When a business engages the services of a software development partner to build a custom ERP software application, there are many factors that inform the success of the project. Understanding your requirements is just the beginning. As your business interviews and considers prospective software application development partners, there are many factors that should be considered. In this article, we outline three areas your business should include in questioning and interviewing a custom ERP software application development partner.
‘The basics are important for a solid foundation but you also want to work with a software application or software product development partner that can illustrate an innovative approach.’
Here are three factors that should inform the questions you ask a prospective customer ERP software application development partner:
Experience – Your custom software application is important to your business. This is no time to test the waters with someone who may earnestly believe they can serve your needs, but in reality has no experience or referrals to prove their expertise or to show you what they have accomplished in the past. Custom ERP software application solutions can encompass many aspects of experience and require comprehensive coverage to achieve business goals. If the prospective partner cannot point to comparable projects or show you projects and examples that illustrate specific instances where the partner has created a solution with similar or comparable modules, features or coverage, you have no way of knowing whether they can actually complete the project. Experience matters and custom ERP software projects can go off the rails in many ways. Be sure you don’t base your decision on cost only.
Skills – A custom ERP software application requires various skill sets at different times during the project lifecycle. Everything from requirements planning and project roadmaps to proof of concept, to design, configuration, development, testing, integration, implementation, training and roll-out can come into play. Be sure that the skills required to complete this project will be available to you as the project progresses. If specific training in mobile application platforms, eCommerce, CRM, government regulation is crucial to the success of your project, you will want to know that the domain, market, industry, security and compliance or other skills are present within the ranks of the customer ERP software app development partner team.
Innovation – The basics are important for a solid foundation but you also want to work with a software application or software product development partner that can illustrate an innovative approach. IT consulting partners should pay attention to your questions and requirements and they should use their experience and skills to make suggestions, innovate new approaches to problems and help you to capitalize on opportunities by showing you a new way to achieve your goals. Your business may have examples of competitive products or sites that appeal to them but your IT consulting partner should build on those ideas to give YOU the competitive edge and create a new, unique way of achieving your goals.
‘Understanding your requirements is just the beginning. As your business…considers prospective software application development partners, there are many factors that should be considered.’
Find out how the right Custom ERP and Custom Enterprise Application Development Partner can help your business, its users and its customers. Read our related article, ‘Three Reasons to Engage a Partner for Custom ERP and Custom Enterprise App Development’, and ‘3 Business Benefits of Custom ERP and Custom Software Development.’
