The demand for business agility is driving companies to replace, upgrade, and improve their business applications faster than ever. Making the right vendor selection can be transformative; however, taking too long to evaluate suppliers, picking the wrong one, or failing to reach consensus on a technology choice can have a lasting negative impact on the business.
Evaluation teams require a structured process, objective and independent inputs, a quantitative assessment framework, and an approach that engages key stakeholders and partners to ensure the long-term success of the initiative. However, most teams lack quantitative tools and marketing insights, and they often fail to agree on criteria, weights, and even the appropriate process and cadence for stakeholder engagement.
Having helped clients procure over $2 billion in technology, the MGI team brings independence, market knowledge, and a structured process to software vendor evaluations. The outcome is a faster selection process that is comprehensive, objective, and a better fit for the business.
The MGI Approach
With a highly structured evaluation model, MGI’s team and tools guide clients through a software vendor evaluation process that is thorough, objective, and efficient. Acting as a “player-coach,” the MGI team often serves as an extension of the client team, bringing highly skilled resources to complement those of the client. Crucially, enlisting an external perspective and independent research makes it easier to see beyond vendor hype and internal biases, adding clarity and insights that are hard to obtain otherwise.
Unlike many consultancies, MGI does not sell implementation services or have any reseller agreements with technology suppliers. Further, MGI’s primary business model is based on subscription research—not engaging in never ending consulting contracts. Our approach is to provide reusable, scalable tools that give clients the ability to cut evaluation times without compromising the integrity of the effort. By bringing speed, the risk of the business changing faster than the delivery of the desired new solution is mitigated. By encouraging the team to focus on agility and future needs, clients can avoid going live with an out of date solution. By applying a third-party assessment framework, clients are in control of setting the appropriate weights and relative priorities of the evaluation. With MGI’s market intelligence and experience in software negotiations, clients are assured of the best price—and the best terms and conditions—while maintaining positive supplier relationships.
The Outcome
Using the MGI approach, organizations receive a well-documented, quantitative analysis of the suppliers that encompasses all the variables that go into making a solid choice. The ultimate result is a better business outcome that is measurable over the months and years following the go-live date.