You have your software choices narrowed down. Now it's time to look at the bottom line. Cost is always important in your software package selection. This spreadsheet will make sure there are no hidden costs that you haven't considered.
Buying a software package? How do you know which package best suits your business environment and which vendor will serve you best? This checklist will help you evaluate the key questions and tend to the important details of procuring the right packaged application.
What is our purpose in acquiring and using an application package and what compromises are permissible? Determine the key business drivers, must-haves and tradeoffs before you begin the acquisition and implementation process. This information is critical to making a business case for a packaged application business solution.
Deploying an application solution package in a banking environment is complicated and challenging. This Microsoft Project plan based on a real project shows you how.
Here's a sample Project Plan (in Microsoft Project format) on which you can model your application package evaluation/selection project.
If you need a quick Application Selection Project, this plan is for you. Strategy, vendor evaluation and value streams are integrated with selecting the right package.
Choosing package vendors is never easy. Let this checklist guide you in making that all important first cut.
There are lots of packaged applications out there, so which is the right one for your business? This thorough questionnaire and checklist will cover the important aspects of the selection process so that you can make an informed decision on a package and vendor. It is particularly oriented toward data warehouse/business intelligence packages, but can be adapted to other kinds of vendor application packages.
A necessary step in both selecting and implementing a package is detailing the technical requirements required to run the application. Identify the hardware/software environment, interfacing systems, operational and backup procedures, and other key technical requirements.
Compare conferencing packages by the features they offer and select the package that fits your needs.
COTS, customized, and ready to go! Use this checklist to verify deployment-readiness and record issues that have arisen during customization and implementation of your application package.
How do you weed out the vendors among hundreds of products, philosophies and promises? How can you make the right choice? This template provides you with six criteria to evaluate package software vendor solutions.
This matrix will help you define the changes you'll have to make to the existing hardware/software environment so that the application package will work properly.
The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a quantitative decision-making methodology that uses pair-wise comparisons to determine the importance of relative evaluation criteria and the relative strengths of decision alternatives. This document is a crash-course in AHP and is designed to help get you making difficult project decisions (particularly package software-related ones) quickly, confidentally and rationally.
Itemize the software and middleware tools, hardware components and communication components that comprise your technical architecture, with justification for choosing each.
There is lots of great information available on how to use agile methods for custom software development projects, but less so for package implementations. Commercial-Off-The-Shelf solutions make up a large percentage of the IT projects undertaken by companies each year, and many organizations are missing out on benefits that an agile package approach can bring.
The Project Portfolio Management (PPM) Software Evaluation tool has been developed to support individuals in evaluating and selecting a portfolio management tool that is appropriate for their organizations. The tool provides a comprehensive set of dimensions that represent the attributes that organizations should take into consideration when selecting a PPM software package. As you proceed through the evaluation, each section includes a link to a more detailed guide to help you make the most of the tool. The PPM Software Evaluation tool has been designed to be flexible and responsive to the needs of your organization. It can be expanded to include additional dimensions that are also relevant to your organization, and enables you to define the specific criteria you are looking for.
Use this template for tracking your package vendor relationships.
Making your website e-commerce enabled is a big undertaking. Use this plan to make it more manageable.
This procedure defines the activities involved in the lifecycle of software product development .
Need a large-scale application package and don't know where to start to pick one? This Microsoft Project plan details how to evaluate qualified vendors and packages, then guides you through the process of selecting an application package for implementation.
Here's an at-a-glance reference that itemizes what those application packages can do and how well their representative vendors stand up to your requirements.
There's a lot to consider when selecting a Data Warehouse toolset. Use this comprehensive tool evaluation matrix to guide your final selection.
Improved deliverable! Selecting a database can be a daunting task. Use this form to help you make the best choice based on selection criteria and product evaluation ratings. Don't understand the terms? Then check out the glossary.
