From planning to confirmation: your transition workflow checklist

With the changes to the supplier landscape now firmly on the horizon, many libraries are moving out of the planning phase and into the work of confirming and locking down their purchasing workflows.

For acquisitions and systems teams, this is where decisions need to move from ‘we’re looking into it’ to ‘we’ve agreed it’.

This checklist is designed to help you identify what still needs confirming so you can go into the transition with clarity.

A note before you start: every library’s transition will look a little different depending on your existing systems, workflows and supplier relationships. Use this as a practical starting point and take what’s most relevant to your situation.

Early planning phase

Before the technical work begins, it helps to get a clear picture of where you are and what still needs to be decided.

☐ Identified all key decision points and who owns them

☐ Mapped out the stages of your transition from review through to go-live

☐ Confirmed which workflows, systems and supplier relationships are in scope

☐ Agreed an internal timeline that gives teams enough time to prepare without rushing

Things to watch out for: Transitions that feel straightforward on paper can take longer than expected once the detail is worked through. Building in buffer time early is always worth it.

Confirm your ordering routes

This is the right moment to make a firm decision on how orders will flow between your library and your new supplier, before the transition is live.

☐ Decided between manual ordering and EDI or confirmed a hybrid approach where needed

☐ Identified which fund codes and order types need to be mapped to the new supplier

☐ Confirmed whether your current ordering route for title-by-title eBooks will continue as-is or needs adjustment

☐ Checked that your acquisitions team is clear on the new process, especially if the ordering route is changing

☐ Agreed a process for handling orders placed during the transition window

Things to watch out for: If you’re moving to EDI for the first time, allow more time than you think you need. The technical setup is usually straightforward, but agreeing formats and testing end-to-end takes time when multiple teams are involved.

Confirm your LMS integration

Your library management system sits at the centre of your acquisitions workflow, so making sure it connects smoothly with your new supplier is critical before go-live.

☐ Confirmed your LMS vendor is aware of the supplier change and any integration requirements

☐ Established whether existing integrations (order records, invoice import, holdings updates) will transfer or need reconfiguring

☐ Tested or scheduled testing of order and invoice workflows with the new supplier in a test environment where possible

☐ Confirmed how order records will be created: via MARC records, brief records or direct from the supplier platform

☐ Checked discovery layer updates: will holdings be reflected correctly after the transition?

☐ Agreed who owns the integration setup on your side (systems librarian, IT, LMS vendor)

Things to watch out for: Discovery visibility is easy to overlook at this stage. Make sure someone has explicitly confirmed how and when holdings data will flow through after go-live – gaps here tend to surface at the worst possible moment.

Budget awareness

When moving to a new supplier, fund codes and order types don’t always map across cleanly.

It is worth confirming early that your existing fund structure works with the new supplier’s system, and that invoice formats will flow correctly into your finance system without manual intervention.

If your approval workflows are tied to specific order types or budget lines, flag these early; they are easy to miss until the first orders go through.

Final checks before go-live

By this stage the focus shifts from setup to confidence. This is the time to validate everything is working as expected, not to make changes.

☐ Run end-to-end test orders through your confirmed ordering route

☐ Confirmed invoicing will flow correctly into your finance system

☐ Completed internal sign-off from acquisitions, systems and finance colleagues

☐ Briefed any academic liaison colleagues who handle requests or communicate with teaching staff

☐ Confirmed access and authentication for users is in place and tested

☐ Agreed a point of contact at your supplier for any issues during go-live

Transition live and review

Going live is not the end of the process. The first few weeks of live ordering are the best opportunity to catch anything that needs adjusting.

☐ Monitored first live orders end-to-end, from placement through to fulfilment and invoicing

☐ Flagged and resolved any unexpected friction in the ordering workflow

☐ Confirmed users can access titles without issue

☐ Scheduled a short internal review to capture lessons and confirm everything is running smoothly

Transitioning to a new supplier is a significant undertaking and getting the detail right takes time. Libraries working with our content acquisitions platform, Kortext acquire, receive dedicated support throughout the process, from confirming ordering routes and LMS integration through to go-live and beyond.

If you are working through your transition planning and want to find out how acquire can support your library, get in touch today.