www.blytheco.comwww.blytheco.com

Are You Ready for

Replatforming?Webinar 4: How to Evaluate Solutions and Build Your

Evaluation Committee

Agenda

Recap: What is Replatforming?What are the common mistakes in Evaluation?What are the steps of Evaluation?Who should be on the Evaluation Committee?How should the Evaluation Committee participate?Next Steps and resources for today

Introductions

Alicia AndersonStrategic MarketingAtlanta, GA-based19 years in ERP/CRM sales, service and marketing

Moving to automation for the first time.Transitioning to a new system.Upgrading an existing system.

What is replatforming?

This series is designed to give you the tools and knowledge

needed to make ERP/CRM transition smooth and minimize

risk.

Industry analyst Mint Jutras reports that 73% of surveyed companies said that “management

driven change was requiring moderate to

substantial ERP change”

Series Introduction – May 7

How to Build a Business Case – June 4

How to Scope Your Project – July 9

How to Evaluate Solutions and Build Your Evaluation Committee – Wednesday - TODAY

Cloud vs. On-Premise - Wednesday, September 3

Know Your Payment Options - Wednesday, September 24

The Series

How to Evaluate Solutions and Build Your Evaluation Committee

3

A formalized structure for guiding the decision processA set of agreed-upon criteria for making a choiceBuy-in from all impacted users and executivesA decision based on quantitative data

These guidelines will give you…

Incomplete requirementsOver-emphasis on costSelection biasFailure to use objective professional servicesNot having the right people on board from the start

Common mistakes in ERP / CRM selectionWhat are some common mistakes that companies make when they choose an ERP or CRM solution?

Define Criteria

Use the Business Case and Project Scope that you developed to define the needed criteria for your new solution

Functional requirements – the “deal-breakers”UsabilityBudgetTimeframeTechnology: Cloud vs. On-Premise. Consulting partner expertiseFuture-proof

Criteria of First-time Buyers

1. Price2. Ease of implementation3. Ease of use4. Fit to the business5. Functionality6. Compatibility with existing tech7. Scalability8. Partner support9. Quality of documentation10. Developer’s track record

Criteria of Experienced Buyers

1. Partner support2. Developer’s track record3. Fit to the business4. Scalability5. Price6. Quality of documentation7. Functionality8. Ease of use9. Ease of implementation10. Compatibility with existing tech

Comparing Criteria of Experienced vs. First-time Buyers

Second-time and subsequent buyers have the advantage of experience and acquired wisdom over their first-time buyer peers. Their rankings are therefore a better guide for those researching business system options.

Research Phase – The Long List

Include industry-specific and general optionsGet recommendations from peersDo web researchSpeak to each of themNarrow down the options

The first step in choosing a solution is to develop the “long list” of possible options

Time to engage with a consulting partnerConduct a detailed assessment of short-list vendorsConduct a high-level discussion with themSchedule a demo

Research Phase – The Short List

Next, narrow down the “long list” into a “short list,” by eliminating solutions that don’t have the “deal-breaker” criteria

What are their capabilities?How much experience do they have?From what location will they serve you?What is their implementation methodology?How will support and training be provided?

Work with an expert

When it’s time to engage with a consulting partner, what questions should you be asking them?

Lay out each Solution OptionGive weighted scores to each for each criteriaGet a sample on our Course site

Develop a Decision Matrix

Working with a Decision Matrix will help you weigh the options in a quantitative way.

The Test Case

Acme Distribution Company

Mid-sized wholesalerExpanding into global marketsUsing legacy systems and siloed spreadsheetsGrowing organically

Let’s walk through building a project scope document for a sample company to help illustrate how this will benefit your company

Be involved in the project initiation phase where the decision making process is agreed uponAssist in the gathering of requirementsAttend the Vendor DemonstrationsComplete quantitative assessments of each short list solution.

The Evaluation Committee

What are the tasks of the Evaluation Committee?

Key stakeholders

Evaluation Team – Key Project Stakeholders

Joe Jones, ControllerBob

Robinson, COO

Jane Smith, Operations Manager

Executive Sponsor

Bill Williams, IT Manager

Evaluation Team – Representatives of User Groups

All impacted team members should be involved!

Put some structure around the evaluation process with:Defined criteriaA long list that becomes a short listA decision matrixAn inclusive evaluation committeeObjective outside assistance

In summary…

Resources for today’s class

Available on http://info.blytheco.com/replatform-resources

Decision Matrix TemplateCopy of this presentationResources from previous classes

Next Classes…

Cloud vs. On-Premise Wednesday, Sept 3

Know Your Payment Options Wednesday, Sept 24