Learn from My Costly Mistakes with Anderson Frank's Netsuite Consultants

After investing over a year and $60,000 with Anderson Frank's Netsuite Consultants, my company has little to show for it. Before delving into my story, I want to clarify that this isn't intended as a condemnation of Anderson Frank. However, armed with hindsight, I wish to share the lessons I've learned, hoping others won't repeat the same costly errors that left us empty-handed.

Key Lessons Learned:

1. Demand Proof for Everything:When engaging a contractor, insist on references and detailed examples of their previous work. Viewing actual solutions is crucial.Make code and related deliverables a requirement when approving invoices for added accountability.
2. Get the Team's Information, It Matters:For contractors with teams, obtain bios and regions of operation for each team member.Be cautious if key team members lack bios, as this could indicate outsourcing without transparency.
3. Thoroughly Scrutinize Contracts:Carefully review contracts, asking specific questions about hypothetical scenarios.Understand that contracts matter, especially in business disputes, and negotiate terms upfront.
4. Avoid Hastiness and Negotiate Everything:Negotiate terms and avoid conceding without reciprocal benefits.Consider starting with preliminary work as a trial to assess compatibility.
5. Require Detailed Estimates and Scope of Work in Writing:Request granular estimates and Scope of Work summaries to maintain accountability.Break down estimates to identify potential issues before they escalate.
6. Set Short-Term Milestones and Checkpoints:Set short-term milestones and conditions for project progress.Early progress indicators help detect deviations and prevent larger deficits.

My Experience with Anderson Frank and the lessons I learned.

The "Need"

In 2016, my company went all-in with Netsuite hoping to solve our Accounting, Sales and Inventory challenges. But there was (and is) still a lot to be desired from the ERP system, namely it lacks DIY tools to automate your lead nurturing process and marketing so salespeople can focus on being good salespeople. Years after we transitioned to Netsuite, our Sales Team still struggled with productivity, leading us to consider a Netsuite developer for customization. That's when we first became aware of Anderson Frank.

The "Solution"

Seemingly like guardian angels who knew where we were struggling, Anderson Frank presented themselves as a solution, contacting almost everyone on our team with resumes of potential candidates to "optimize our Netsuite platform." After a few years of dodging their calls, Anderson Frank's claim to "only recruit the best and brightest NetSuite talent" wooed us into the hope of making big changes, quickly. We started up talks with Anderson Frank and began reviewing resumes of potential contract Netsuite developers.

We found a consultant who operated as a team and was conveniently located nearby. They seemed confident in delivering what was needed to accomplish our business needs and provided an initial ballpark estimate of 40 hours of work. Remember this number. Overall, we felt hopeful that things would get done right because it felt like we were paying a premium and I couldn't imagine any party involved would deliver anything less than utmost professionalism in this situation.

Mistake #1, I did not: Demand Proof for Everything

• Being in a desperate state of mind, I walked into this wanting to believe everything and everyone must have been vetted out beforehand. What I now wish I would have done was to ask for references and examples of work that showed similar solutions being delivered.?

Mistake #2, I did not: Get the Team's Information, It Matters.

• I can't say that if I had done this I would have made a different choice, but it is my belief that I would have stretched out the interviewing process 2-3 times longer before making a decision. I later suspected that the Contractor was contracting outside help. What I now wish I would have done was to ask for everyones' resumes and definitions of their roles.

The "Hesitation"

As things progressed, we were introduced to Anderson Frank's "Terms of Business" contract which we were required to sign to move forward. I'll steer clear of attempting to analyze Anderson Frank's contract–anyone can go to their website to request a copy so you can read it for yourself and draw your own conclusions about what that might mean. There was a brief moment of hesitation, wondering if the terms were too risky. But my belief at that time was that contracts are meant to sound tough for the "worst case scenario" and I believed what mattered more was having good rapport with the individuals, assuming that they'd never hide behind the contract if an undeniable shortcoming occurs. I no longer hold this belief, especially in business.?

Mistake #3, I did not: Thoroughly Scrutinize Contracts.

• What I now wish I would have done was to ask more questions about the contract and asked for exceptions. I would have asked why certain responsibilities in my opinion didn't sound like assurances, rather they seemed to me like blanket releases of liability. If there are limitations on the time you are allowed to dispute something, try to negotiate. If these terms are non-negotiable, perhaps it's a warning sign of the eventual burdens you will have to account for in verifying the work done and deliverables within these limitations. Another way to say this is if someone is being contracted for a home renovation project estimated to take 2 months, but they tell you you can't hold them liable for the wiring done on week 1 after 5 days past having done the wiring, you might reconsider who you are working with.

