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Determine your requirements before acquiring a software

When you consider acquiring software, many choices are available. What system should you choose? Is there a procedure? One thing is for sure - the first thing to do is to determine your requirements. Requirements that are clearly defined from the start, along with a logical approach will definitely lead you in the right direction. To better guide you in this process, Maestro recently wrote a maestro* WHITE PAPER that documents the main aspects that deserve special attention. Below is a short overview.

Objectives

Determining the objectives to be achieved by acquiring new software is the starting point. There is however a nuance between requirements and objectives, with the latter being more general than requirements. Furthermore, legal objectives, such as a system that complies with certain standards, must also be considered.

The next step is to decide on the selection method. Are we looking to replace functions that are handled by current systems or do we want software that is adapted to our industry sector? Based on this choice, it is important to realize that software dedicated to vertical markets enable the implementation of new methods that optimize operations. This said, the greatest problem associated with this approach is often resistance by employees due to significant changes in their daily routines.

Planning for the replacement

It is essential to plan for the replacement of the current system. To do this, several steps are crucial before you can even consider which software would be the best choice.

Requirements grid
a detailed list of requirements brings out the essential points and functions for the new acquisition. These requirements must take into account what your current software does, but also tasks performed by parallel systems. Once the list is complete, the relevance of each element must be checked before going on to the next step.

Classification of requirements
classifying requirements (financial aspects, operational finances or operations) makes it possible to determine the extent to which we want or need an information system that handles two or three of these classifications.

Qualifying requirements
qualifying makes it possible to evaluate each item based on the company’s true requirements (requirement - strong, weak or desire). It is also important to identify functions you cannot do without.

Consultant
many consulting firms use predetermined selection grids according to the industrial sector. Grids should however be used very carefully. They may reflect the reality of a company in your sector, but not necessarily in your company.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

For each industry or vertical market, information systems exist to cover at least two, even three classes. These software programs must meet most of your requirements. However, it is preferable to prepare your list of requirements to ensure nothing is omitted or forgotten.

Number of users

An important piece of information that usually has a significant impact on the cost is the number of users. With most software, the number of users is controlled with licenses or concurrent licenses. The second approach is interesting because you can acquire a limited number of licenses that are accessible to multiple users. However, the limitation is that a given license cannot be used by two people at the same time. This nevertheless allows a good number of users to potentially access the system and can be interesting if multiple users only require access occasionally.

Communications

Technological solutions are becoming more common. Whether you need a line installed on the job site or mobile Internet for laptops or Windows CE cellular phones and computers, staying connected at lower costs is becoming ever more important.

These solutions use emerging platforms with significant costs and complexity. This makes it important to be sure the need is real and that the investment will generate an interesting return.

Other factors

Other factors can affect your final decision. It is very important to consider them from the start to be sure your choice meets the requirements.

• Budget
• Term of the investment
• Custom programming necessary or not
• Choice of supplier

Conclusion

A successful implementation of enterprise resource planning software starts with good preparation and careful thought about the objectives and requirements to be met. If all of this work is done correctly from the start, choosing the supplier should be much easier.