The idea seemed almost too nice to be true: instead of building a new system, with all the pain of going through requirements, design, development, testing, etc., we will buy one ready-made, customize it just a bit here and there, and use it. The vendor seems solid, the system is utilized by thousands of companies around the world – what could go wrong? Too nice to be true it was indeed. Here we are, after two years: twelve months past the deadline, the system is not working, thrice the originally planned budget spent on customizations. Too late to bail out, yet the end is nowhere in sight.
Sounds familiar? The sweet promise of buy-instead-of-build too often turns out to be a costly nightmare rather than a cost-saver. Is there a way out? Can the promise of off-the-shelf software solutions be realized?
We at Conflair have designed a special service in order to make sure you get what you pay for when buying enterprise-grade software solutions:
Implementation Assurance. The idea is to define very clearly what you need, choose the system that comes close, and make sure the vendor delivers. Sounds like a no-brainer, yet we have a method that makes sure it works:
- Defining requirements - we will list clearly and concisely what do you need from the software system. Knowing there you want to go is the first and necessary step in any successful journey.
- Evaluating available software packages - once we know what you need, we can see whether all the cool systems out there would work for you. Sometimes you would have a dozen candidates, and then a more in-depth evaluation will be needed. In other cases we would find out that none of the three hundred options will work for you, and developing a new system is a better route.
- Choosing a vendor and signing the agreement - the requirements become part of the agreement with the vendor. The vendor will have to deliver, and in any case will not be able to charge you for fixing their own defects.
- Testing the implementation - it is a common misconception that customized systems do not need to be tested. We must ensure that the system, the way it was set up and configured for you, is working properly: with software, things can always go wrong. And if something is not functioning as agreed upon, the vendor will have to fix it.
Implementation assurance is about closing the gap between what you see and what you get. Conflair can help you with that.
| What our clients are saying about Implementaiton Assurace: |
We contracted Conflair to help us with the implementation of a Laboratory Information Management System and a Customer Relationship Management application. For this undertaking, we needed a reliable partner who would be able to understand both our needs and vendor capabilities, help us to chart a course that would bridge the two and ultimately assist us with bringing this endeavor to success.
Conflair fully answered our expectations. Its approach, Implementation Assurance, was very helpful in a number of areas. [...]
Conflair holds its team to the highest performance standard. Professionalism, expertise and experience of Conflair staff are remarkable.
Conflair is attentive to our needs and constraints. The focus on our success and the flexibility of Conflair approach make it very efficient in delivering great results.
The lasting impact of the value Conflair provides will help our organization to perform better and to achieve our goals.