Best Practices – Ten questions to answer before choosing commercial software

As the technology continues to progress, hundreds of software on the market are available. As an IT manager or professional, and are overwhelmed to decide what is good for business? This is a program that meets the needs of the company, and is an effective way to implement the system? We must abandon the existing systems, with which users feel comfortable? If the new system saves time and money! Program Guide software requires planning and forecasting. Read the ten (10) to do the question of the organization – and answer – should package.An before choosing a software organization at least ten questions before selecting a management information system will be answered. First What are the goals of the organization? Why do you want / need the software? What are the drivers, and what you hope to gain through the implementation of the system to achieve? The proposed system replaces one or more of the plant? The organization wants to keep the “advanced” technology? Another How fit is your business? Requires the preparation of the new company and the experience will lead the organization’s vision of life systems and strategies, needs analysis and planning, design, configuration, implementation and support. Those who have the vision and strategy, business plan, management plan, and the sample are more likely in the implementation of institutions that are not in place to succeed on these things. The provision also requires a measure of the maturity of the organization’s ability to use the new technology. Are you happy working with the software “beta” a new, mature, or software “bugs”? Are you an innovator at the top of most markets or the technology? Third, Who are the beneficiaries? What is a community of users? Do you plan to use the software on your site or sites? If the number of seats, how much? Sites have different supervisors? How many users do not? How many users can not wait for the system (“Traffic”)? The answers to these questions will help in the design and implementation configuration.4. What you need, so high? What are the main processes, automate tasks, such as task management, compliance management, incident management, design calculations, monitoring of Key Performance Indicators (KPI), electronic content management and collaboration? What are the functional needs and priorities of users? Needs assessment and analysis of detailed business requirements and identifying the needs and priorities. You can change the priorities needed to qualify as “requirements” versus “nice to have” if something is required by the regulation, the sensitivity of time and the organization (in time or cost savings or reduction), to automate business processes in particular. Fifth, this integration or interfaces needed? Consider the size of the enterprise IT architecture, including software for enterprise resource planning system. If the need for close integration such as finance, accounting and production systems? If the interfaces are needed, eg , Supply chain, human resources, scientific and regulatory systems? What is the software code for the integration and interfaces required, the code now? What naming conventions are used when more than one system is the information? What the system is a priority? The sixth is required? What materials and standards for software companies? Are the rules on the avoidance of IT solutions from a technical point of view? The proposed system communicates with other systems? Society promotes the use of cloud computing and Software as a Service, or rather, that all the software resides on the property, the company behind a firewall? What are the requirements for system performance (eg speed, number of transactions, the size of the database), security and surveillance? If the company offers Internet services at low or intermittent, it requires the introduction of online information and the ability to synchronize? Seventh Degree of adaptation is required? While commercial software is rarely “one size fits all”, it allows the majority of today for the configuration without having the basic structure of the program. Some companies have to adapt their software code and / or changes to the basic structure for their needs. Common adjustments include the integration and interfaces, user interface, data entry, reports, documents and training.8. As the planned schedule for the project? What are the drivers of the project? Time considerations, temporary, budget cycles and approval of expenditure and project coordination with other systems. The regulatory authority based on the duration of the project, the company needs to implement a temporary basis, or in parallel? For example, an organization from applying the rules in one place rather than another benefit, or it will not advertise on the whole company? Can benefit the organization through the implementation of the module and other modules? Ninth What resources are needed to implement? What are the top-level domains (substance), and skills? The project, called specialized in specific software experience? Has the industry, enterprises and existing know-how in a certain place value to the project team? How many people have applied? It is the right company, materials and resources at home? This is the project manager, or rely on third parties? What is the tenth business model? Justification of the system can solve a difficult problem. Every software project makes sense financially and business models, so that only the non-financial, such as Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), Return on investment (ROI) and Economic Value Added (EVA), do not tell the whole truth. The company should also examine the reasons for risk management in the company’s image and streamline business processes .