Implementation Programme¶
Applies to: All subscriptions
Purpose¶
Sequence a Complifly onboarding into ten stages, each with a deliverable, an owner and a gate — so that progress is measurable and a stage is never started before the one it depends on is genuinely finished.
Audience¶
Implementation consultants and the customer's project manager. Each stage page names its own specialist audience.
Prerequisites¶
- Prerequisites worked, with the long-lead items already in motion
- A named project manager on the customer side
- Named owners for each stage
Steps¶
The ten stages¶
| # | Stage | Owner | Gate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Environment Preparation | Infrastructure | A verified installation |
| 2 | Master Data Setup | Customer, with the consultant | Data loaded and quality-checked |
| 3 | User Creation | Administrator | Users created and activated |
| 4 | Role Assignment | Administrator, with the control owner | Roles mapped and verified |
| 5 | GST Configuration | Consultant, with the tax lead | Registrations, routing and rates configured |
| 6 | e-Invoice Setup | Consultant | One document registered in the sandbox |
| 7 | e-Way Bill Setup | Consultant, with logistics | One bill generated in the sandbox |
| 8 | External System Connectivity | Integration developer | Documents flowing from the ERP |
| 9 | Validation Testing | Customer, with the consultant | Business acceptance |
| 10 | Go-Live Readiness | Project manager | Sign-off |
The dependencies you cannot rearrange¶
Prerequisites (started in week 0, runs throughout)
|
v
1. Environment ------> 2. Master data ------> 3. Users ------> 4. Roles
| |
| v
+--------------------------------> 5. GST configuration <----+
|
+-------------+-------------+
v v
6. e-Invoice 7. e-Way Bill
| |
+-------------+-------------+
v
8. Connectivity
|
v
9. Validation testing
|
v
10. Go-live readiness
Stages 6 and 7 can run in parallel. Stage 8 needs both, because an integration test that cannot reach a reference number proves only half the path.
Three rules that keep an implementation on track¶
Sandbox until stage 10. Every test before go-live uses sandbox provider credentials. A document sent with production credentials reaches the government, permanently consumes a real document number, and cannot be undone. Make the separation structural rather than a matter of care.
A stage is finished when its gate passes, not when its tasks are done. Tasks completing and a gate passing are different things, and the difference is where implementations quietly slip.
Long-lead items start in week zero. Provider credentials, statutory confirmation and licensing all depend on third parties. Technical work can be compressed; these cannot. See Commercial and Statutory Prerequisites.
An indicative shape¶
| Week | Focus |
|---|---|
| 0 | Kickoff. Start the commercial and statutory items immediately |
| 1–2 | Prerequisites; environment preparation |
| 2–3 | Installation and configuration; master data collection |
| 3–4 | Master data load; users and roles |
| 4–5 | GST configuration; module setup |
| 5–7 | Integration build and testing |
| 7–8 | Validation testing and business acceptance |
| 8 | Go-live readiness and sign-off |
| 9 | Go-live, with heightened support |
Verify: This shape is indicative, not a commitment. Real duration depends on ERP complexity, master data quality and how early the long-lead items began. The most common cause of overrun is starting the commercial items late. Recorded as assumption C5 in the Assumptions Register.
Validation¶
The implementation is complete when:
| Check | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Every stage gate passed | Signed, dated, with the owner named |
| One document processed end to end | In production, on go-live day, watched |
| Users trained | Each role can perform its work unaided |
| Operations handed over | The customer's owner has the daily routine and knows who to contact |
| Monitoring live | Configured and alerting, tested by firing an alert |
| Documentation handed over | The customer can operate without the implementer |
| Support path known | The customer knows how to raise a ticket before they need to |
The last two are the point of the whole programme. An implementation that works only while the consultant is present is not finished.
Troubleshooting¶
| Symptom | Cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Go-live approaching without provider credentials | Commercial items started late | Escalate commercially. No technical work substitutes |
| A stage keeps reopening | Its gate was passed on tasks completed rather than outcomes | Re-apply the gate honestly |
| Testing finds problems that should have been caught earlier | Edge cases not supplied during data collection | Request them by name; see Information Checklist |
| The ERP team is unavailable at stage 8 | Effort never allocated | Escalate. This is a scoping failure, not a technical one |
| A test document reached the government | Production credentials in a non-production environment | Treat as an incident. The number is permanently consumed |
| Everything works until the consultant leaves | Handover treated as a formality | Handover is a stage gate. The customer must demonstrate, not receive |
Related Articles¶
- Prerequisites — what must be true before stage 1
- Go-Live Readiness — the final gate
- Operations Guide — what happens after
- Self-Service Readiness Score