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Faizan
The challenge of selecting software:
Selecting the right software for your company can be a challenge: it starts with a demo that looks good on the surface. The truth is that all demos look good the same way all cars look beautiful in the dealer showroom.
When the wrong software is chosen:
Company business requirements that were not addressed in the demo can result in costly, extensive modifications.
If the software is too sophisticated for the end users it may result in a long, expensive implementation. In extreme cases, the project is canceled and the company reverts to its old software.
Software is being chosen by decision makers based on their experiences in a previous positions without taking into consideration their users' ability.
Case Study
One of our former clients hired a new president to run the company. The president came from a larger company that used very sophisticated software. Shortly after assuming his new position, the president decided to purchase the software he used at his previous job. The department heads who viewed the software at the demo didn't feel it was the right choice for their company, fearing the end-users who had worked on a home-grown system for 15 years might have difficulty learning it.
Despite their advice, the president decided to purchase the software. The consulting firm that sold the software guaranteed the cost would not exceed $750,000. Two years and $2.5 million later, the software was finally implemented and the company went "live." The main reason for the cost overrun was because the software had to be modified to meet the company's business needs, together with the very long learning curve users encountered when trying to master the system.
This resulted in the president being fired, the company having very sophisticated software with most of its functions going unused, and needed a large computer department to support the software operation.
The right way to select software:
Before the demo is given, make a list of your company's current and future business requirements.
Give a copy of these requirements to the person who will give the demo and copies to the users who can mark off which requirements were addressed.
Selecting the right software for your company can be a challenge: it starts with a demo that looks good on the surface. The truth is that all demos look good the same way all cars look beautiful in the dealer showroom.
When the wrong software is chosen:
Company business requirements that were not addressed in the demo can result in costly, extensive modifications.
If the software is too sophisticated for the end users it may result in a long, expensive implementation. In extreme cases, the project is canceled and the company reverts to its old software.
Software is being chosen by decision makers based on their experiences in a previous positions without taking into consideration their users' ability.
Case Study
One of our former clients hired a new president to run the company. The president came from a larger company that used very sophisticated software. Shortly after assuming his new position, the president decided to purchase the software he used at his previous job. The department heads who viewed the software at the demo didn't feel it was the right choice for their company, fearing the end-users who had worked on a home-grown system for 15 years might have difficulty learning it.
Despite their advice, the president decided to purchase the software. The consulting firm that sold the software guaranteed the cost would not exceed $750,000. Two years and $2.5 million later, the software was finally implemented and the company went "live." The main reason for the cost overrun was because the software had to be modified to meet the company's business needs, together with the very long learning curve users encountered when trying to master the system.
This resulted in the president being fired, the company having very sophisticated software with most of its functions going unused, and needed a large computer department to support the software operation.
The right way to select software:
Before the demo is given, make a list of your company's current and future business requirements.
Give a copy of these requirements to the person who will give the demo and copies to the users who can mark off which requirements were addressed.
Posted in: business
