When you are looking to implement any software package, the first step is what is called a needs analysis.

It can be a complicated process for many organizations, but in essence what you are tring to do is to make sure that the software fits in with what you need it to do, and works in a way that is compatible with your organization. The second part of this cannot be understated, as the best software in the world will not work in your place of business if it doesn’t fit in with the mindset of the people using it. Some of the most spectacular software implementation failures haven’t been because the software was bad, it was because the people that were using it either couldn’t or wouldn’t use it.

Let’s start with the needs.

The best and most straighforward way to do this is to get your pencil out and make a list. Start with big concepts and then break those down to the point where they can be answered with a simple yes or no answer. If you are ending up with a list of thousands - you are either at too low a level or you work for NASA.

Once you have done that then go through the list and grade each one with a level of desirability - keep it simple and use ‘must’, ‘very important’, ‘nice to have’ and ‘not important’.

‘must’ means that if the software doesn’t support this completely, then you don’t consider the software any further

‘very important’ means that if the software doesn’t support this completely or very close to completely it will be a major impact to your business

‘nice to have’ means that it will make your life easier and will give quantifiable benefits, but the world won’t end if you don’t have this feature

‘not important’ is the fluffy type features that look good on advertising, but really don’t provide quantifiable benefits

Once you have the grading, then simplify your life and get rid of the ‘not importants’

Now you have your checklist and its time to go do your homework. I’m presuming at this point that you are doing this research yourself rather than getting a consultant in to help. Personally, I would suggest getting a bit of support here, as it is dollars well spent.

Next we talk about how to use the needs analysis and souces of information to help you complete the process.