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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Part 1 - Successful Software Selection "Getting It Right The First Time Is All About People"

This Whitepaper will be broken into two sections. To read it in its entirety visit our Media Center for the Getting It Right the First Time Is All About People PDF.

Intro:
There is an old joke that says there are only two steps to software selection. Step one is to select a solution and step two is to throw it out. With forethought and a little effort – you can make a successful software selection, the first time, and skip step two altogether. The trick you see is all about people – it is your people who must participate in choosing a solution that meets your business needs and take ownership for its implementation and use.

People Factor One: Who Makes The Selection?
First and foremost is: “he (or she to be politically correct) who makes the decision is stuck with it.”

The best solutions include a team that represents all of the various levels of your business – from management, marketing and sales, purchasing, warehouse, logistics and finance. When you allow representation from multiple venues within the business you create a situation for success. When your selection team includes multiple voices the selection becomes a matter of pride -- everyone wants to participate in finding the best solution for the company.

In addition to creating “pride of ownership” a team consisting of a representative sample of end users will help distribute the selection burden by helping to define requirements – which will vary from department to department, attend demonstrations, call the references and be invested in the final selection.

People Factor Two: Creating “Buy-In” For Change
Another old saying goes: “the only person who likes change … is a wet baby.” We all resist change. New systems can to wreak havoc on our daily lives – introducing new procedures, changing why we do things the way we do – it can be pure torture and too often is, if allowed to be.

To succeed, make the selection and implementation a top priority. Let everyone know that the owners and top management are part of the team. Pick the most senior executive possible to lead the effort and make sure they take an active and very visible role throughout the project – give your employees a leader worth following.

For People Factor Three and Four, come back tomorrow.

Looking For Help?
Successfully implementing a system is a big challenge. It is important that your team and the vendors’ consulting organization work together to achieve this goal. The important thing to remember is you are not alone – there are experts, like the members of our team, who have successfully done this before and who are willing to guide you through the process.

When it comes to the technology choices themselves, consider using a resource like our Distribution Software Guide at http://www.software4distributors.com/resource/default.aspx.

Also compare software packages side-by-side at http://www.software4distributors.com/evaluation/registration.aspx.
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