ERP selection criteria

Ask the Right Questions to Ensure Project Success

Picking an software package is a difficult and time consuming thing to do. Regardless of the package - ERP, manufacturing, distribution, accounting, etc. - it is a time consuming and often times confusing process. It is not something that organizations engage in on a regular basis (at least hopefully). As a result, they tend to spend most of their time concentrating on their specific business requirements and how the software packages meet these requirements. This leaves almost no focus or time spent to ascertain how the software supplier actually runs their business.

That's why it's as essential to discover what it's like doing business with a software vendor as it is to learn about the solution's overall functionality. Remember that when you select a software package, you choose both the package and the vendor. As a result, your software selection should result in forming the same type of alliance or partnership with the software vendor as you would with any other key supplier. You will enter a long-term relationship with the software vendor, typically lasting the system's entire life cycle.

To help you get to know the vendors behind the solutions you are considering, the Software Selection Toolkit includes the top 15 questions to ask ERP software suppliers during the selection process.