Useful Resources

IT PROJECT PROPOSALS

• Reasons for changing software - 30 widely used reasons for changing business software • Project scope checklist - for an IT software system project • IT project proposal - preparation tips and proposal checklists for IT project proposals • Proposal format - tips to to improve your IT project proposal format and appearance • Basic ROI calculation - a review of the basic ROI calculation and its use within IT project proposals • ROI calculator - copy available for download and tips for maximising software system project ROI • Hidden costs of acquiring new software - a list of hidden software costs to watch out for • Project budget template - copy available for download and tips for IT software budgets • Proposal evaluation sheet - for IT software project proposals - 55 points to consider

SOFTWARE / SYSTEM SELECTION

PROCESS

• 10 steps to select new business software • 20 Stakeholder management tips - for managing project stakeholders • Sample project plan for business system selection - copy available for download • RACI matrix (responsibility assignment matrix) - for listing project tasks and roles / responsibilities - copy available for download • Project initiation checklist - for software system selection • Software selection time-saving tips - 30 practical tips to save time • Project issue log - for recording and tracking project issues - copy available for download • Requirements gathering techniques - 12 techniques for specifying requirements • Reasons to write a good system requirements specification • System design review - within the software selection process • Risk assessment form - for software projects - copy available for download • Risk assessment worksheet - for software system selection - copy available for download • Warning signs - that your software selection may have problems • Project reporting form - including RAG task completion status - copy available for download • Project status report template - for more detailed reporting - copy available for download

EXAMPLE SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

CHECKLISTS FOR:

• Accounting System • Business Intelligence (BI) System • Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System • Human Resource (HR) System • Payroll System

SELECTING SOFTWARE VENDORS

• How to quickly create a long list of software vendors and solutions - sources and tips to identify relevant potential software solutions • Software vendor selection process - tips to help short list software vendors • Vendor selection check sheet - a pre-RFI questionnaire to assist short listing software vendors • Software vendor evaluation questions - non- functional evaluation questions to ask a software vendor • Software quality checklist - to help evaluate software quality

SOFTWARE SYSTEM DEMONSTRATIONS

• Vendor software demonstrations - a comparison of different types of software demonstrations • Tips for attending software demonstrations - and software demonstration checklist • How to quickly create a software demo script - or quickly convert your RFI/RFP template into a demo script

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) /

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

• RFI / RFP Sample - the main components of an IT Request for Information (RFI) / Proposal (RFP) • Reviewing RFI responses - and identifying software solutions to short list • RFP scoring guidelines - 15 key guidelines for scoring IT software proposals / RFP’s • RFI / RFP response evaluation - using points scoring and evaluation matrix • Rating criteria for RFP - an overview of rating criteria for evaluating software RFP responses • More complex RFP scoring - a scoring scheme for more complex vendor RFP responses

SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT (SLA)

• Service Level Agreement (SLA) Tips - 10 tips for writing better SLA’s • SLA Metrics - Tips for creating SLA metrics and measuring SLA service performance • SLA Checklist - 75 questions to ask when preparing a SLA - copy available for download

DUE DILIGENCE FOR SELECTING NEW

SOFTWARE

• Software vendor support due diligence checklist - covering ongoing live running, training, system documentation and customer liaison • Implementation support due diligence checklist - including implementation support services, project methodology, project plans and project management • Reference site visit checklist - questions to ask and points to consider when visiting a software vendor’s reference site • Vendor accounts due diligence checklist - to identify issues with a vendor’s accounts • Vendor personnel due diligence checklist - questions to ask about a potential vendor’s employees and management • Software product development due diligence checklist - to learn more about a product history, development and its future • Software payment terms - a comparison of payment terms • Final software decision - tips on making the final decision as to which software to acquire • Software agreement checklist - points to consider when negotiating software agreements

Useful Resources Free software selection resources - information, tools and tips to assist with selecting new Accounting, BI, CRM, HR and Payroll software.