ERP Selection Process Deliverables
The following are typical physical deliverables of the SoftSelect ERP selection services:
- ERP selection training: SoftSelect methodology documentation, methodology and tool usage webinars, and other training as noted in this proposal.
- Business process boundary diagram: The diagram that shows the selection team’s estimate of what portions of overall company business processes are expected to be controlled by ERP software. This diagram is mainly used in helping determining what ERP modules and other software parts are necessary for your company.
- ERP candidate Long-List: ERP software candidate Long-List with standard research details and verbal insight to support the list.The list may include relevant pure-play cloud ERP offerings.
- Business process Discovery: Results of the phase-1 process interviews are organized by business process categories. This information includes (1) improvement ideas, (2) statements of current problems, (3) processes that are unusual and (4) other observations from the business process interviews.
- High-level differentiators (HLDs): List of your company’s business process support priorities (HLDs) that are mainly used to narrow the Long-List to a Short-List. They are also influential in the final selection.
- Long-List software candidate performance: Phase-2 performance reports showing how each long list candidate met your company’s selection screening factors to do with (1) process support functionality, (2) strength of ERP system tools, (3) projected software costs, (4) status of contracts, (5) implementation strength, and (6) ERP seller viability.
- ERP license cost control tools: Spreadsheet tool and documented best practices and instructions. These items will streamline the discussion of software costs and terms with candidate software vendors and improve the results achieved.
- ERP demonstration script structure: Documented structure and guidance to finalist software vendors to help them prepare and, during the demonstration, deliver information more in line with what the selection team is seeking.
- Implementation service cost and terms control process: Spreadsheet tool and documented best practices and instructions. These items will streamline the discussion of service costs and terms with candidate implementation service providers and improve the results achieved.
- ERP license and maintenance contracts: Marked up contracts for the two finalists ERP vendors showing original changes and additions that are sought in a final version of the contract.
- ERP implementation services contracts: Marked up contracts for the two finalists ERP implementers showing original changes and additions that are sought in a final version of the contract.
- ERP project cash flow plan: This model projects when cash is estimated to be needed to pay for software licenses, infrastructure, services, and other costs to reach a go-live event with new ERP.
In addition to the physical deliverables, the main purpose and value of our selection services is related to:
- Protecting project momentum
- Lowering the stress on your team members
- Greatly lowering ERP license and maintenance costs
- Significantly improving long-term commercial relationship control with extensive contract fixes
- Improving the overall confidence in selection decisions—and a positive impact to implementation confidence
Results
The key results of SoftSelect ERP selection assistance for our clients are:
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Lowered risks and barriers to top-level ERP project success
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Effective use of your team's valuable capacity
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Favorable price and terms for software—often 50% savings
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Project momentum is easily maintained
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High selection confidence
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Improved implementation readiness
Negotiating ERP costs is complicated and the ERP software vendors take advantage of the buyer’s lack of experience. SoftSelect’s experience and influence helped us level the playing field. We clearly saved money and lowered our long term risk.
SoftSelect was a great partner throughout the process of choosing an ERP solution. They helped us control the terms throughout the ERP buying process, and we achieved impressive results in reduced ERP license fees. Having an experienced partner like SoftSelect, helped us negotiate for the products we need and set our expectations for the process of implementing these solutions.
Long term ERP license costs were initially very difficult to calculate. Working with SoftSelect we were able to insist on a predicable ERP license fee approach and achieve much lower initial and ongoing license fee costs.
