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Selection

AIC’s collaborative, practical and proven ERP selection process helps you focus on your business objectives at every stage.

Features of our approach

Objective Approach - The AIC ERP software selection process is focused on the success of your business. Through the use of a leading software intelligence service, we take the emotions out of the process helping to assure that the best software package for your business wins, not just the best salesperson.

Implementation Focused - Achieving the business objectives of your ERP project requires beginning with the end in mind. This means addressing many critical business decisions and directions early in the software selection process. The path to successful implementation of an ERP solution does not begin when a software vendor has been selected. It begins now.

Efficient - Studies, in and of themselves, do not deliver benefits to your business. At AIC we use a comprehensive yet streamlined software selection process that forces the hard questions and answers up front during the selection process. We work with you to define your critical and unique system requirements, the relevant few, versus spending undue time on the trivial many requirements addressed by typical selection projects.

Your agenda - not the vendor’s - A key to selecting the right ERP package is understand how it will work in your business environment. Developing this understanding during the selection process requires a carefully managed software demonstration process. AIC works with you to keep the software vendors on track - answering your specific concerns and issues.

AIC Selection Methodology

Define Scope and Objectives - Defining clear business objectives and scope boundaries is critical to the success of an ERP project. During this phase, AIC will work with you to define areas of your business in which to make strategic system investments - then define the project scope to focus on those areas.

Define Critical, Unique and Other Requirements - The goal of this phase is to quickly define those system requirements that:

Will have the greatest impact on achieving your business objectives,
Uniquely distinguish your business and as such may not be available in generic software packages, and
Address the project scope previously defined.

AIC uses interviews, focus groups and software intelligence tools to compile your system requirements quickly and comprehensively.

Process Improvements - The process of compiling requirements allows you to take a comprehensive look at your business - a look seldom afforded to a company on the go. During this review, we routinely see companies find process improvement opportunities of which they were previously unaware. AIC will work with you to find these opportunities and take action immediately to implement improvements and drive benefits.

Screen Potential Suppliers - Once your requirements have been documented, AIC begins the screening process using a market leading research database. This analysis is combined with phone screening of potential package suppliers to determine two to four "finalists" who will participate in package demonstrations. When compared to the typical RFP process, the AIC approach is faster and through its focus on the most relevant requirements, yields higher quality results.

Host Software Demonstrations - During this phase, the software package finalists will conduct software demonstrations at your site according to your agenda. AIC will work with your to carefully tailor the demonstration agenda to focus on your particular needs. Key during this process will be understanding which package will work most effectively in your business environment.

Select Supplier / Negotiate Contract - Software contracts today can be complicated and potentially costly over time. Because the AIC team has been part of negotiating numerous contracts, we can advise you on industry norms and subtle points of negotiation.

Implementation Planning - You’ve signed the contract, the clock is ticking. It’s time to mobilize your team and organize for a successful implementation. AIC will assist you with developing your initial, high level plan and we can also assist you throughout your package implementation project.

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