In our final blog of this series, we list our recommendations for the last two phases of the implementation life cycle – TRIRIGA Testing and Training.

Testing
Increased timelines: Due to its extensive lease accounting features and capabilities, 10.5.3 implementations call for increased testing timelines – whether for Unit testing, System Testing or User Acceptance Testing. ValuD recommends that Unit Testing be carried on simultaneously during the Build Process so that issues, if any, can be resolved and solutions built into the Build process itself. Continue this process through System Testing to get a much cleaner system (less issues and errors) during UAT.

Don’t forget your scripts: UAT scripts should never be overlooked and it is especially important that you create a script for each lease scenario, along with the expected accounting results. Use this to cross-reference the operating and finance schedules that TRIRIGA delivers with your Lease data.

Role based TRIRIGA Testing: Use both your accounting and business resources to test the application together. Mimic the segregation of duties process by conducting a role-based test that will ensure the application is working perfectly.

Training
Increased Timelines:  With IBM TRIRIGA 10.5.3 introducing a number of new business processes – segregation of duties, lease classification as per FASB 842 /IFRS 16 regulations, amendments and modifications – we recommend that the training duration be increased for your end-users to ensure complete understanding.

Similarly, 10.5.3 has new administration processes like Journal Entry Setup, Lease Adoption and Period Close. Whoever is in charge of these administration processes – whether the Real Estate expert, the Accounting expert, or the TRIRIGA administrator – will have to undergo extensive training to administer these roles.

Need for Subject Matter Experts: Unlike earlier versions, 10.5.3’s extensive features have increased the training complexity and therefore requires Business and Accounting SMEs to conduct the training. ValuD’s experienced team of CPAs and Business Analysts conduct these training sessions for your end users to fully understand the application capabilities.

System Integrator Involvement: With more users exposed to TRIRIGA than before, there is a definite need for more involvement of the System Integrator for handling the training complexity. ValuD offers additional training resources to train your end users to ensure higher user understanding and adoption.

Conclusion
To summarize, the major 10.5.3 implementation recommendations of ValuD include the following:

1. Stick to the OOTB as much as possible
2. Plan short, multiple phases to stick to the timelines and ease the implementation process as well as to push changes to future phases.
3. Involve all the SME’s – be it business or accounting to handle the application complexity
4. Develop strong UAT scripts to reduce TRIRIGA testing errors
5. Do not lose track of the goal (FASB 842 and IFRS 16 compliance)

For more information on ValuD’s IBM TRIRIGA implementation 10.5.3 best practices, watch our webinar.

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