How to implement an AP Automation solution
- Introduction
- Clear requirements are key to AP automation project success
- The typical timeline to implement an AP automation solution
- Which roles will be involved in an AP automation project?
- The AP automation implementation framework: Step-by-step
- What’s next? Beyond implementation of AP automation
- Frequently Asked Questions
As cloud technology has matured, AP automation solutions have become faster to deploy and easier to manage. With modern platforms, there’s no need for heavy customizations or drawn-out timelines.
Most implementations now take just a few weeks. Success starts with preparation, including clear goals, defined requirements, and alignment across teams to ensure the organization is ready for a smooth rollout.
Clear requirements are key to AP automation project success
Getting clear and complete requirements together is a necessary task to ensure a successful accounts payable project. There are two sets of requirements to consider when vetting and selecting an AP automation solution.
Business requirements
These are the requirements for AP automation functionality based on business needs. An excellent way to identify the business requirements is to shadow the AP team and document “a day in the life” to understand daily workflows and where automation can deliver the most value. Then discuss with the business users which features are “must-haves” and which are “nice-to-haves.” Business requirements for a typical accounts payable project will include:
- 3-way invoice matching
- Mobile invoice approvals
- Automatic coding and distribution
- Reporting functionality
- Line-level invoice data capture
- Best practice workflow templates
- AI-driven exception handling
- A vendor with strong ERP integrations and ongoing support
These capabilities help minimize manual touchpoints and support quicker implementation timelines for AP automation platforms.
IT requirements
The IT requirements are just as essential to ensure the new solution fits well into the existing IT infrastructure and does not add complexity or high maintenance for the internal IT department. IT requirements will include:
- Standard connector to the current and future ERP system(s)
- Compliance to the organization’s security policies
- Scalable solution to support future growth
- Minimal reliance on IT for on-going maintenance and upgrade projects
- Thorough technical documentation to support the implementation
- Predictable implementation project timeline and resource needs
- A trusted vendor with a proven track record of delivering high-quality implementations
Some organizations may also choose a solution with read-only automation capabilities to provide visibility into invoice workflows without making financial system changes, ideal for audit roles and compliance scenarios. These capabilities can be turned on or off depending on the user and their requirements.
The typical timeline to implement an AP automation solution
Once a provider has been selected based on the requirements list, the AP automation implementation project begins.
Project kick-off
It’s crucial to ensure all project members have a shared view of the project goals and what is expected from each party. During a kick-off meeting, walk through all requirements to make sure everyone understands them and how to achieve project success.
Setting the IT scene
Your IT team will review the technical specifications and documentation to understand how the AP automation solution connects with existing business systems, especially the ERP system. In many cases, the provider can provide a plug-and-play integration package or standard connector to the ERP. During this phase, it is essential to walk through the master data set up to ensure the right data fields from the ERP, and potentially procurement system, are synchronized to enable high automation levels in the AP process. The result of this phase is a deployment in a QA or sandbox environment to facilitate testing.
At this stage, support services typically include a project manager, ERP integration consultants (or integration experts from the solution vendor), and onboarding guidance. These roles help keep the project on track and minimize IT effort.
Solution configuration
In a best-of-breed AP automation solution, most of the configuration is already done with best-practice workflow templates set up as default. For many organizations, the standard set-up will cover up to 80% of the business needs. Any remaining or specific process needs will need to be configured in the solution either by savvy super users or with the help of the solution provider experts. During this phase, define organization-specific rules and logic within the solution that will be the base for automation, such as tolerance levels for PO-matching, automatic coding, and distribution.
User acceptance testing
As with any system implementation, set aside time for quality assurance and testing. The main task here will be for daily users within the AP function (super users) to test all different invoice processing scenarios and identify any fine-tuning needed in the configuration. Make sure the super users are properly trained in the solution before the testing begins.
Production go-live
When the testing and fine-tuning is completed, the IT team will deploy the solution and integration in the production environment. The solution is now ready to take on live invoices and all users. It is recommended to prepare internal communication and user training sessions to ensure everyone involved is aware of the new process and tool.
With structured onboarding and prebuilt integrations, many organizations go live in 4 to 8 weeks with their AP automation solution.
Depending on the complexity of your IT environment, business requirements and the flexibility of the solution selected, the process described above can take several months. However, cloud-based platforms like Medius are designed to streamline this timeline significantly.
Building your business case? Read this first.
The “Enterprise buyer’s guide to AP automation” provides a proven 6-step framework to evaluate automation solutions, align with IT and procurement, and secure stakeholder buy-in, which are mission-critical in complex, multinational environments.
Which roles will be involved in an AP automation project?
IT Department
IT’s involvement is mainly needed during the first phase of the accounts payable project and, to some extent, for the go-live in the production environment. They will work with the solution provider experts to ensure connectors to existing systems are set up correctly. In a cloud-to-cloud environment, this work can be done relatively easily.
Accounts Payable
AP users are obviously involved during the entire project period, but most heavily during the testing and fine-tuning phase when their expertise on typical invoice processing scenarios is critical.
Procurement
The procurement department will also be involved in the testing and configuration phase to ensure purchasing data, including purchase orders, are correctly synchronized to the new AP automation solution to ensure high levels of automation of PO-based invoices.
The AP automation implementation framework: Step-by-step
A successful AP automation rollout follows a clear path from planning to optimization. Here’s what a typical implementation process looks like:
Assess and plan
Review current AP workflows and identify inefficiencies. Define the key automation goals and secure stakeholder buy-in.
Select and configure
Choose a solution that fits your ERP environment and compliance needs. Set up digital invoice capture (like OCR) and configure approval workflows using best-practice templates.
Test and train
Run a pilot with a small group to test all invoice scenarios. Train AP users and approvers to ensure smooth adoption.
Monitor and optimize
Once live, track AP KPIs, process analytics and user feedback. Adjust workflows or rules as needed to keep performance high and improve automation rates over time.
What metrics truly matter in modern AP?
Dive into the “Ardent Partners’ AP Metrics That Matter” report for 2025 to see how high-performing teams leverage automation, speed, and AI, and what KPIs you should be tracking to stay competitive.
What’s next? Beyond implementation of AP automation
Go-live is just the start. To get the most from your AP automation solution, monitor KPIs like invoice cycle times, exception rates, and automation levels. Use these insights to fine-tune workflows and benchmark your performance.
Modern solutions like Medius also use AI-powered features to automate exception handling, identify fraud risks, and improve processing speed over time.
Don't let concerns about complexity delay your AP transformation. Cloud-based tools make implementation fast, and the long-term benefits—efficiency, visibility, and cost savings—are well worth the investment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Start with clear business and IT requirements, select a vendor with prebuilt ERP connectors, and follow a structured deployment plan. Medius users often go live in 4 to 8 weeks.
Typical roles include accounts payable, procurement, and IT. Each plays a critical role during configuration, testing, and go-live.
Must-haves include 3-way invoice matching, mobile approvals, AI-powered exception handling, ERP integration, and compliance tools.
Automation creates traceable workflows, centralized invoice data, and audit-ready documentation, making it easier to meet regulatory and internal standards.
Yes. Cloud-based AP solutions like Medius offer plug-and-play ERP integration and low-maintenance setup, reducing dependency on IT teams.
