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Planning Software Selection/Negotiation
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Introduction |
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Led an effort to evaluate the top six vendors for
planning/budgeting software.
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Description |
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This client, a major U.S. based consumer goods company, was still consolidating
budgets with a series of Excel spreadsheets. As the company grew, keeping track
of a flurry of last minute changes posed considerable version control problems.
After one particularly bad planning cycle, that included a multi-million dollar
consolidation error, the company decided to invest in planning software and
contacted us. For this project we used The Buttonwood 7
Step Process for selecting a software vendor. We formed joint
IS/Finance team and developed user requirements based on interviews and focus
groups, and created an evaluation grid. We extensively researched vendors by
interviewing current customers as well as previous, dissatisfied customers. The
team created a "script" using real data, reports, and scenarios.
Arranged field visits. We facilitated the evaluation and ranking of all
vendors, and negotiated pricing and terms. |
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Results |
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Negotiated 25% to 45% off of all vendors' list prices, which more
than covered our consulting fees. Top candidate was identified, and software
was implemented on time and on budget.
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