Big failures can result from the best intentions. The IT product selection process is a good example. Some of the biggest mistakes in the growth of a company’s technology infrastructure occur during inadequate solution selection processes, including those that use Requests for Proposal (RFP) and competitive bidding.

We just published a major white paper – “Avoiding the Product Selection Quagmire” – that details what can go wrong with IT product selection efforts. It also describes what should be done to overcome risks and run a top-notch RFP or competitive bidding project.

In small to mid-sized companies, IT teams often get caught off guard by the unanticipated demands of the product selection process. Although competitive bidding is a well-known best practice, many organizations lack the practical experience or the tools to execute a selection process effectively. Companies who find themselves reinventing the wheel with each product selection project will likely encounter any of a number of risks:

• A lack of expertise and experience in the full competitive bidding and product selection process.
• Failure to set up product selection as a formal project.
• Inadequate handling of requirements.
• A lack of balance between business and technical emphasis.

When these pitfalls occur, the company could end up making a buying decision for a solution that won’t be adopted, isn’t aligned with the real requirements, or costs much more than a better solution.

Here are the white paper’s key recommendations:

1. Set up each product selection effort as a formal project.
2. Augment your internal expertise as needed: Partner early on with a provider of talent with experience conducting product selection projects.
3. Engage an internal or external business analyst to gather and document requirements.
4. Leverage existing tools and methodology to execute the selection project.
5. Foster a good partnership between business and IT throughout the project.
6. Choose the appropriate type of competitive bidding request, one that best suits the project objectives.
7. Adopt a component-based, reusable RFP format and structure.
8. Adopt a standard, reusable timeline for the bidding and selection process.
9. Conduct the selection using a complete decision package.
10. Prepare early for the transition to implementation.

The paper explains each of these recommendations in detail, giving IT practitioners a practical set of steps for reducing product selection risk and raising IT’s profile as a key contributor to business success through quality technology purchases.

The white paper “Avoiding the Product Selection Quagmire” is available free on our Resources page to all registered visitors to our site. Registration is free and gives you access to all of our other free white papers, articles, templates, and work samples.