Finding the One
Selecting an ERP is two decisions that get treated as one: which product, and which implementation partner. The second one determines the outcome more often than the first.
Why it matters
Mainstream products in the same tier are more alike than their sales cycles suggest. What differs materially is fit to your particular constraints, the partner doing the work, and the total cost across ten years rather than three.
- The partner is the larger variable: The same product succeeds and fails depending on who implements it and who from your side works with them.
- Requirements must be weighted before demonstrations: After a demonstration, criteria drift towards what was shown well.
- Total cost is ten years: Licence or subscription, implementation, internal effort, support, and the next upgrade.
The workflow
- 01
Requirements
Documented and weighted — must, should, could — before any vendor sees them.
- 02
Market scan
A shortlist appropriate to the organisation's size and complexity, not to its aspiration.
- 03
Scripted demonstrations
Vendors demonstrate your scenarios with your data, not their showcase.
- 04
Reference checks
Organisations of similar size and sector, contacted directly, asked what went wrong.
- 05
Partner assessment
The named individuals proposed, their availability, and their record on comparable work.
- 06
Commercial evaluation
Ten-year total cost, including the internal share and the exit position.
- 07
Decision and contract
Scored against the weighted criteria, with the recorded rationale.
Assess the people, not the firm. Contract the named individuals with named availability, because the team at the pitch is very often not the team that arrives.
What you need in place
- Weighted criteria agreed before contact with vendors: And not changed after a demonstration.
- Your own scripted scenarios: Including the awkward ones and your real volumes.
- Independent references: Ones you found, not only ones supplied.
- Ten-year cost model: With the internal effort included.
- Exit terms: Data extraction rights and format, agreed at signature not at divorce.
- Probity discipline where it applies: Public and government-owned entities have procurement obligations that govern the whole process.
Questions to ask
01Weighting
Were criteria weighted before demonstrations?
If after, the process has been shaped by the demonstrations.
02Scenarios
Did vendors demonstrate our scenarios or theirs?
Only one of those tells you anything.
03Team
Who are the named consultants, and are they contracted?
The pitch team's presence is not a commitment.
04References
Did we find references ourselves?
Supplied references are selected, not representative.
05Total cost
What is the ten-year cost including our own effort?
Three-year comparisons favour whoever defers cost.
06Exit
How do we get our data out, in what format?
Agreed now, or it is a negotiation under pressure.
07Fit
Which requirements does this not meet, and what will we do instead?
Every product fails some; know which before signing.
Metrics and KPIs to track
Requirement fit
Weighted score by product, standard against configured against built.
Reference coverage
Independent references contacted.
Total cost of ownership
Ten-year, by component, by option.
Key personnel commitment
Named consultants contracted with availability.
Decision traceability
Criteria, scores and rationale recorded.
Alongside this