The due diligence checklist for implementation support includes over 40 items ranging from implementation support services to project methodology, project plans and project management. All items should be checked before acquiring new software. Implementation support services  What implementation assistance does the vendor offer?  Will you receive enhanced or high priority support from the vendor, during your software implementation?  Is this included within the annual maintenance fees or is it an additional charge?  Does the vendor offer its own consulting / professional services eg project managers, business analysts, specialist consultants?  Can you choose particular named vendor consultants and support staff to work on your implementation?  Or would vendor resources be allocated by the vendor?  Does the vendor outsource and refer to 3rd party professional services / consultants?  Do the vendors have a list of recommended implementation resources / companies (other than their own consultancy services), that you could use?  Can you manage multiple partners working within this project?  Are there implementation resourcing companies or people which the vendor will or will not work with?  What are the rates / charges for these services? How many days are required? What is the total cost estimate?  Do the vendors have a separate help desk / support facility to resolve faults and bugs with a guaranteed response time (during software implementation)?  Have you tested support services eg with test calls, at different times of the day, to see how they respond?  Is the vendor's help desk coping with the present volume of queries / faults being reported?  Are the vendor's support services sufficient for all the implementations they are supporting? Implementation project methodology  Does the vendor have a project methodology which they use for their software implementations?  Can they explain it in clear terms?  What is special or unique about it?  Do they say why should it by used?  Have you reviewed a summary or copy of this methodology?  Can you see a sample of the vendor's project documentation eg project plans, specifications, project reports etc? Are they good enough for you to use?  Is the use of the vendor's methodology chargeable? And if so, how much?  Or does it require the use of vendor's (chargeable) consultancy or support services?  How has the vendor's implementation methodology been used with other customers and their implementations?  Were their implementations on time and on budget?  Can you check the methodology was actually used?  Can you see customer evidence or contact the customers?  Do the vendors follow best practices eg for implementation and project plans?  Would the vendor's project methodology be suitable for the complexity and scale of your proposed implementation?  What experience do the vendors have with your type of business / proposed software solution?  Do you have to follow the vendor's implementation project methodology?  Is there flexibility - to combine with your own methodology / requirements?  If you were to use your own methodology, would the vendor stipulate any criteria that you would have to put in place? Project plans  Have you reviewed your own proposed implementation plans with the vendor's technical support services? How have they responded?  How do your proposed project implementation plans compare with the vendor's usual project plans / methodology?  Does the vendor use common project planning tools eg MS Project?  Does the vendor have pre-built implementation project plans?  Do the pre-built plans have clear objectives, deliverables, milestones, work breakdown structures, dependencies, resourcing?  Could you use these and tailor to your own situation?  Are these pre-built project plans chargeable?  Do the vendors offer a bespoke project planning service? Project management  Do the vendors wish to use their own project manager to manage your implementation?  Do they use formal or informal (on-the-fly) project management with customers?  Or will the vendors accept your project manager?  What level of project management experience, skills, qualifications would be required by the vendor?  If you use your project manager, will the vendor provide an account manager to manage vendor resources / deliverables? For more due diligence checklists and questions, visit: Software vendor support, Implementation support, Reference site visit checklist, Vendor accounts, Vendor personnel, Vendor software product development, Software payment terms, Final software decision, Software agreement checklist