What are the key steps to selecting enterprise software that will work for you?

One of the things about defining requirements is the unasked questions. For example, NetSuite released 7 new modules in the recent development phase. One of them automates AP - so the system can be set up to recognize key fields in scanned incoming invoices and input the data without manual keystrokes - Automated AP - it's been around for years, but not widely adopted. So if a company is gathering their requirements, would they know to ask 'Do we need to quit manually inputting thousands of incoming invoices? Well, the labor and error rate avoidance could be significant. Anyway - that's ONE of a few hundred features that have been developed for modern ERP since the last time most companies replaced their systems. Expensive mistakes ensue.

Work with business leaders to understand the general purpose and goals. Then dive deep with end-users to understand the tasks they need to carry out to achieve the set goals. Get details on every step they need to take. Understand how they do it now and what are the pain points. Survey for an ideal scenario. Refine the ideal scenario into efficient workflows "on paper". Then get started on the search. Watch out for any "labels" and "keywords" that may misrepresent needs. End-users may think they need an expensive project management tool, while a simpler task management tool may do the job just as well. Some may say they need an event management platform while they actually need a booking system. Focus on processes, not labels.

In my experience, it is crucial to include members from all functions, roles and regions in the requirements process to ensure coverage and accuracy. Having defined requirements at these detailed levels can also allow these users to evaluate vendor solutions at their own specific levels as part of enterprise testing.

Market research is the most exciting part ! Start wide and progressively narrow down. Start with generic keywords to get an idea what's out there. Slowly narrow down to more specific keywords and start making a long list of "potential fits". Check synonyms of specific keywords, make new keyword combinations and keep adding what you find to the long list. Then go to the most well-known review websites, search relevant categories, compare the top rated ones with those you found through keywords and start ranking. Rank based on features, ease of deployment, pricing, etc. Slowly get to your top 10. Check industry reports. Find out what competitors are using. Get ALL information and methodically discard what's not needed.

Drill down on the features, pricing, ease of deployment, integration options. Start communicating with vendors to understand if you would even like to work with them. Evaluate how fast they respond, how transparent and accurate they are and whether they have a can-do attitude. It's going to cost money and time. Just as any relationship, it needs to be someone reliable and trustworthy, not a scam. Be specific on what you need, what you want to see during the demos and what are the potential expansions down the line.

Vendors. They use big words when they're not talking about XYZ as if everyone has an XYZ system background. They're polished and poised and certainly must know what they're talking about. They're also very skilled in delivering cost overruns and making it your fault. (not all of course). But really, the only way to know is to have worked with them in the past and know that they've worked with companies of your size and industry previously. That's why we partner with 7 NetSuite partners, 9 Dynamics teams, 4 Intacct groups, 3 Acumatica teams, and we're evaluating partridges in pear trees (ha). Actually, finding the exact right match is key - and if you don't work with these folks full time, hard to know.