Mistake #4, I did not: Avoid Hastiness and Negotiate Everything.

• Without getting too deep in the weeds, the contract had specifics as well as another commitment aligning the expectation of weekly minimums. What I now wish I would have done was to ask for exceptions or conditional outcomes, and never to have agreed to a minimum without a written guarantee that those hours can be credited towards work done later. If the urgency of your needs has you glossing over the details, there's a good chance other details will be glossed over elsewhere that might cost you time and money.

"Fool me once"

Urgency got the best of us and we moved forward with the project, signing all of the paperwork without negotiating. We were anxious to put the fears behind us and start making some improvements, hoping that soon we'd get back to our busy schedules while we waited for the Netsuite wizards to do their magic. Because we "didn't know what we didn't know" and we? were trusting that they had our best interests in mind, there were often spans of time when we just had to "wait and see". Timelines began to drag, deliverables were fuzzy, and weekly/biweekly meetings were confusing. Because we didn't get specific upfront about the deliverables and milestones needed to keep the project on schedule, it was hard to put a finger on whether we were on the right course. The revised estimate was up from 40 hours to 74 hours.?

Mistake #5, I did not: Require Detailed Estimates and Scope of Work in Writing.?

• If you are like me, you might assume that when working with a larger enterprise, those involved will showcase their expertise while keeping projects on track and on budget. What I now wish I would have done was to make sure the initial estimate and Scope of Work was spelled out and reviewed weekly.?

Mistake #6, I did not: Set Short-Term Milestones and Checkpoints.?

• Without clear checkpoints, we found ourselves revisiting previous conversations repeatedly and having to regroup often–eating up time and energy that resulted in doubling costs. We had to bear the burden of any confusion because we were obligated to pay for hours worked and there was no exception protecting us from the developer's misunderstandings. What I now wish I would have done was to create more granular milestones, to expect regular demonstration of progress, to hold all parties accountable when progress is not on track, and to require a plan for course correction before proceeding. Without a "north star" to navigate with, our ship was sailing in the dark.?

When we finally realized the project was off track and the total cost was growing, we did voice our concerns to Anderson Frank. It's tough to pinpoint what their role was in addressing the problems, but I can say that the outcome was that we all agreed there was confusion.?

The Contractor showed eagerness to complete what they started and we were encouraged to believe that starting over wasn't necessary. Unfortunately, these lessons weren't learned yet. The deliverables were no more defined than before and the vision of progress was ethereal: we had to wait to see the future automations that could only be verified in the context of using Netsuite, most of which would still take more time. At this time, we had been billed close to 100 hours and we were told they would need about another 30 to finish.?

The "Cold Shower"

After various delays on both sides, we reached what was supposed to be a major milestone–testing the prototype. Cutting right to it, I will simply say that it wasn't what was expected. Because many of the automations were based on the passage of time, testing required waiting days and weeks–it was a giant log jam. Each aspect of the automation had multiple variables as well, resulting in testing being extremely time consuming. As such, the Contractor was left waiting on me for weeks, losing momentum and also diluting the impact of the shortcomings I found. This happened to collide with a long planned trip, which exasperated the delay and racked up some default invoices for minimum hours. But failure was not an option and I was leaning into the personal relationship we had built with the Contractor. They voiced willingness to accommodate the time I needed to proceed.?

Mistake #7, I did not: Prevent Delays from Piling Up by Always Working on Small Tasks.?

Treating the "prototype" as an all-or-nothing piece that needs complete testing, inside-and-out, meant that progress would get delayed no matter what. This overlaps with Mistake #5–not setting Short-Term Milestones, but this point is more about keeping work on a project running on independent timelines to ensure something is always being done. What I now wish I would have done was to quickly provide feedback on the smaller chunks, making sure progress wouldn't halt while I caught up on testing.

While testing was certainly a challenge, the bigger, more frightening realization was that the prototype was quickly beginning to look like a flop. Major requirements were missing or misunderstood. Key objectives were not being delivered due to lesser priority features seeming to have absorbed most of the development time. Meanwhile, everything had waited on me and I wasn't seeing what I had imagined in my mind. It was a mess.

As I saw it, my options were:?

