From a CXO’s perspective, this question is the aftermath of getting to realise that the current systems have become obsolete and that they no longer offer the advantage or flexibility they would have once offered.
So what are the choices that lie in front of the CXO? Should it be made or bought?
Ruling out the choices with an easy and clear response would be a good start.
The Choices:
Is a technical team available to go in for in-house development and can they finish it within a desired timeline? It is a complete no-no even if one of them doesn’t have an affirmative response.
Another choice for the CXOs is getting a custom application built with the help of third-party players. The propensity towards this approach is usually seen when there is a need to shield proprietary knowledge of internal processes and to leverage on them. This approach needs a constitution of a strong internal team that has to take charge of dictating user requirements, steering the project and implementing it.
The next obvious alternate would be to seek options from the market. This might involve scanning for known players in the market, picking up references from peer communities and arranging user demos.
Going into this situation, the thing that might be playing on the minds of the decision maker(s) is to make sure that an investment of time, energy and monies is not put on a wrong choice. A big brand or the leading player in the market may not always be the perfect choice. Knowing what your users need as a solution to their work and identifying something that comes close to this, should be paramount. Obviously there won’t be a “software” panacea for all the teething technical and functional issues. But choosing something that the users find practical and easy to use across their functions would not only find acceptance among the crowd but can also ensure a smooth implementation experience.
Whatever be the choice from the above, the decision to go in for a change should take into account the advantages that can be introduced in the long run, synergies that can be built and the overall ROI. Making the right decision and choosing the most appropriate software for your organisation is vital to make it future-proof and future-ready.
