Replacing a 20+ year old practice management system without disrupting operations
Rubino set out to modernize their core practice infrastructure. Their existing system was decades old and no longer met the firm’s needs across time entry, billing, and project tracking.
The goal was clear: implement a modern platform to streamline operations, support standardization, and empower staff with better tools, all with the goal of delivering great client service.
The firm had just wrapped the October 15 tax deadline and wanted to go live with Aiwyn immediately afterward to keep momentum high and send invoices without delay. Of course, changing a firm’s practice management system is no small change. This would impact everyone at the firm, from partners approving bills to staff tracking time to administrators managing project workflows.
But Rubino was committed to moving fast and doing it right. Success would require world-class software. But just as importantly, it would take deep partnership, intentional change management, and hands-on support from day one.
A structured, collaborative, hands-on launch process
Rubino’s urgency, intentionality, and advance planning was its strength.
Aiwyn and Rubino partnered closely to design an implementation approach that respected the firm’s deadlines, real-world capacity, and operational nuances. Over two months leading up to the October 15 deadline, both teams worked side-by-side, aligning system configuration, workflows, and training around Rubino’s unique needs.
Weekly working sessions enabled configuration, not customization:
- 8 weeks of hands-on collaboration to map data, validate structure, and align billing, time, and workflow models across audit, tax, and advisory.
- Refinement of Rubino’s WIP and billing policies from approval routing to formatting, so processes would feel familiar, but faster.
- Final system configurations were finalized before launch, eliminating the last-minute scrambling and post-launch fixes that often plague PM rollouts.
Firmwide training during peak workload was achieved without disruption:
- 90+ employees trained live, across daily sessions for partners, managers, and staff.
- Micro-training videos recorded for continued support and onboarding.
- Flexible, role-based training model designed to fit real-world time constraints.
When launch day came, it wasn’t treated as a milestone to cross, but the beginning of a fully supported launch week where Aiwyn deployed its dual-launch model: “Moonlanders + Mission Control.”
For one week, Aiwyn’s on-site Moonlanders team worked side-by-side with Rubino’s staff, guiding live billing runs, validating data, and reinforcing workflows.
Meanwhile, Mission Control, a remote crew of engineers, product, and support leaders, provided real-time backup, monitored integrations, and resolved issues as they arose, ensuring nothing fell through the cracks.
Where precision meets performance
Most firms spend weeks catching up after launching a new practice management system. Rubino didn’t skip a beat. On day 1, time was entered and bills went out live, in production.
The result? A go-live that felt like business as usual, but laid the groundwork for meaningful change.
Rubino didn’t have to “fit” into a generic system. Instead, Aiwyn Practice was configured to match the firm’s billing logic, approval structures, and project flows, delivering value from Day 1 without disruption.
Clear, role-based workflows made it easier for partners, managers, and admins to navigate time entry and billing without needing extensive retraining. Staff regained hours that would’ve been lost to outdated processes.
The successful launch created trust in the system early on, giving firm leadership confidence that broader transformation goals were achievable.
Change can be energizing
At Rubino, the move to Aiwyn Practice redefined what a major system change could look like. What many firms expect to be painful and disruptive instead became a moment of firmwide pride, driven by clear leadership, thoughtful planning, and close partnership.
That confidence wasn’t just about technology, it was about execution. Rubino’s leaders stayed closely aligned with its launch team which included the Aiwyn Practice General Manager and a Program Manager, plus transformation, customer success, and engineering leads.
By maintaining communication, momentum, and morale throughout the rollout, the launch energized the firm. It strengthened trust across teams and proved that large‑scale change can move fast when the right people are working side‑by‑side.
A new benchmark for practice modernization
Rubino’s successful rollout of Aiwyn Practice was a redefining moment for what implementation can feel like in the accounting profession - a high-stakes, high-impact opportunity to guide people through change. When handled with empathy and precision, it becomes the spark that helps firms rethink what’s possible. For Rubino, that spark was felt on day one. Time was entered, bills went out, and teams felt supported. This is what modern implementation looks like. No disruption or delay. Just momentum.
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