suit their context.
Top Change Management Programs / Models
| Model / Program | Focus / Strengths | Typical Use Case |
| Prosci Methodology + ADKAR | Focuses on individual transitions (ADKAR) within an organizational framework. Strong emphasis on sponsorship, measurement, and resistance management. | Projects where both people-level and organizational changes must be managed. |
| Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model | Leadership-driven, structured, top-down approach. Emphasizes urgency, vision, mobilization, and institutionalization. | Large-scale transformation, restructuring, cultural shifts. |
| ACMP Standard for Change Management | Comprehensive, domain-based practices set by the Association of Change Management Professionals. | For organizations wanting a rigorous, standardized approach that can be tailored. |
| Lewin’s Change Model | Classic model: Unfreeze – Change – Refreeze. Simple, intuitive. | For smaller-scale changes. Useful as a metaphor for communication. |
| McKinsey 7-S Model | Diagnostic tool covering strategy, structure, systems, shared values, skills, staff, and style. | Organizational alignment, assessing gaps, supporting change design. |
| Bridges’ Transition / Satir / Nudge Theory | Focus on human psychology, emotional transition, and behavior nudges. | Complementary to other models, managing resistance and emotional reactions. |
Key Implementation/Change Management Steps (Common Across Top Models)
- Prepare / Set the Stage
- Conduct readiness assessment & baseline diagnostics
- Perform stakeholder analysis and power/impact mapping
- Engage leaders and define sponsorship model
- Clarify change vision, scope, and guiding principles
- Plan the Change Strategy
- Define communication plan (what, when, who)
- Develop training/learning strategy
- Plan for resistance management and support
- Align change with business processes, systems, and structure
- Execute / Implement Change
- Roll out communications and messaging
- Deliver training, coaching, and support
- Implement systems and process changes
- Remove obstacles and empower actors
- Monitor adoption and collect feedback
- Stabilize and Anchor
- Reinforce changes with rewards and recognition
- Integrate changes into culture, policies, and roles
- Address gaps and sustain sponsorship
- Continue stakeholder engagement
- Review, Learn, and Institutionalize
- Assess outcomes vs. objectives
- Gather lessons learned and refine processes
- Create a continuous improvement loop
- Sustain momentum for future changes
I wanted to present a wide variety of change management ideas to show 1) there is no “one” ideal approach, 2) that you should choose a methodology that works for you and your organization, and 3) there is no approach that magically overcomes the difficult work of implementing a system.
So, What Should You Do?
Clearly, the phrase “any port in a storm” is not ideal. The idiom is often used to convey the idea that when faced with adversity or crisis, individuals may resort to any available option for comfort or assistance. It emphasizes pragmatism in tough times, suggesting that any refuge or help is better than none.
For example, someone might say, “After losing his job, John took any job he could find — truly any port in a storm,” illustrating the acceptance of less-than-ideal circumstances when necessary. In difficult situations, one may accept any available solution or help, even if it is not ideal. Staying with maritime sayings, accepting any available option when implementing a system is not what you should do when you are “under the gun.”
One source of “under the gun” reports that on sailing warships, if a 24 or 36-pounder cannon was not properly tied down, it would roll across the deck, and you would literally be “under the gun” from a lack of preparation.
We ask you to thoughtfully 1) Consider your needs, 2) Select systems carefully, 3) Prepare with setup, training, and conversion, 4) Take the time to implement properly, and 5) Adjust and optimize your results. It is a hectic world, but your firm can “Keep Calm and Carry On” with good change management.
Thanks for reading CPA Practice Advisor!
Subscribe Already registered? Log In
Need more information? Read the FAQs
