5 Question Test to Determine if your Company is Ready for Enterprise Software

NEW YORK - Sept. 4, 2013 - PRLog -- What is the best way to make sure that your enterprise software (http://www.capapex.com/) acquisition will be a success? Good preparation. Whether you are a novice or a seasoned buyer, before you make the leap and start your selection process, Carlos Pardo, CEO of CapApex - an enterprise software consulting firm - suggests that you ask yourself the following questions:

1.  Do you know what you want?

Every day you will see marketing campaigns prodding companies into adopting the latest feature or technology. You may also feel pressured into following your competition in adopting new software. But neither of these should be your instigator. Enterprise software exists because it provides advantages to many companies, but the first question you ask shouldn't be: What can this software provide? The question you should ask is: What do you need (or want)? Your customers may tell you if you cannot produce back order rates they will drop you. That's a need. You need to provide your customers with accurate back order rates. Maybe enterprise software can help. Twitter integration in an ERP may look impressive but if you have no business case for it, you are being misdirected. Business requirements discovery is an integral and preliminary task in an enterprise software implementation project, but, in fact, this should be done by your company long before you enter into discussions with a provider. What are the biggest problems at your company? Does your current software adequately handle your current needs? Is enterprise software the right solution or are there better ones?

2.  Have you studied the market?

You need to conduct a preliminary study to see whether taking on new software will solve current (and, possibly, future) problems. Beware not to be steered in the wrong direction by a flashy presentation of software. If you are not going to be driving off-road, don't be persuaded by the impressive features of a new 4x4 SUV.

3.  Do you understand the return on investment?

Determining return on investment is not easy. The providers you are considering may offer their own calculators, but in the end the data that is entered is yours and the results will only be as good as you are in determining how much time and money your current activities are costing you. Even if it's not completely rigorous, don't embark on an enterprise software implementation project until you have a good idea how much it's going to cost you and what benefits you can hope to receive from your investment.

4.  Do you have the budget?

So, at this point, you believe that your selected enterprise software package more than repays the cost of implementing. Beware: companies often run over their budgets in enterprise software implementations. You need a tight rein on this so be careful when determining the budget and do not forget to take into account unanticipated future costs. Adjust your ROI calculation? Maybe. And, in the end, ask yourself: it may eventually repay itself, but can you afford it?

5. Do you have sufficient internal resources?

Good providers will make implementation as easy as possible on your staff, but it will still require a significant investment in time from your employees. If your company is properly staffed, your employees are not sitting around waiting for an enterprise software project. How will you staff the project? Will you bring in temporary workers to take over some of the day-to-day duties of your project team? Will you outsource some of your project team functions? A provider can help you, but you need to make the proper determination of your staffing needs.

By answering these questions you can determine whether or not your company is ready to transition to or upgrade its enterprise software platform.

To schedule an interview with CapApex CEO Carlos Pardo, please contact Tasha Mayberry, Director Public Relations at pr@capapex.com or call 207.317.6099.

About CapApex LLC

CapApex was created to help companies that traditionally would struggle with enterprise software (http://www.capapex.com/) implementation and were ultimately unsatisfied with the results. Many of these implementation projects placed an unrealistic and unnecessary workload on the people in the business. The results, unfortunately, were far too often projects that were over-budget, under-scope and low on quality. CapApex believes that implementing enterprise software should not only provide an excellent return on investment but also a realistic path to success. The goal is to provide companies with the tools and processes that fit the business as well as the technology.

Contact

To learn more about CapApex please contact:

CapApex
521 Fifth Ave., 17th Floor
New York, NY 10175
Office: (212) 292-4340
Fax: (212) 292-4595
info@capapex.com