If your company wants to and you’re looking for the right partner, are you going to pick the first one that offers you the price you want? I would compare that to being blindfolded and told to walk in the street; are you really surprised you got hit by a car? It’s your responsibility to conduct research on the organization that you’re doing business with because you could be a victim of unrealistic expectations and inaccurate estimations.
Vendors who are in it to urgently make a sale, will tend to tell you that their software can be implemented quickly, with an affordable price, and with little to no risk. Hearing that as a company could possibly have you sold on that idea; but if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Next thing you know, by the end of the project, you're tens of thousands of dollars over budget and your expected launch date keeps being pushed back.
Would you go to the doctor and get expect a prescription without getting a checkup first? That’s basically what a diagnostic is: letting you know that you have a cold and then giving you medicine to cure your cold. It lets you become familiar with the company that you’re doing business with. They will discuss your needs and goals so that you and they both have a clear understanding of what will be done. You also want to ensure that you know where your money is going to and how long it will take to implement your solution. You might think that you’ll save money by not doing a diagnostic first; on the contrary, it will cost you in the long run especially if a vendor and/or system integrator doen’t know enough about your project and are just in it for the win.
By: Natalie Williams, Marketing Coordinator,
