This handbook guides college and university business officers, from small liberal arts colleges to community colleges to research universities, through the complex set of decisions and actions associated with replacing financial management systems. It lists the steps necessary to evaluate an institution's current hardware, network, and software; and identifies change strategies for both incremental and large-scale financial system changes. An introductory chapter sets out the issues that have altered the context of financial systems planning. The second chapter discusses vision, planning principles, goals and strategies, and the development of a decision framework. Chapter 3 covers the structure and management of the project; Chapter 4 covers the business and technology requirements. Reviewing alternative strategies, issuing the request for proposal, developing an evaluation and measurement system, and presenting recommendations to the steering committee are among the topics covered in the fifth chapter. The final chapter discusses implementation of the system. Seven appendixes include: a list of planning principles relating the use of information technology to the solution of business problems; a glossary of terms and concepts; components of a typical request for proposal; sample vendor evaluation criteria; two model measurement systems; a list of available corporate products and services; and a reading list. Biographical and sponsor profiles are also appended. (Contains approximately 165 references.) (CH)