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We have found that there are two primary ways
in which the SoftSelect™ methodology provides unmatched
objectivity and fact-based findings in a short time period:
· Assessment
of current Enterprise software functioning, how well it
support the company’s business strategy and objectives.
· Selection
of a new, purchased Enterprise software system – this may be
in the form of a single, all-encompassing system and
provider, or via multiple, separate initiatives.
In fact, many SoftSelect™ projects that start
out with the objective of acquiring a new system uncover so
many under utilized functions, non-implemented modules, or
unresolved management issues that are the real problems that
they elect to not acquire a new system at all.
Alternatives Available - When a company wants to either assess the
effectiveness of its current systems, or acquire a new
Enterprise software system, the options it generally faces
include the following:
· Do
it yourself – rely solely on the
expertise, experience, vision, and knowledge of Best
Practices already present within the company.
· Hire
a consultant – in this role, the
consultant provides the expertise, vision and knowledge of
Best Practices, including vendors that would be the best
fit, filling some or all of the gaps in these areas not
present within the company.
· Use
the Internet – there are a number
of seemingly viable options available via the Internet, and
they are available at no charge to you. They ask you what
your requirements are, then match you up with some vendors
that appear to match your needs. So far, so good. However,
these services are all paid for by vendors – they are
lead-getting mechanisms. Also, their web sites feature
advertising and sometimes items like white papers from
vendors, all of which obviously favor vendors that pay them
to participate in their program. These may, or may not be
the best fit for your needs.
· Use
PROACTION / SoftSelect – The
reason PROACTION selected the SoftSelect methodology, and
continue to use it are:
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The Four Elements
for Success - Enterprise Software |
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·
Completely
objective – no stake in
the possible outcomes.
· Fact-based
– depends on objective, identifiable, documented
information.
· Consistent
– Will produce similar results under similar
circumstances.
· Non-emotional
– largely removes the emotional swaying that is a
typical part of the sales process of these products.
· Nonpolitical
– Uses a “bottoms-up”
approach, rather than decision by executive fiat;
virtually insures buy-in by process owners who will
now own the new processes.
· Sequences
decisions with appropriate level of detail
– breaks the “one big decision” down into several
smaller, sequential ones. Each develops and uses
only the level of detail that is needed for that
particular decision, thereby completely avoiding the
“paralysis by analysis” that results from
introducing far more data into the decision than can
be intelligently used.
· Predictable
– one can plan these
projects, and complete them on schedule, at a
predictable resource and cost level.
· Research
based – in a selection
process, the development of the “long list” is key –
SoftSelect uses proprietary research for the
successful users, the installed base, for an
Enterprise product, matching their characteristics
to one’s own company. By selecting from a
population of similar companies that are already
using the potential product, one is virtually
insured of success, even if you miss important
functionality details, as there is a sizeable
population of similar companies already using it.
No one else has this research, nor uses this method.
·
Advance identification of implementation barriers
–
early in a
SoftSelect™ project, various issues are
surfaced which, if not resolved, will prevent a
completely successful, smooth implementation of even
most suitable software. It is these unresolved
issues, and we speak from many, many years of
experience in implementation projects, are really
the primary cause of implementation failures. It is
only seldom the software itself. |
SoftSelect’s On-Line Enterprise Software
Data Base – you can explore, for
free, much of the information contained in the SoftSelect™
Enterprise software research data base. Just
click here, and you will see the access page for this
capability. Just log in and search away.
To learn more about how a PROACTION /
SoftSelect™ Enterprise software assessment or selection
project can benefit your company, just contact us:
Phone: (818) 706-0160
You can also buy more detailed courses at
very reasonable prices that cover these areas, as well as
others, such as how to re-engineering any process through our
Best Practice Publications
Store.
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