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[The number in (brackets) refers to the number of key advice suggestions - each has many points, hints and tips]. 1. Overview - of the packaged software selection process. 2. Reducing the costs (18+) - How to reduce costs across the whole project, from selection through to implementation. Using just one tip could save thousands and significantly improve your project ROI. 3. ROI and obtaining board approval (8+) - Realistic proposed project ROI’s, hard and soft benefits, feasibility study, project proposals and key people to be involved. 4. Creating a project plan for the software selection process (9+) - Key points regarding project plans, time scales, critical path(s), resourcing, risks, project management tools and ongoing monitoring. 5. Dealing with dirty tricks (5+) - A ‘heads up’ of possible tricks, their impact, reasons and potential ways to deal with them. 6. Specifying requirements (8+) - Covering different ways to specify requirements, who should be involved and responsibilities, key steps for specifying outline and detailed requirements, warning signs for the selection going off-track. 7. Identifying software vendors, contacting them and issuing RFI’s (8+) - Covering the many ways to search for and identify potential vendors, creating and evaluating an initial list of potential vendors, successfully contacting vendors, discussion points and issuing RFI’s. 8. RFI / RFP components (7+) - RFI and RFP covered jointly as both documents have similar structures, including covering letter, project overview, organisation background, outline requirements, detailed requirements (RFP only) and information to be requested from vendors. 9. Initial software review (5+) - Reviewing software and vendor details, analysis, costs and identifying short lists. 10. RFI / RFP evaluation - using points scoring and evaluation matrix (5+) - RFI and RFP covered jointly as tasks are similar for both, including receiving RFI / RFP responses, reviewing and analysing, scorecards, other factors to consider, comparison / evaluation matrix. 11. Attending software demonstrations (10+) - Different types of demonstrations, when and where to meet, time scales, who should attend, demonstration objectives and control, other areas to cover and after the demonstrations. 12. Refining your new system design thoughts (2+) - Reviewing and refining system design, items to check, agreeing and documenting the changes. 13. Issuing RFP’s and analysing the results (5+) - Including determining how formal a process, preparing, issuing and receiving RFP’s, reviewing and analysing the responses. 14. Further investigations, prototyping and testing (16+) - Covering software queries and investigations, prototyping and testing, software usability, hardware queries, network, database and operating system queries, system performance and sizing, implementation assistance, user training, vendor expertise and reputation, support and maintenance, contract, quoted prices and project costs. 15. Detailed software demonstrations and discussions with vendors (7+) - Including demonstration and discussion objectives, who to see, when and where to meet, who to attend, durations, what to cover. 16. Reference site visits (7+) - Objectives of reference site visits, choosing who to visit, organising the visits, possible questions to raise with reference sites, during and after the visit. 17. Pulling it all together and making the decision (8+) - Pulling all information and details together, evaluating options, clarifying outstanding issues, proposal report, decision, service level agreement, contract and communications. |
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