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Consider using an independent consultant at the outset Most IT consultants only work with certain specific software packages, or have ties to particular vendors. Indeed, some of the “consultants” you meet initially, are effectively sales people for particular products. This poses a dilemma, if you do not have the in-house expertise to work out your exact requirements or to compare the technical claims of competing potential suppliers. Some consultants have no links to any vendors or products. This means you have a choice: you can ask potential suppliers to suggest what IT capabilities you need or alternatively, you can pay an independent expert to clearly define your needs before you approach potential vendors. If you opt to use an independent IT consultant they could also help you in your dealings with suppliers, including assessing each option and recommending the best solution which may be a combination of products and/or IT providers.  Our
experience has been that many of the case study companies
just couldn’t tolerate the thought of paying an independent
consultant to select the right solution. We don’t blame
them – what small company wants to pay one consultant
to hire another consultant? On the other hand, experience
has shown that the companies, which employed independent consultants,
are generally convinced that it was the right thing to do.
Obviously having knowledgeable, independent advice at the
outset could ultimately save time and money and therefore
its definitely worth considering this approach.Having said that, employing an independent consultant, may not always lead to the best overall compromise between cost/complexity on the one hand and the features you would ideally like to have on the other. If you went directly to a vendor, without first drawing up a specification, they would draw up a technical proposal which took account both of your business needs and of the capabilities of their own packaged software. An independent consultant, unlike a vendor, may not be as familiar with the capabilities of individual packages and the cost implications of adding specific features to them. Some independent consultants, having drawn up an “ideal” technical specification, may be over rigid in sticking to it and could thus leave you with a solution which, while theoretically appropriate, is much more expensive or complex than it needs to be. Having multiple vendors may be an additional argument for employing an independent consultant. The success of such projects depends on coordinating the work of these vendors. For example, you may wish to integrate your back office IT system provided by one vendor with your new website being built by another company. This can create project management issues. You may be faced, for example, with a situation where each vendor blames the other for the fact that data does not pass reliably between the back office and the website. Each will of course provide detailed technical arguments in support of their respective claim and expect you to adjudicate. In these situations, access to in-depth technical advice, whether from in-house IT people or an independent consultant can be invaluable. Case Study - Digisource DigiSource prints user manuals for the telecommunications, computer software, hardware and other markets. The company works with its customers to reduce their printing and associated costs through JIT document delivery. eBusiness Objective To develop a centralised IT System from its headquarters in Dublin, giving visibility and control over all its IT systems globally. The eBusiness model was to be based on the fact that Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) packages are merging to become powerful eBusiness suites. Implementation Initially the company looked at building on the back of existing systems. It then focused on the actual eBusiness needs, which were primarily financial and to a lesser extent manufacturing. DigiSource realised, however, that building on existing systems would not meet these needs. Through analysis of needs (combination of ERP, CRM and eBusiness) and evaluation of system capabilities, cost, and level/availability of support - using peer groups and interaction with strategic partners - suitable systems were narrowed down. Eventually Sage Enterprise and Microsoft BizTalk were chosen, along with Crystal Reports (a product that Sage consider complimentary to their own), the latter two being systems capable of being easily expanded. Support for the systems chosen was initially provided locally but the necessary skill base was not available in Ireland and queries were referred back to the UK. DigiSource therefore took the step of persuading the support company (FD Systems) to open a Dublin office to provide the necessary support. For eBusiness two models were developed - automated (invisible) and transparent (web). Automated transactions are ones that don’t have to be seen or processed through the web, such as MRP order dumps or outgoing invoices. Web based reporting is used for mining. data and querying individual orders or stock levels etc. Through their eBusiness project DigiSource International has created an electronically based method of doing business and of organising, scheduling and controlling manufacture at remote sites around the globe, from a centralised Dublin base. The systems developed have put DigiSource International at the forefront of its industry. Lessons Learned by Digisource
Case Study - Combilift  Ernst
& Young consultants significantly shaped the decision
for Combilift, the specialist forklift manufacturer, regarding
how to move forward with their planned eBusiness initiative.
Combilift engaged Ernst & Young to run an ‘eDiagnostic
day’. During that day Combilift and the Ernst & Young
consultants worked to establish the current state of capability
and the desired state of capability for eBusiness. This enabled
the production of the business requirements for the initiative.Martin McVicar, Managing Director, stressed the benefits of engaging consultants who have an “independent view” and who do not have a product to push. He believes the cost of the day was money well spent. Ernst & Young encouraged Combilift to look at the big picture. They posed the question, “Where do you want to be in five years time?” The answer was that Combilift wanted to be selling its product in 50 countries worldwide. In order to achieve that it realised it needed a strong and effective web site to support dealers. Earlier in the process of finding a suitable web designer to deliver the web site it required, Combilift had met half a dozen different firms. They found that it was a real struggle to find someone who understood the commercial drivers of their business. Often website designers wanted to jump ten steps ahead while Combilift really just wanted to take one step at this point in time. Martin McVicar emphasised that there was an advantage in meeting so many firms that failed to offer what he and the team wanted. This actually allowed them to increasingly clarify exactly what they were looking for. He recommended that other small businesses should go through a similar process to help them refine their thinking around their business requirements. In the end, Ernst & Young recommended Catseye Internet Solutions and this company was chosen to work with Combilift to develop the web site. Martin was clear as to why Catseye were chosen over potential vendors, “They listened to what we wanted. All the others tried to tell us what we needed.”
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