How to prepare for an accounts payable automation project

An accounts payable automation project rarely succeeds by accident: it succeeds because it was well prepared. Before choosing software, a few simple preparation steps help you avoid surprises, shorten the rollout and secure your return on investment. Here is how to go about it, step by step.

Why preparation makes the difference

The real cost of a poorly prepared project is wasted time and back-and-forth. Remember what manual processing costs, the very thing you are trying to reduce:

• 15% of invoices contain an error on average (CEPS, 2024).
• Up to US$53 to correct a single data-entry error (Institute of Finance & Management, IOFM).
• 17.4 days to process an invoice on average, versus 3.1 days for the most automated teams (Ardent Partners, 2025).

Preparing your project well means recovering that gap as quickly as possible, without having to start over midway.

1. Map your current process

Before automating, understand what you already do. Describe an invoice's journey, from receipt to payment: how it arrives (email, paper, portal), who validates it, how many approvals, which exceptions (invoices without a purchase order, price discrepancies, disputes). This map reveals the real friction and becomes the basis for configuration.

2. Gather your volumes and numbers

Count your monthly volume of invoices, delivery slips and statements, the number of users and the time spent on data entry. These numbers serve two purposes: estimating your return on your own data, and sizing the solution correctly. A ROI calculator turns those volumes into an estimate of savings and payback time.

3. Involve the right people, early

An accounts payable automation project is not just an IT project. Bring together, early, the accounting team (they know the exceptions and approval rules), IT (integrations, security, access) and business approvers. Involving them from the start prevents roadblocks along the way and greatly eases adoption.

4. Check your ERP integrations

A solution's value depends on its ability to talk to your accounting system. List your current tools and check connector availability: Acomba, Maestro, Avantage, Sage, Microsoft Dynamics and several other systems used in Canada. A native integration avoids double entry and keeps your data reliable.

5. Anticipate privacy and compliance

Where will your data be hosted? For a Canadian business, hosting in Canada and compliance with Canadian privacy law are not details: they are criteria to validate before signing, not after. Also clarify who has access to the data and how audit trails are kept.

6. Plan a realistic timeline

A well-run rollout takes on average 4 to 8 weeks from kickoff to go-live: scoping, ERP connection, document migration and team training. It is not a heavy IT project, but it deserves a clear schedule and an identified owner on your side.

7. Choose a local, specialized partner

At a comparable price, two solutions do not deliver the same result. The difference comes down to workflows preconfigured for your industry and hands-on support. A specialized Canadian vendor like Viridem, which has been building its software since 2013, combines industry workflows, Canadian ERP connectors and local English support: all factors that make the rollout simpler and the return more durable.

Ready to start on the right foot?

Once these steps are in place, you approach your project with the right information and the right people. The best way to validate your case is to start from your own numbers.