1. Give up and hope to recoup lost money?
2. Make the most of a subpar execution, possibly frustrating my team by giving them a half-baked tool that probably will come with many shortcomings and inconveniences?
3. Make the most of it and fix it

Once again, I chose to keep pushing on and went with #3.

"Fool me Twice"

Blaming myself for the lack of clarity, I attempted to rework the Business Requirements Documentation–striving to make my vision more clear while cutting out anything not crucial. My expectation was that because we had a prototype made, we'd simply have to make some adjustments and this wasn't a do over. The Contractor reviewed the updated direction and came back with another estimate.

Mistake #8, I did not: Demand Accountability When Things Fall Short.

Replaying this situation in my mind, I realize things should never have continued past this point. This was when I should have decided enough was enough. But to admit I had been taken for a ride would mean that the time and money already invested was lost and that I would have to devote energy to fighting to get money back that was squandered–I would have to admit my own foolishness in letting it get this far off course–I would have to go back to my team and admit that after more than 6 months, we were no better off than we started. What I now wish I would have done was to ask myself: "if things haven't worked this far and the Contractor hasn't been able to deliver on most of what I was wanting, what hope is there that giving them more time will change the outcome?"

After reviewing my twice-improved direction, the Contractor estimated they would need another 60-90 hours (approximately). If you're wondering to yourself, "how could he keep falling for this?", know that's what I'm thinking as well. But like a gambling addict down to his last penny, I conceded to the work: "do what you gotta do, I just want the finished product". I thought that surely given everything that has passed, this Contractor would not be okay with another failure and that my latest clarifications were obvious enough to guarantee success.

Reality Bites Back

As you might have already guessed, things did not end "happily ever after". 90 hours became 3 months and 137 hours of bills. Once again, I was left hanging while the Contractor worked to put together another prototype. I requested that they find a solution that allowed me to fast-forward any automation that was based on the passing of time. Hope grew that we had finally gotten close to the finish line and I was given a document to guide me through testing. Upon beginning my testing, reality slapped me hard in the face: basic features still did not work, the guide they provided wasn't clear and what I was given to "test" didn't show me any real automation nor was it any closer to a tangible tool that could help my business. There was nothing left to rationalize, this was a disaster.

This is where the situation became messy and this matter has still not been resolved.

As I had stated above, I had put my trust in the relationships I had made, so my first course of action was to speak to the parties involved and to implore them to see my perspective. How could I continue paying for work that got me nowhere? I thought (and still believe) this situation is not right–regardless of the contract.

But this is where I learned the basis for Mistakes #3 and #4 about contracts: plain and simple, when things get messy in business relationships, contractual obligations become the front-and-center of discussion, not what seems right or fair.?

As you can imagine, there has been a lot of back-and-forth, emails, phone calls. We've ended up seeing many of our worst fears around this realized. I've since come to these conclusions after having a 3rd party look at the work done:?

1. The Contractor Anderson Frank provided was not experienced in this type of automation and did not use best-practices or industry standards.
2. The Contractor Anderson Frank provided grossly overcharged and under-delivered. Having been billed over 300 hours and virtually having nothing of substance afterwards is hard to rationalize.
3. The Contractor Anderson Frank provided should not have been referred to us and did not live up to Anderson Frank's claim to "only recruit the best and brightest NetSuite talent".?If this were even remotely true, I'd have at least something after all of the time and money spent.

One last bit of wisdom to share:?

Mistake #9, I did not: Work directly with Consultants.

• I think this speaks for itself. What I now wish I would have done was to keep looking around for Netsuite developers who work direct with their clients. Were I working directly with the Netsuite consultants in this situation, they might have likely felt responsible to deliver their work as promised and not let the project drag out. In a situation like this, where there is a 3rd party invoicing for hours that are approved in a separate process, the result seems to be that everyone gets a pass by simply stating that they documented every hour billed.?

In the end, this was how I learned some essential lessons about business that more hardened, seasoned professionals might consider common wisdom.

But you don't have to make these mistakes.

• Don't let urgency sway your judgment. Don't let your lack of expertise convince you to just blindly trust an "expert".
• Don't sign contracts without making the other party answer to every aspect and what that will mean.
• Don't let a contractor log work for weeks without showing you their progress weekly.
• Don't leave room to blame yourself when you trust a contractor to get the job done and they don't.
• Don't wait to see if things get better. Have everyone involved acknowledge trends.
• Lastly, if your situation sounds like mine, don't risk working through "recruitment" companies that likely won't take responsibility when the contractors they provide end up failing to deliver or meet professional standards.