A Costpoint implementation can be considered complete while the finance team is still struggling to operate the system reliably.
That distinction matters.
Go-live means the system is available. It does not necessarily mean the close process has been redesigned, ownership is clear, labor data flows cleanly, reconciliations are working, or leadership trusts the reports.
In the first several months after implementation, I would pay particular attention to five areas:
How long the close actually takes compared with the target.
Whether labor and timesheet corrections are still being handled manually.
Whether the close sequence and task ownership are documented.
Whether reconciliations are completed consistently or carried forward.
Whether one person has become the unofficial Costpoint expert.
These problems are easy to normalize because the team is usually still recovering from the implementation.
The first month gets explained away as a transition. The second month gets blamed on unusual circumstances. By the third or fourth month, the process has often become the new normal.
The question is not simply:
“Is Costpoint working?”
The better question is:
“Can the finance team produce a timely, reviewable, and trusted close without relying on heroics?”
That is the difference between technical go-live and operational stability.
I have spent approximately seven years operating Costpoint after implementation across every module and upgrade. I also led an implementation that consolidated four legacy systems and, in my Controller role, reduced month-end close from nine days to four.
I am now opening two pilot engagements for government contractors that went live on Costpoint within the past 3 to 12 months and are still dealing with a slow, manual, or unreliable month-end close.
The Costpoint First-Year Close Assessment is a fixed-scope, two-week review that includes:
A structured review of the current close process.
Interviews with the key stakeholders involved in the close.
Analysis of labor, timesheets, reconciliations, allocations, billing, and ownership.
Identification of the highest-impact bottlenecks.
A written findings report.
A prioritized 90-day stabilization roadmap.
One 90-minute leadership review session.
This is a diagnostic and advisory engagement. It does not include Costpoint configuration changes, report development, performing the close, ongoing system administration, or open-ended consulting hours.
The pilot investment is $1,500, and it is limited to two companies.
If your team went live on Costpoint within the past year and the month-end close is still slow or difficult to trust, reply to this email with the word “close” and tell me how long your current close takes.
If someone else owns this problem, feel free to forward this email to them.
Best,
Michael Harris
The GovCon Finance OS