|
Broudy Printing Selection Schedule |
| Team meetings
with Profectus to define & prioritize requirements |
December 8 & 9 |
| Profectus
identifies short list of 4 suitable products based on
requirements |
December 15 |
| Broudy issue
Request For Proposals to prospective vendors |
December 18 |
| Product
proposals due back to Broudy Printing & Profectus |
January 11 |
| Selection team
reviews proposals and selects 2 finalist |
January 18 |
| On site product
demonstrations using scripts by 2 finalist |
February 2 & 3 |
| Selection team
picks best fit product |
February 8 |
| Contract
negotiations with vendor |
February 10 |
Profectus helped the
company assembled a six-member system selection team of individuals
representing management, sales, customer service, production,
purchasing, and accounting. Each team member was responsible for
evaluating and selecting a system for his or her area of
responsibility.
At the project kick-off
meeting, a Profectus consultant prepared Broudy for the undertaking
by educating the team with a series of seminars on software
capabilities, terminology, benefits, and industry trends.
For two consecutive
days, the team met to identify the company’s business needs and
system requirements. The Profectus consultant used a checklist
of over 1,000 software requirements as a guide to help the team
define Broudy’s requirements. The selection team identified and
prioritized a total of 447 requirements encompassing Sales,
Estimating, Order Entry, Job Tracking, Shop Floor Data Collection,
Production Management, Inventory Management, Finished Goods,
Shipping, Job Costing, Invoicing, and Accounts Payable. The team
determined that the system needed to support 30 administrative and
production users.
Broudy Printing’s
requirements were benchmarked against a long-list of approximately
85 printing industry software products. Profectus’ knowledge of
products helped them quickly narrow down the long-list to four
products compatible with their requirements.
A
Request For Proposal (RFP)
was prepared and sent to the 4 vendors on the short list. The
36-page RFP provided the software vendors with information about
Broudy’s organization, production equipment, computer systems,
system requirements, and selection schedule. The RFP also solicited
information from the vendors such as system capabilities, support,
pricing, and references. Broudy requested that the software vendors
respond to the RFP and submit proposals within three weeks.
The vendors responded
to Broudy Printing’s RPF and submitted proposals. A
product comparison study was created benchmarking the
capabilities of each system against Broudy’s requirements. Copies of
the product proposals and the product comparison were disseminated
to each team member for their review.
After carefully
examining the product information, the team identified 2 products as
the closest matches to Broudy Printing’s requirements. The two
vendors were asked to provide an on site presentation of their
products to demonstrate its capabilities.
With Profectus’ help,
the selection team created 3 demonstration scripts for the two
vendors to follow during their product presentations. The scripts
covered many of their key requirements and included a various
products including a 28 pages plus cover book with a glued pocket, a
6 page brochure, letterhead, envelopes, and business cards.
Broudy provided both
vendors with detail information about the company, their system
requirements, and demonstration scripts so the vendors could
customize their product presentation to emulate Broudy’s needs. This
improved the efficiency and relevance of the product demonstrations.
Each of the two vendors
gave a full day demonstration of their product to the selection
team. The vendors demonstrated how the job scenario would flow
through their system, from estimate through order entry, production,
and accounting. During the demonstrations, the team used the product
comparison spreadsheet to confirm and/or adjust the capabilities
rating scores of each product.
After the last product
demonstration, the team compared their notes and identified
Enterprise 32 as the best match for their needs. Enterprise 32 met
approximately 85% of Broudy's requirements.
The Results
With Profectus’
help Broudy Printing created detail requirements, conducted a
thorough suitability analysis of 85 business management systems, and
found a best-fit solution. The entire process was completed in only
8 weeks and required less then 35 hours of their selection team’s
time.
In many ways, the
process Broudy Printing went through to find a solution was just as
valuable as the solution itself. The process of defining their
requirements gave Broudy Printing a better understanding of how
their business operated. The evaluation of products opened their
eyes to many new ways that software could improve and standardize
their business processes. Getting their people involved in the
decision process produced employee "buy-in.", adding to the success
of the project and the implementation of Enterprise 32. |
Broudy
Printing Inc.
