Timeline and phases of migrating to new software

Phase 1: analysis and data cleanup

The first phase is understanding what you are migrating. You take an inventory of the condominiums managed, the volume of records, units and suppliers, the state of the accounting and the amount of documents. It is the moment to export from the old system everything exportable and to keep an untouched copy as a safety net.

On this data you run the preliminary cleanup: removing duplicates, normalising contacts, checking that every unit has a linked owner. It is work best done upfront, on the files, because fixing at source is much faster than tidying downstream in the new system. The quality of this phase determines the effort of all the following ones.

Phase 2: importing records and tables

The second phase loads the records structure and the thousandths tables into the new software. You proceed by linked sets, first owners, then units attached to owners, then suppliers, and finally the general and special tables. Each set is imported on a small test batch, its outcome is checked, and only then do you proceed with the whole archive.

By the end of this phase the condominium structure must hold: tables closing to one thousand, units with an owner, suppliers with a VAT number. This is where the foundations are laid; an error let through now multiplies on every future split, so it is best not to rush and to close the phase only when the balancing checks are green.

Phase 3: transferring the accounting

The third phase is the most delicate because it deals with money. If the change happens between two financial years, the cleanest route is to close the year with the old software and open the new one from the following year. If instead you need to migrate mid-year, you fix the opening balances at the switchover date: each owner's balance, instalments already issued, the balance of the dedicated bank account required by Article 1129 of the Italian Civil Code.

In both cases the rule is to avoid double counting: every amount must appear only once. This phase should be scheduled at a relatively calm accounting moment, away from large settlements or the due date of many instalments, so as to reduce movements straddling the switchover.

Phase 4: parallel testing

Before declaring the new system operational you need testing, not trust on someone's word. Testing consists of three checks: a split on a known year compared with the old software's, the reconciliation of the dedicated bank account with the real statement, and a document-archive completeness check per condominium.

Many administrators keep the two systems in parallel for a short period, recording a few operations on both to verify the results match. It is not essential for the whole accounting, but on a sample condominium it is a valuable test. Testing closes when the comparisons agree; only then can the next phase start with peace of mind.

Phase 5: go-live, training and settling in

The last phase is going live: the new software becomes the daily tool and the old one stays available read-only for the history. In parallel you train the office, because even the best software delivers little if staff do not know its flows. It is best to focus training on recurring processes, recording invoices, issuing instalments, reminders, meeting notices.

A settling-in period follows in which residual corrections surface: a supplier to reclassify, a table to refine, a contact to update. It is normal and should be budgeted for. Choosing the window of the year is decisive: avoiding the meetings and closings season reduces the stress of settling in. Software like AmministraPro supports these phases with assisted import and testing tools; the /funzioni page describes the features and /prezzi lists the plans, useful for planning the switch with the right timing.

Frequently asked questions