Implementation Assurance - Making COTS Work for You

The promise was sweet: instead of developing an application from the very beginning, you will just buy a packaged solution, customise it a little and - voilà! - here is a working system that saves you loads of time and effort: an ERP, lab management application, CRM, billing, etc.

In practice it's different, though: after paying a hefty price for the basic package, you discover that there is a lot of customization to be done to make it work for you. Actually, not so much customization but rather re-writing the SQL queries; and changing the forms; and the core code... And then the vendor tells you that you should have articulated the needs clearly from the start; and they are probably right about that... And then the implementation clock starts ticking - and they charge you by the hour... Finally, you end up with some of your requirement satisfied after spending twice more time and money than you had planned...

Sounds familiar? I venture to guess that large portion of software implementation projects are like that.

So what to do? Abandon the whole idea and start re-inventing the wheel each time instead of implementing COTS?

Here is my suggestion: do Implementation Assurance - Conflair's invention for ensuring that you get what you need from software implementation. The basic idea behind it is simple:

1. Define the requirements for what you need and the criteria for selecting the vendor of a COTS solution.

2. Estimate the gaps between what you need and what the vendor has out-of-the-box.

3. Sign an agreement bearing in mind the costs of bridging the gaps.

4. Track the implementation closely in terms of budget/time spent vs. work done and other parameters (you know, metrics...).

5. Test the product - against your needs rather than the Use Cases the vendor has.

Well, this is just an outline. We have a whole methodology for it. If you want to know more, please drop an e-mail to info@conflair.com.


Technorati tags: software implementation, software packages, COTS,
Lab Management