Who should be involved in software selection at your company?
Selecting enterprise software is an important decision. It's also a costly one, one that commits you to the future, and one that can be critical to the success of your business. No organization takes such a decision lightly. This checklist outlines the people who should support you in this critical project, and those who should be avoided.
Contents
- Taking the time and remaining objective in all circumstances
- Who shouldn't you involve in the software selection process?
- Appoint a project manager and a contact person to oversee the project
- Find a sponsor among your managers to steer the change
- Identify and invite representatives of future users
- Involve other people in certain stages
- Conclusion: start well, finish well
Take your time and remain objective in all circumstances
As software is an essential purchase, affecting many aspects of your business, choosing the right software for your company needs to be an objective, fact-based decision. It's not simply a question of opting for the most popular brand, synonymous with security for you, or the cheapest solution in its category, or the one your IT expert heard about last week.
With management software, you are investing a large part of your capital in a system which will be intrinsically linked to a large number of business processes, and which will be used on a daily basis by employees in the various departments of your organization. It's essential to consider how the software will impact not only your company's internal users, but also outsiders (customers, partners, suppliers), who may suffer indirect consequences.
Take the time to do it right.
Who should you leave out of the software selection process?
It can be useful to identify people who should not be involved in the process. These are the people who have a vested interest in influencing the outcome of your evaluation:
- Software vendors. If you're in talks or negotiations with a software vendor right from the start of your selection process, or if a supplier offers you free assistance during your project, do you really think that this supplier will recommend a competing solution better suited to your company's needs? If you answered no, you're right.
- Integrators. These consultancies are experts in the installation of newly acquired enterprise software. Most have established close relationships with one or a small group of software publishers. To the extent that this publisher, once selected, will appoint them as installation specialists, they have a vested interest in recommending this publisher as "the best option for your business". What's more, this well-established relationship can be difficult to manage from the outset. Their expertise lies in software installation, not selection.
- Personal recommendations. A former colleague or well-known executive from another company may offer advice or opinions at a conference or on the golf course, but they don't know your business as well as you do. While you may share similarities in terms of size, competitive space and other characteristics, the needs of his company and yours may still be different. For example, he may be looking to expand into other markets, while you are concentrating on your own geographical area. You may employ a large number of field staff and traditional salespeople, whereas his company offers after-sales services and uses e-commerce for almost all its sales. In short, there can be many significant differences, meaning that the perfect system for one organization may be a poor choice for another.
Appoint a project manager and a contact person to oversee the project
If carried out properly, a software selection project follows a number of stages, starting with a thorough assessment of your company's needs, based on information and opinions from each of the different stakeholders. It's important to appoint someone to oversee the entire process, from start to finish.
The role of the project manager is essential. In particular, he or she must have the necessary organizational skills and project management experience, as well as the ability to liaise with staff in different departments to obtain the views of all the stakeholders involved. A member of the IT department who understands what the new software should enable will be a good candidate, provided he or she also possesses the skills described above.
Find a sponsor among your managers to steer the change
Change can be difficult for many people, even skilled professionals. Adopting a completely different system often means encountering resistance. A sponsor can change this, so it's wise to identify someone who can provide the necessary support and act as a "champion" for the selection and installation of new software.
The person appointed should be a respected figure in your organization, and should control several departments. Your sponsor must be sufficiently qualified to find a solution to any problems that may materialize.
Identify and invite representatives of future users
Management software affects many aspects of your business, so it makes sense to involve someone from each of the relevant divisions in the process. The most complicated software implementations can usually be explained by the fact that future users are not consulted during the selection process.
It may seem obvious to include the head of each department that will use the software, but be careful before adopting such an approach. Sometimes, the head of the department may not be the most appropriate choice to represent the stakeholders. While the involvement of an executive can be a valuable option, it makes more sense to use a member of the department to represent the other stakeholders, someone who will be using the system as part of their day-to-day activities. Don't forget that user interface, ease of use and training issues are the foundation of whether or not your employees will adopt new software, and how quickly and easily they will learn to use it.
Finally, depending on the type of software, it may be useful to involve an external stakeholder. For example, if your company wishes to acquire supply chain management software, you should ensure that your suppliers or partners can interact with the solution you are considering buying.
Always bear in mind that you need to satisfy several groups of people involved. The solution must work for everyone who will be using the new software.
Other people to involve in certain stages
- IT experts or technical ambassadors. Someone has to be able to lift the hood of the proposed solution. This is particularly important for local or hybrid deployments. Does your organization have the tools and human resources to support the software? If not, you need to determine the additional costs that will be incurred to install and update the software.
- Legal representative. While it's not necessary to involve a legal representative from the outset of the software selection project, it can be useful to ask him or her to be present at the more advanced phases - notably contract negotiation. During negotiations with the supplier you select, someone needs to be able to record aspects of the contract so that it is properly executed.
- Trainer. What training will end users need to get to grips with the software? Does the supplier offer training materials? Can he organize training for users in good time? A trainer can help you answer these questions. Your training needs can be significant if you choose a system that is very different from the one you've been using up to now.
- An impartial outside expert, like TEC
Depending on your corporate culture, your own expertise, your ability to select software, and a host of other factors, outside help can be extremely beneficial. If you are considering using an outside consultant, consider not only their experience, but also their impartiality. Beware of consultants who offer you very limited solutions - they may have a vested interest in seeing you choose the tools of a given supplier.
As an impartial consultancy, TEC is not tied to any specific vendor or type of software. TEC's service selection team has a wealth of experience and has helped hundreds of companies in over twenty years. What's more, TEC's Service Selection Team can act as your organization's spokesperson during negotiations with the supplier of your choice. In terms of return on investment, this service can prove highly beneficial.
If you feel that you need outside help, but your company doesn't have the resources to hire a consultant, approach TEC anyway. We offer a number of self-service solutions and options, including an online software evaluation application (TEC Advisor), and resources - such as RFP templates and comparison reports - that can help you.
Conclusion: start well and finish well
As with most complex projects, taking the time to prepare can make the difference between ease and difficulty, and can even save you from an epic failure.
Finally, don't forget that implementing the software you eventually choose is a separate step. When installation doesn't go smoothly, you can find yourself in a nightmarish and very expensive situation. The most important success factor when it comes to installation is whether or not the chosen software is suitable for your organization.
If you take the time to assess your company's requirements and compare them with what the various suppliers are offering, and if you are open to advice from all the parties involved who will be using your software, then you will already have started on your road to success.
Article translated from French