Package software is often one of the largest technology expenditures of a business. The promise of package software is compelling: replace unwieldy custom applications developed in-house with a standardized, integrated system, built on processes based on the latest industry best practices. All this is combined with promises of a fast implementation and relatively painless upgrades when the next version of the package is released. The popularity of package software has seen the development and delivery of packages to cover all aspects of a business: from ERP to CRM and Procurement, all being peddled by the biggest names in the business, such as Microsoft, Oracle, SAP etc.
The selection process for buying a package, while tedious, often leaves the selection group with a positive impression. Vendors promise that the software will work perfectly of the box and that any customizations can be easily and cheaply accommodated. At the end of the process, the selection committee often feels like they can not make a wrong decision. Fast forward several months and you may find a CIO cursing the software company and many people on her staff wondering how they ended up with such an inflexible piece of junk. The answer often lies in the requirements and selection process itself. The following five tips provide a guideline for not only selecting a package, but knowing what to expect when buying package software.
Implement Processes, not Software
The biggest mistake most companies make when purchasing package software is seeing the decision as a software purchase. Vendors tout the availability of built into the software, but what they are really selling is a particular process for completing a business transaction or visit www.viral-toolbar-builder.com. Each vendor handles a process, such as issuing a purchase order, or creating a marketing campaign in a particular manner. If one of your key concerns is building a new customer invoicing process, pay particular attention to how the process works in each software. Despite what the salesperson will tell you, hammering a legacy business process into a package that uses a completely different set of rules rarely works. Always assume that you will be implementing the processes your package is delivered with, and ensure those processes will work for your business.
Building the Ultimate Selection Committee
As the above point concludes, you are buying processes rather than just a software toolkit. Keep this in mind as your build the selection committee that will ultimately decide which package to purchase. A selection committee should have:
�One or two high-level decision makers from the affected business units
�Business process experts from all affected areas
�Financial analysts, who can determine the ROI of each package with the help of the aforementioned experts
�In a particularly complex implementation, experts in each package who can get a rough handle on the cost of implementation. Do not leave this job to the package salesperson!
�Legacy systems experts who have a good grasp of current data structures, and data that must be converted to the new system
�Select technical staff who will be participating in the implementation
A typical selection committee is heavy at the bottom of the list and light towards the top, bringing in loads of developers and systems people who see the package as a new software development environment or go to www.scripts-to-sell.com. These people tend to be sold on the features and of a particular package, and since they rarely understand the complexities of a particular business process, or what benefits and drawbacks a packaged process will offer, they prefer a technical that may not be a business fit. They also are used to a world where a requirement comes in, and software tools are used to build a solution from the ground up. As the following points demonstrate, this is exactly how not to successfully implement a package.
