That's not how it works - I live in the real world
Believe it or not, this comment came up multiple times in various forms...and I agree with them all. In fact, as we presented our methodology, we pointed out in several areas where we did not do what we said. You know the phrase "Do as I say and not as I do"? Well that certainly applied to us. We stuck to this methodology as much as possible, but ultimately we skipped a few steps along the way either by design (you can do that) or by mistake. Looking back if we could do it all over again, we would have done more along the lines of what we presented.
Probably the biggest reason given about the real world is that people don't really have the time or the resources to go through an in depth selection process. On the contrary...if you think you don't have the resources or time to go through this process, think about what it will be like after you've spent the money and time implementing the first/cheapest solution you figure out that you have to start from scratch because the solution you chose is not capable. I'm thinking if you don't have a lot of resources, you can't afford to screw it up the first time...so you better do it right. Just like you wouldn't go buy the first car on the first dealer lot you came across, you shouldn't buy the first software package you find.
Ultimately, we presented a methodology that worked (for the most part) for us along with some lessons learned along the way. I think if people can take some of that and apply that to their next software selection process then you'll be much better off.
I liked your presentation, but I didn't need to know that - I have a solution already
I think this comment only came up once, but it was enough to stick with me. I think it stuck with me because the comment seemed so short sighted. The world is constantly changing. One of our reference checks told us that they go through a full evaluation process for their EDI platform every 3-5 years. The average IT professional on average changes companies every 3 years. If you're not willing to change to adapt to the times, the times will leave you behind. You may not have a need for this information now because you have a stable platform, but what if your software vendor sunsets your solution and now you have an unsupported piece of software. Either you keep the solution and risk it, or you have to find something new. I'm thinking at some point in every IT professional's career you will need to know how to select a software solution. And even if you don't, this methodology will work for just about anything.
Great presentation...who did you choose?
At this point, I am still not able to share who we selected as a platform. Hopefully that time will come soon.
