What process will you use for selecting your software? Let me describe the typical process I've seen:
- Make a list of the things you don't have now or don't like about your current software.
- Identify possible packages
- Call the vendors of the software for demos
- Review the demos
- Get together with staff to discuss the demos
- Select the software based on the demos and price--particularly price, since by this time most of the software will have started to look and sound the same.
- Begin to implement the software.
- Wonder if you made the right decision.
This is the process that most businesses seem to use. It has a several issues:
- The only needs identified (first bullet) are things that are wrong with the current software. Things that are right with the current software are ignored (see The Gladys Principle post).
- The vendor generally controls the demo. Only things that work well will be shown.
- Proposals are rarely apples to apples.
If you do things this way, I can just about guarantee you that you'll select the software vendor with the slickest presentation rather than the best product. If you don't want to do that, use a process that includes a needs analysis and a review process that evaluates your needs against features rather than vendor against vendor or (more likely) price against price.
