Don't get distracted by slick slides when picking a system
Draw up a list of requirements at the preliminary tender phase and get providers to show how they could meet them
People Management, 13 Jul 2006
James Brockett reports from the CIPD HR Software Show in London
HR professionals choosing a new IT system should not be dazzled by smooth-talking sales staff with impressive-looking PowerPoint presentations, according to the former head of learning at Lloyds TSB.
Robert Briggs, now management consultant at IBM Business Consultancy Services, told delegates it was important to draw up a list of requirements at the preliminary tender phase and get providers to show how they could meet them, with practical examples on screen rather than fancy slide shows.
"You want to give them real-life scenarios to base their presentation around," he said. "Otherwise, their sales team will come back with a showy PowerPoint presentation that will more often than not be useless. What you actually want is a live version showing the computer doing what you want it to."
Briggs recommended building requirements into the original contract so the software provider cannot charge extra for customisations along the way.
"When you are negotiating, make sure all your requirements are built into the contract," he said. "It might mean higher legal costs at the outset, but it will more than pay for itself by avoiding painful expense later. [At Lloyds TSB] we were in a situation where, had we not insisted on this, we would have had to pay for an extra £2 million in changes."
Briggs also warned against the "big bang" method of implementing new systems, saying that a phased approach was less of a gamble.
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