Ahead of the CFG’s 2026 conference on Thursday 25 June, here’s a sneak peek at the conversations that Comic Relief and Xledger will have during their speaking session, “Three years on: Lessons from Comic Relief’s digital transformation”.
For any organisation, finance system implementation is a considerable project, with significant governance, accountability, and reporting obstacles to navigate. For that reason, going live with a new finance system is often treated as the finish line, because these challenges have been overcome. The reality is that go-live is just the beginning.
Year one: Stabilise your strategy
Adoption gaps, confidence issues and informal workarounds can quietly creep in, often with the best intentions.
System testing in the implementation phase is key to setting up user adoption in year one. But, even with ample preparation, organisations can still expect to find teething issues as real-world reporting cycles and volumes come into play.
This is where strategy becomes critical. Year one isn’t just about fixing problems – it’s about building confidence in the new system. Without that trust, old workarounds and manual processes have a habit of reappearing.
“Year one is a truly exciting time in finance system adoption. Users are getting to grips with new processes, and the fruits of all the hard work during implementation start to show. It’s extremely rewarding to see organisations like Comic Relief discover just how efficient they can be at achieving their goals while armed with modern technology.” ~ Neil Wildy, PM Manager, Xledger UK
Year two: Optimisation
As Comic Relief discovered, when year two rolls around, user adoption is high, and the system feels familiar. This is the ideal time to think about optimisation. Finance and the wider business start asking bigger questions about automation, insights, and efficiency.
Unfortunately, optimisation projects compete for attention, so it’s essential for leadership to collaborate and prioritise the most value-add projects during this time. When handled with clarity, year two can unlock real operational value. Without it, year two can dilute the slow momentum and dilute the expected benefits of system optimisation.
Year three: Growth vs. stagnation
By year three, questions around optimisation evolve into conversations around whether an organisation is using the system strategically or maintaining the status quo. Often, discussions shift towards business-wide insights, efficiency, and long-term growth – whether that is commercial growth or community reach.
Without a clear roadmap, it’s easy for system optimisation to be sidelined, even as an organisation evolves around it. While this may seem like business-as-usual, it can jeopardise the long-term value of finance system implementation because ideas around efficiency and improvements aren’t front-of-mind.
Why post-implementation plans matter
Most implementation conversations focus heavily on going live with the system. But creating robust post-implementation strategies that encompass year one, two, and three goals can be the difference between incremental improvements and fundamental developments.
In our upcoming session at CFG’s Annual Conference, Bex and Neil explore what really happens in those first three years after go-live. They’ll cover the challenges that organisations don’t always anticipate, how Comic Relief navigated these challenges, and how finance leaders across all sectors can avoid common pitfalls without over-engineering accounting processes.
Get in touch with Xledger's dedicated team to learn more about their finance system implementation processes.
Xledger and Comic Relief's session at CFG's Annual Conference will be held in Grand Hall 1 at 11.35am.