Software Selection Process; Everything You Need to Know

There's a good writeup on ProjectPerfect offering guidelines and principles for selecting software---from the gathering of internal support through the evaluation and selection process itself.

It's definitely a valuable read for anyone involved in the software selection process.

Here's just a sampling of some of the great tips in the article...

• Tell the vendors at the start what the process for selection will be. They will appreciate knowing what the path is, and how you will reach a decision. It assists their planning as well. You will get far better service if they know when you are going to make a decision.
• Consider an external person to do the negotiation. If negotiations are tough and the vendor feels they have been squeezed dry, it is better for the person who did the squeezing to be gone so that there are less lingering traces of animosity.
• It is a bit like herding cats but you need to keep a single point of contact with each vendor. If vendors can see a chance to influence people at different levels you will soon find all sorts of pressures being applied to you.
• Treat it as a team selection decision, and make sure your team know the process. If you set the path and the criteria from the start, it will help manage expectations internally.
• It is useful to get written agreement from each vendor to comply with the process as a condition to being considered.
• Beware the trap of having their top technical person available all through the sales cycle only to be replaced at the point of implementation by someone who has been with the company for a week. If the vendor is also involved as an implementer, have the implementation team named in the contract.
• The purchase process should be costed into the budget just as the cost of the software and implementation are costed. There can often be many man months of effort required to manage the process and, if not done effectively, will cause major cost blowouts when the wrong software is purchased.
• Another factor touched on a number of times is that much of the work is sequential. There will be gaps in the process – for example between requesting a demonstration, and organising the people to participate. During that lull in proceedings, other work can be done that will contribute to later activities. A software purchase can result in a very complicated schedule.

Here's the full article...

A Software Purchase Process