Software Buyer Resources

When deciding to buy new business software, make sure to involve as many stakeholders as possible. Including end users, managers and even customers in the purchasing decision will add valuable insight and encourage user buy-in and acceptance. Most important however, is to secure your IT department’s approval of the new program.

The IT department is key because not only will they be in charge of maintaining and fixing the software once it’s in place, they will also need to help implement and integrate it with existing systems. Their vision of the use of technology within your organization will have an impact on the type of solution you will ultimately want to purchase. Additionally, IT personnel have the expertise to judge if a specific piece of software is feasible on the current network and they can provide useful observations about the potential pitfalls of the solution being considered.

This means the business side of your organization, which will be responsible for using the software, will need to work together with the IT side, which will be responsible for implementing and maintaining the software, in order to arrive at the best solution. This can be difficult because the business side will choose software for the features and functionality it offers them in doing their jobs. In contrast, the tech side will want a program which best works with the technology your organization already has in place. Reconciling these two positions is essential in getting the best fit for your business.

That said, knowing how to integrate the IT department into the business buying decision is not easy. To ensure you get the most out of working with IT on a new purchase, follow a few key steps. It’s worth mentioning that many of these tips can be seen to apply mostly to large organizations with designated technology departments. However, the logic behind them is certainly applicable to smaller and mid-sized firms who may only have one “tech guy” on staff.

1. Talk with IT to establish processes: Create structured processes for how IT will coordinate with you on each new software purchase. Make sure to address several important questions such as: At what point in the process do they want to be involved? (Early on, or only after you’ve selected a short list of viable options?) How will you ensure implementation proceeds on schedule? What constitutes success at the end of the process?
2. Ensure IT has what it needs to measure feasibility:
1. Test environment: Build an isolated testing environment for new software. Then, when changes need to be made, or software needs to be added or updated, you can run through the steps in the testing environment first. This dry-run can help IT know what needs to be done, thus making them more comfortable about wider implementation. It can also uncover any surprises before completing a fuller implementation down the road, saving you from a bigger headache in the future.
2. Access to the new software: Give IT access to a trial or demo version of the software being considered. If such a version exists, it can be invaluable in helping to decide which solution works best for your organization.
3. Efficiently manage your communications with IT:
1. Ticketing systems: Use a ticketing system such as those found in help desk software platforms or IT management applications to keep track of issues and requests between you and IT.
2. Document issues and resolutions: Clearly document the entire process, from problems that arise, to proposed and enacted solutions , to the reasoning behind every decision. Put this all into one single document so the information is easily accessible to decision-makers who enter the process at later stages.