Adding a new software solution to your organization is no small task. It requires significant planning, cross-organization alignment and leadership support. To help you through a successful selection project, enVista’s retail technology experts have compiled the 10 considerations that you must keep in mind. Use the checklist below as you begin your selection journey.
As you navigate your selection journey, you may find areas where you need external support to fully and successfully complete one or more of these steps. enVista’s retail technology experts can take you through the entire process, from defining goals and requirements, to navigating the vendor landscape and narrowing down your selection via customized demonstrations, RFPs and more.
1. Understand the problem you’re trying to solve and the gap between your current- and future-state.
Adding a new software system to your retail technology stack does not happen in a vacuum. The reason for selecting a new system should always be to solve a challenge or enable future goals. Whether you’re aiming to improve end-to-end inventory visibility, reset your foundational operations, gain a comprehensive understanding of demand or leverage AI capabilities, it’s important to understand why you are selecting a new piece of technology.
To achieve this first step, you will need to complete a comprehensive assessment to align your current capabilities with your future state goals and business requirements. For more on this, see our blog on refreshing your business capabilities roadmap.
When assessing your organization’s capabilities, determining what gaps are keeping you from your desired future state will reveal what solution(s) can help close that gap. This will drive much of the strategy around your technology selection.
2. Determine your requirements for a solution.
Once you understand the why behind your system selection, you’ll need to consider your business, technical and vendor requirements. These factors will ultimately determine your vendor pool. Some requirements to keep in mind include budget, integration needs, functionality needs and more.
3. Align your people, process and technology.
When going into a software selection project, it is important to have a realistic understanding of what the technology will solve. Every retail organization is a unique blend of people, processes and technology. While technology could address your challenges and enable the organization’s ability to achieve its goals, it won’t, alone, solve everything. It’s critical to identify what processes you may need to change, eliminate or add and understand the organization’s ability to execute them with new technology as you complete your selection.
4. Consider your organization’s ability to change.
When beginning your selection, it is important to understand your organization’s level of comfort with technology. If your organization does not already have the expertise to handle state-of-the-art technology, a quick transition to a complex system may not be your best approach. To create a more seamless transition for your workforce, you will want to develop a sound change leadership and management strategy and plan and right-size your technology selection with your capabilities.
Start by asking yourself questions like:
- “Are my employees open to change?”
- “Can my existing systems integrate well with another system?”
- “Are my processes easily adjustable and scalable?”
- “Do my processes maximize the technology opportunity or hinder the ability to recognize the full benefit of my investment?”
5. Commit to the process.
A thorough selection process can take 12 weeks. It’s important not to rush through the process to reach a decision faster, because this could lead to you selecting a less optimal system for your organization’s needs. Beginning the process with a commitment and plan for seeing it through will create more resiliency across your team, enabling you to overcome the hurdles that may arise during the project.
6. Understand the vendor landscape.
The vast number of technology vendors available in the market can feel overwhelming at the beginning of a selection process. To narrow your search parameters, it’s important to have a deep knowledge and understanding of the vendor landscape and how each vendor aligns with your needs. enVista’s proprietary down select approach can enable a more manageable vendor pool to select from.
7. Don’t forget the business case and time to value.
Every project needs a sound business case to garner organizational support. Your business case should not only outline the cost of the investment but also the time to value to recognize the benefit. This step isn’t just for leadership or the board; the entire organization needs to see the reason behind the change and what it brings to the table.
Make sure your business case takes into account the state of your organization’s data. For example, if your data has high integrity and is easily accessible, you may be able to recognize a quicker time to value. Conversely, if your data isn’t widely trusted or easily integrated, you may have to spend time building trusted data history, prolonging the time to value.
8. Get buy-in.
Understand who are the key stakeholders and decision makers in the process. Who do you need approval from to make this decision? Will you seek approval through a business case? Do you need to go in front of the board? Everyone can have a part in the selection process, but not everyone has decision making power. Be collaborative and involve the organization, but make sure the decision makers understand their roles and responsibilities.
9. Complete reference checks.
The temptation to skip reference checks can be strong. After all, the software vendor wouldn’t suggest you talk to someone who wouldn’t provide a positive reference, right? Not necessarily. The key to a productive reference check is to ask the right questions.
Asking the right questions of references will shed light upon the entire implementation experience. This will help you get an understanding of the good and the bad from both points of view – the client and the software vendor.
10. Have an implementation plan.
Having a high-level implementation plan to understand the lift of the organization is key if you want to finalize a selection decision. The selection is just the start of the journey. Understanding the implementation timeline, resources needed and the “lift” to the organization is a key piece of information that will contribute to making the right selection.
Let’s Have a Conversation®
When implementing a new piece of technology into your retail organization, checking off each of these 10 steps will give you the best opportunity for success. To get more support for your selection process, consult enVista’s retail technology experts. Our team has been in your shoes and can help you make the best decision for your organization’s capabilities and goals. Contact us today for support with your retail technology selection. Let’s Have a Conversation®.
