ERP RFP Archives - Innovate. Integrate. Transform. Run.

FIXING Stupid SAP Vendor – Partner Selection RFI – RFP Processes
FIXING Stupid SAP Vendor – Partner Selection RFI – RFP Processes

FIXING Stupid SAP Vendor – Partner Selection RFI – RFP Processes

By Bill Wood|February 21st, 2011|

I am always amazed at how much time, energy, money, and effort companies spend on the SAP Request for Information (RFI) and Request for Proposal (RFP) processes. Many companies spend months, and in some cases even years, evaluating, analyzing, and preparing for an RFI or RFP. During the RFI and RFP preparation stage, senior management and staff are involved. At times, a dozen or more employees may be involved. When you add it all up, it can easily cost your company tens of thousands, hundreds o [...]

SAP Success Factors for Vendor Selection – Responsibility Matrix 2
SAP Success Factors for Vendor Selection – Responsibility Matrix 2

SAP Success Factors for Vendor Selection – Responsibility Matrix 2

By Bill Wood|October 18th, 2010|

Based on a combination of the academic literature [FN1] and my personal experience, I have put together the following SAP and ERP Critical Success Factor Responsibility Matrix. The large “A” indicates a primary responsibility, a small “z” indicates a secondary responsibility, and a blank field indicates no direct responsibility. This is part of the continuing series on managing the SAP vendor relationship to ensure SAP project success. To do so, you need to review the SAP critical success facto [...]

ERP Software Selection: Do you want to be a Guinea Pig?
ERP Software Selection: Do you want to be a Guinea Pig?

ERP Software Selection: Do you want to be a Guinea Pig?

By Steve Phillips|August 9th, 2010|

“If the software functionality does not do what we need it to do, nothing else really matters.” Back in the 1980’s, IT department preferences or mandates for specific proprietary mainframe technologies drove many ERP software decisions. They focused on the technologies the IT department could (or would) support, not the mainframe software that best satisfied business needs. Later in the 1990’s, the mainframe vs. open system (client/server) wars caused many to take a blind leap of faith into ope [...]

More on Vendor Selection Criteria and Methods for ERP Project Success
More on Vendor Selection Criteria and Methods for ERP Project Success

More on Vendor Selection Criteria and Methods for ERP Project Success

By Bill Wood|June 29th, 2010|

Using the RFI and RFP Process for your ERP or SAP Education During the vendor selection process, you should use the RFI (Request for Information) and RFP (Request for Proposal) processes to solicit comments, methods, tools, and resource examples of how knowledge transfer will be handled. In other words, be sure to actively engage in the RFI and RFP processes rather than simply using them as some kind of a checklist or scorecard for the correct vendor. This is your first and best chance to gain [...]

SAP Implementation Partner or Company Selection Criteria
SAP Implementation Partner or Company Selection Criteria

SAP Implementation Partner or Company Selection Criteria

By Bill Wood|June 5th, 2010|

Project success depends on an implementation partner's ability to ensure business transformation occurs. Can the SAP implementation partner or company deliver business process engineering together WITH the new system? Or, as with so many of them, do they just install systems and call that an implementation? Lately, I have been focused on developing a solid and repeatable ERP software and vendor selection process. While reviewing the academic literature and reflecting on my time working with SAP [...]

Sales, Software Selection Scams, and Performing Your Own Software Selection
Sales, Software Selection Scams, and Performing Your Own Software Selection

Sales, Software Selection Scams, and Performing Your Own Software Selection

By Bill Wood|March 11th, 2010|

A while back, I did a proposal to help a fairly large retailer do a software and vendor selection. Because of my many years of experience with SAP, they were concerned about whether I could be objective and unbiased. That is not only a fair question, but a critically important question. I decided to approach this sales presentation effort differently by providing solid, verifiable, and objective methods to evaluate software fit as well as vendor fit. Although the client company was gracious, acc [...]