Outsourced software evaluation - risks and benefits

In our new series for ongoing  software evaluation we present part two.  Last week was Increasing ERP success rates, this week we examine the advantages on if you should outsource your company's evaluation process. 

Now that you have decided evaluate enterprise software for your organization, what now, how do you go about this and what steps are involved, how long should it take, what do I need to do internally to get buy-in, to get ready to make the correct choice, what sources of information should I trust, which vendors should I trust, how much budget is allocated to the evaluation process  are all questions that should be asked from the onset.  

Many organizations decide that they need to evaluate enterprise software but do not know where to start.  Outside of generic steps, there are hardly any properly documented processes that focus specifically on software evaluation . It's hard for organizations to understand the full scope, importance, procedure, risks and implementation implications of choosing the wrong software for the organization.  A wrong, incomplete, rushed evaluation method and bias introduction within the organization can be detrimental to the outcome for software evaluation success. 

A best practice approach that many organizations have adopted is to outsource the software selection process. The expertise that software evaluation requires is a specific documented procedure that achieves the proper ROI, lowers implementation risk by identifying potential issues early on in the evaluation process, a documented method that has actionable measureable steps with actual outcomes that can be quantified. 

Organizations that specialize in software evaluations that do not sell, implement software or partner with vendors will provide the most effective sources for a proper software evaluation.  Benefits from an unbiased software selection process will enable the organization to focus on its core business during the evaluation, not having to worry about valuable personnel resources doing two jobs and not pay the proper attention to detail that is required, reduce time spent on selection which results in savings and eliminates company biases.  A structured approach to follow will maximize the effort in software evaluation.  A methodology that combines sound evaluation procedures coupled with the technology will assist your organization success in the evaluation process.