Helping to assure the right software and service provider choice - a commonsense approach

1. Don’t confuse a solution with software; a solution is a combination of software, services, and support.
2. Define your business processes; then focus on how the solution addresses your processes. Features & functions are nice, but they don’t necessarily address your business processes.
3. Make sure the solution can adapt to your business needs and you don’t have to adapt your business to the software.
4. Is the solution in step with today’s (and tomorrow’s) technology? Does it provide ease of technology integration? Will it handle today’s regulatory and global business needs?
5. Will the solution increase your productivity and profitability?
6. Can the solution adapt to business growth and new directions?
7. Is the vendor willing to invest their time in understanding your business before the sale? Will they provide you with a definition of the need & solution?
8. Don’t invest your time in product demos if you don’t know what you want.
9. Use outside expertise if needed, but don’t use checklists or Requests for Proposals unless it is business processes oriented. 
10. Carefully assess a vendor’s viability, capability, and performance. Ask for and visit references.
11. Understand the vendor’s contract, costs, and methods of interacting with your organization. Know what you will be charged for, what work products to expect, and when work will be done.

Remember, an 80% software “fit” is considered very good. The service provider you select will be key to achieving that 80%, as well as your ability to increase the software’s value to your organization.

Beck Consulting will provide you with an assessment and definition at no cost.
This work is performed by design, implementation, and development staff, not salespeople. A written assessment is provided to you to utilize in your software evaluation and selection process.

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