Software and Vendor Selection Strategy

Making a big decision on which software or vendor to choose for a major system? Unlike an RFP process – where vendors are very good at responding in ways that are truthful and informative, but not revealing – our Blueprint process yields trustworthy results.

Define your business and technical requirements, then put the burden on vendors to prove how their solutions stack up.

Make a right-sized choice with our scenario-based process

Not An RFP Process

Buyers are not as good as they should be at transforming their business needs and plans into crisp, clear, pertinent requirements, and segregating “needs” from “wants.” And the RFP process rarely produces results that are repeatable, predictable, and generally regarded as “fair.”

Clarity and Focus

System requirements are described in the context of key business process flows. Meritide’s Blueprint is a derivative of the Kepner-Tregoe® Decision Analysis process with a scenario-based approach to evaluating alternatives.

Blueprint Assumptions

We assume that a project has been formally chartered, a cross-functional team has been commissioned, and that key business processes the system is intended to enable have been identified, documented, and are rightly understood.

Unbiased Consultation

Meritide assists and guides each client through an assessment of its business strategies, the required business and vendor software infrastructure that meets their needs, and implementation plans to achieve the desired outcomes.

Meritide's Proprietary Blueprint Methodology

Our unique Blueprint methodology focuses on technology, business processes, and how people use the technology and processes in your business. A Meritide CIO consultant leads the four-phase approach with clear objectives, activities, and deliverables.

meritide-software-vendor-selection-blueprint-process 042417

The Blueprint Process Utilizes a 4-Phased Approach

Clarify Purpose

The goal of the initiation phase is to specifically state the decision to be made and formulate the evaluation criteria. Activities include organizing the project team, interviewing stakeholders, and understanding key business processes.

Evaluate Alternatives

The goal of this phase it to generate a large list of vendors, select a “short list” of vendors for evaluation, and conduct evaluations. It’s critical to develop demonstration scenarios that will prove or disprove their ability to meet requirements.

Assess Risks

The goal of this phase is to identify potential adverse consequences, assess the threat of each adverse consequence, and address risks based on their probability and severity. The result is a risk matrix with mitigation strategies.

Make the Decision

The goals of this phase are to make the best balanced choice (i.e. maximum gain with acceptable risk), negotiate the contract, and prepare for the actual implementation. It’s imperative to develop an implementation plan before making the final decision.