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Operational Strategy System Selection

System selection is the second step of a system change or implementation. The first, of course, is conducting a thorough requirements analysis (See ‘10 Tips for a Requirements Analysis) Each candidate system should be evaluated against the unique requirements of your organization. You should designate a vendor selection committee that is made up of representatives from management, support, and end users. This committee should use a ranking process to evaluate your organization’s documented needs against each candidate system.

Only systems satisfying at least 95% of the requirements should make it into the final cut. Your initial evaluation of a system should include what the vendor says it can do, but you should also perform due diligence to find out what past users say it actually does. It is important to identify and document the pros and cons of each candidate system.

There probably won’t be a system that meets 100% of your organization’s requirements. If done well, your previously conducted requirements analysis will have identified what you like about your current system, what could be interfaced, and what should be completely new. This will make it easier to judge how well a system meets your actual needs and help you avoid being sidetracked by any “bells and whistles” a system might include. You may find it necessary to determine if your organization will go with the best of class model (choosing the best system for each functional area) or choose a single vendor’s system to handle all your requirements.

Invite the final candidates to demonstrate their system to your selection committee. It is imperative not to compromise your needs to choose a vendor with the ‘best price’ or ‘most personable salesman’. Staying true to the requirements analysis will ensure your chosen system will strengthen daily operations of the overall organization. Discuss with the candidate vendors who will be responsible for making sure the new system interfaces with the old system(s). Also talk with them about who is responsible for pre-implementation design and ongoing support? Identifying the expectations of the vendor(s) and the organization will contribute to a successful implementation.

System selection should be the shared responsibility between management, IT, and end-users. Each of these stakeholders will have different ideas for strengths and weaknesses of any system. And again, using the system requirements identified in phase I will result in an optimal system for the organization.

The processes of requirements analysis and system selection, when handled conscientiously, will prevent an operation’s shutdown after the implementation. It isn’t enough for the IT team to feel they have had a successful implementation–the proof is in the daily operations gaining efficiency and productivity post-implementation. Thanks! Operational Strategies…

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