Expert Advice

When asked what are the key factors in successfully implementing new financial management systems and procedures, experts inside and outside government gave remarkably similar advice.

• Find a high-level champion for change. "You really need executive-level sponsorship-someone who's going to push for change," says James Lingeback, acting deputy CFO at the Treasury Department.
• Dedicate a team of people to carry the ball for planning and implementing major system changes. Team members should be respected throughout the agency and recognized as key players. "You really need to take them away from their day job to be effective," says Accenture's Stan Gutkowski, a managing partner in the consulting firm's federal client group.
• Buy commercial, off-the-shelf products that can be adapted to a Web-based environment, and resist the urge to customize them. Also, consider that you will need to find a contractor you will be comfortable working with over the long haul. "You need to look at [a contractor's] track record-not just what they've sold, but what they've successfully implemented," says Zip Brown, manager of E-Government Solutions Group for American Management Systems.
• Understand that you will have to change your culture and probably the way you are organized. "This is a huge challenge. The natural impulse is to resist change. You have to have strong leadership committed to change," says Steve Perkins, senior vice president of Oracle's federal operations.