Your team just presented you with a game-changer software that will solve your thorniest problems. They’ve stayed within budget and can’t wait to show you the demo and send you the contract. It’s time to be sure you’re making the right choice – how can you tell if this product is the solution over something else? Or – maybe you already have what you need. The journey to ease through technology can be trickier than expected but you need to hold the keys. Here are three practical best practices before you consider any new system:??
- ?Zoom Out and Name the Things: Strip away the dazzle of sophisticated features and be sure that your team has had a clear think about what’s truly needed. Stay out of “solution mode” and really map the problem. Are you looking to organize projects? Manage lists? Track communications? Share information? How does it happen now? Why is that no longer working? What’s nonnegotiable, and what’s a “nice to have?” If you finish that exploration before vetting specific products, you’ll be better mapping your landscape of needs. And better still, you’ll have a clear foundation from which you can generate a Request for Proposals (RFP) from vendors.??
- ?Garbage in, Garbage Out?: Stop me if you’ve heard this one: “well we have a system, but no one knows how to use it, so we just need something else.” We hate to say it, but in that case, new software isn’t going to help. If that’s the message, dig deep: explore the capabilities of what’s already in place. A “cleanup,” ongoing training, and a new culture prioritizing good data hygiene may be an easier, cheaper alternative. It’s a viable but often invisible alternative but it’s yours to mention (it’s certainly not the candidate vendor’s job to tell you to stay put).??
- ?Be Sure Everyone Plays Well in The Sandbox. From email to messaging tools, from accounting software to donor databases, almost every nonprofit already had an ecosystem of platforms. And through APIs and other mechanisms, these platforms are getting better and better at talking to each other, eliminating the need for manual entry and updating. Don’t make work harder by adopting a new system that’s the odd one out. Ensure ahead of time that you have a clear vision for how you want this new system to integrate into your existing systems and workflows. And be sure your tech staffers have a clear understanding of what’s needed to put that integration in place. The added cost of critical but custom API may shift a decision about which platform wins the bid.??
?Remember, the goal is not just to implement a new tool, but to enhance your organization's effectiveness and further your mission. You don’t have to be a tech wizard, but by taking these steps, you’ll help your team focus on understanding, and meeting, your true needs.?
