The 3 P's of System Selection: A Thoughtful Guide

These elements, we refer to as “The 3 P’s”:  Product, Price, and Partner. The 3 P’s, we find, help organisations avoid falling into the trap of thinking too narrowly about what they want, and help stimulate critical thinking about what’s truly important for your organisation’s unique needs.

How we pick a new system: Fluid's Spec & Select approach. 

Product: Best Fit for Current and Future Needs

The product you choose should not only align with your current needs but also have the agility to adapt to future demands. It’s essential to clarify your requirements and pain points to ensure the system you select can handle your business’s unique challenges and growth trajectory. Consider the system’s scalability, customisability, and integration capabilities with your existing infrastructure, and whether cloud provision is the smart choice.

Any system you choose will involve a compromise between tailoring the solution to meet your requirements, versus adapting your business processes to work with out of the box functionality. The questions you need to determine in the solution evaluation is what your ‘must have’ requirements are, vs the ‘nice to haves’, the extent to which the system will need to be configured or customised to meet your core requirements, and the cost and time to make these adaptations, (with customisation being more expensive and riskier than configuration changes).

A thorough IT discovery process - a complimentary service we also help clients with - can help with this by providing clarity on your business strategy and identify opportunities or gaps within your system landscape, as well as establishing a target systems architecture that helps contextualise your system selection.

Price: Balancing Cost and Value

Price is more than just the initial implementation or ongoing licence costs; it’s about understanding the total cost of ownership and contrasting this against the total value the system brings to your organization. When evaluating the price, factor in the long-term benefits such as increased productivity, reduced manual processes, and enhanced data insights. It’s crucial to analyse the return on investment and consider the cost of not only implementation but also ongoing maintenance and support. Remember, the cheapest option may not always be the most cost-effective in the long run.

Many solutions providers have very opaque and complicated pricing and licencing models, with a smorgasbord of different modules, and licencing tiers, designed to confuse and making like for like comparison on price difficult. This is again where the importance of establishing your must have requirements comes in, as a detailed understanding of these is often required in order to understand the exact combination of modules and licencing tiers you will need, and avoid any unpleasant surprises of additional costs further down the line.

Partner: A New System is for Life, not just for Christmas

Given the level of investment new systems implementations require (both financial, people and business time and disruption), you ideally will want your new investment to last at least 10 years, if not more. Its vital therefore to ensure that the partner who will be supporting you and your new solution are the right fit for you and your business, before you embark on a long term relationship with them.

The right solution partner can make all the difference in a successful system implementation, and your ongoing adoption and adaptation of the system over its lifecyle. Look for a partner who understands your business goals, is proactive, aligned to your support needs, has a good track record and a customer-centric ethos, and evaluate their claims by speaking to reference clients, and reviewing online feedback. The right partner will have strong cultural alignment, sharing your values and commitment to collaboration and innovation.  

Conclusion: A Framework for Future Success

The “3 P’s” provide an overarching framework for making an informed system selection. By carefully assessing the product’s features, understanding the full cost implications, and choosing a partner who aligns with your business objectives, you are setting up a foundation for success. This approach ensures that your investment supports both your immediate needs and long-term goals, and will help drive growth and innovation.

Selecting a new system is a critical decision that will impact your organisation for years to come. Fluid’s spec and select process is designed to help ensure the decision you make is the right one. We offer a structured approach that includes detailed needs analysis, market research, and vendor evaluation, ensuring every aspect of the 3 P’s is considered. This thorough process helps you avoid pitfalls and choose a system that truly meets your requirements.

The role of a Business Analyst is vital in this process. Acting as a liaison between your business and technical teams, a BA ensures that all requirements are clearly defined and accurately translated into technical specifications. This clarity helps prevent missteps and ensures that the chosen system fits your business perfectly, supporting both current operations and future growth.

Remember, finding the right system is about more than just picking a product; it’s about making a strategic choice that aligns with your business’s future. With Fluid’s expertise and a well-structured selection process, you can confidently navigate the complexities of system selection and secure a solution that drives your organisation forward.

For further reading on where Fluid has driven Spec & Select project success view our Customer Story here.