Engaged in the path of transforming their business processes, many organizations need to choose between multiple options available to satisfy their needs. This deliverable is a sample template discussed in the article "The Bumpy Road to Alternate Service Delivery", which presents some practical advice for the analysis and selection process.
Know the technical foundation on which you will be setting up your application package -- do a gap assessment of the existing and new technical environment.
So, you're in the market to buy a software package, and you're putting that RFP together. Take a few minutes to go through this checklist to make sure you aren't forgetting anything important.
How much will implementing, customizing, operating and upgrading an application package cost? Analyze how it fits your budget with the package cost spreadsheet.
Which application packages and vendors are right for your project and how will you go about finding that out? This comprehensive list of evaluation activities and approach methods guides you through conducting the package evaluation process and choosing the finalists.
You'll be able to see what interfaces with what by looking at these diagrams.
Part of the application package evaluation process is to assess the need for third-party vendor support. This simple template profiles third-party vendors who can provide support to your application package.
This assessment will help you decide if the application package you are evaluating does what it needs to do in your particular business environment and whether it's worth implementing.
Should you implement an application package? Will it meet your business objectives, deliver what you want, benefit your business and provide value in the process? Spell it out with this spreadsheet.
The application package won't be perfect out of the box. It will need modifications to make it fully serve your business needs. Use this matrix to guide you in identifying the necessary changes.
To outsource various types of functions (including software development/maintenance, data center and network operations, backup/recovery services, data storage management services, system administration services, etc.), you need to conduct a broad assessment of the capabilities of an outsourcing services provider. Use this outline as your guide.
This matrix will help you determine which systems and their components will be replaced, changed or impacted by the new application package.
How do you decide which application package vendors are suitable candidates for your project? Make sure industry and in-house benchmark standards factor into the mix.
Your project indicators must go beyond past phases and address readiness for upcoming tasks and activities. This is one of six principles for implementing a project assurance methodology that can help minimize surprises, provide objective analysis, and build trust among team members and stakeholders.
Are your customers getting the service they want from your Call Center? Do you need to implement a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) package to improve Call Center service? Use this Microsoft Project plan to assess the fit of a CRM package into your business.
Assess the scope, impact ranking and criticality of each business change required to implement a particular application package.
Improved deliverable! Is it worth it to implement a particular application package? This assessment will help you estimate the complexity of implementing that package in your business and technical environment.
What projects do you need to conduct to fully implement the application package you've selected? Might be a big job -- better assess what and when.
What is involved in conducting an evaluation test for an application package? Here's a guide for reporting the test requirements, procedures and results.
Keeping track of the critical performance factors of the new application package is a key to the success of the package. Use this chart to ensure success!
It is important to define your project’s technical architecture early in the process, with input from the team. This includes all the hardware, software and other technologies your project requires. It will need to be flexible, but the sooner you get it right, the better off your budget and schedule will be.
Need help selecting a Data Warehouse toolset? You must consider many factors regarding vendor service and reputation, tool functionality and tool quality against your technical and business requirements when selecting Data Warehouse construction and implementation tools. Let this matrix guide your selection.
Engaged in the path of transforming their business processes, many organizations need to choose between multiple options available to satisfy their needs. This deliverable is a sample template discussed in the article "The Bumpy Road to Alternate Service Delivery", which presents some practical advice for the analysis and selection process.
Engaged in the path of transforming their business processes, many organizations need to choose between multiple options available to satisfy their needs. This deliverable is a sample template discussed in the article "The Bumpy Road to Alternate Service Delivery", which presents some practical advice for the analysis and selection process.
Engaged in the path of transforming their business processes, many organizations need to choose between multiple options available to satisfy their needs. This deliverable is a sample template discussed in the article "The Bumpy Road to Alternate Service Delivery", which presents some practical advice for the analysis and selection process.
Are you implementing a package in a distributed application development environment? You need a plan for the full implementation cycle, from planning and requirements analysis through deployment. Here's a sample from a Warehousing/Shipping environment.
