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The Small Business Technology Acquisition ProcessTen Steps to Your Project's Success In this article, we provide you with ten steps that will almost guarantee that your project will be a success. We cover everything from preparing a scope of work to negotiating terms. If you feel the need to hire an expert, this process can put you in control. I run into small businesses all the time who are doing their computers, or networks, or Internet connectivity themselves. They may do it because they want to, because it's really a hobby and their business is an excuse for them to play with computers. But one of the first things a business does is hire an accountant. Why not a computer consultant? Because balancing your bank statements isn't anywhere near as much fun as playing with the computer. But you'd be hard pressed to tell me that reducing your taxes, or knowing your financial condition, is less important than knowing what revision level you're at with Windows 98. On the other hand, they may be do-it-yourselfers because they simply can't afford to spend money on professionals who can help them. This is a legitimate problem. You have other stuff to do. That's why you started the business. But there are customers to call on, employees to coach, advertising to write, and books to balance. You have to make that decision about where to spend your resources. And if you're like some business owners, you are beginning to recognize that you need help. The question is, how? How do you find someone you can trust? And how do you structure the deal? We've listed 10 basic steps for a successful information systems project. They apply to buying a network as much as they apply to a Web page or an ecommerce site. 1. Decide what problems you are having and what you really need. Boil it down to one clearly written page. This is called your "scope of work." Identify your objectives, your time frame, and what you want done. Even if it takes more than one page to give the details, summarize it on one page. 2. Find a consultant. You could go through a whole big research project to find this magical resource. You could subscribe to local technology publications, check the Web and ads in local papers, etc. You could spend hours and hours researching. Or you could approach it a little more simply. The fastest option is to call a couple of people who are in a similar business to yours (size, technology, and industry), and ask who they've had success with. Ask them WHY they like whoever they recommend. If you're comfortable with their suggestions, you can skip step 3 and move on to step 4. 3. If you're not successful using the buddy method, you have to work a little harder. First, remember that there are plenty of people out there who can probably help, depending on what you want done. If you need a network, Internet connectivity, or Web and ecommerce, there are probably 20 qualified companies within 15 to 30 minutes of your office (assuming you're not based in Tombstone, Arizona). Open the yellow pages (or use the Internet yellow pages), or your chamber of commerce directory to find five companies in your area. 4. Call these companies and ask them if they are interested in helping you. Discuss the project. This is where your scope will come in handy. Offer to fax the summary, and any detail to them. Make appointments with five consultants at your office. Make sure each one of them understands that you will be wanting five references from them, but not right away. And those references will need to be for work similar to the scope you have developed. Make sure they have read the scope, so they don't walk into your office and, after five minutes, it's obvious that they're not the right company. Many salesman, particularly the ones who are at their desks when you call, are hungry enough to bluff their way into your office, just on the off chance they can get the business anyway. Besides, it keeps their sales managers off their backs. Don't waste your time. Make sure they understand the scope of the project and that you'll want references. Make it clear that you'll throw them out of your office by the scruff of their necks if they waste your time. 5. Meet with all of them. Discuss your objectives. This may sound like a lot of work, but this can be a tremendous learning experience for you. If the consultant is good, he'll have suggestions and alternatives. In fact, if he doesn't, watch out! You can't possibly have gotten it all correct, without some opportunities for improvement. Neither can he, but he ought to have some ideas. Learn from them. Remember that you're not the expert...they are. You've got book learning. If they're good, they've got experience, which is a whole lot more valuable than anything you can read in a trade magazine. So don't be wedded to your own technology biases. Use this as a learning opportunity. Get business details too. Ask about the company, their skills, their turnover, rates and terms, billing procedures, how quickly they can start, etc. 6. Based on these meetings, you should have made significant revisions to your scope. You probably will have refined your objectives, changed the methods, and adjusted your time frame and other details. Rewrite the scope and send it to the finalists to make sure they are still on board. Depending on the complexity of the project, this may take a few more meetings, but again - think of these get-togethers as learning experiences. 7. From these five consultants, you should have whittled your list down to one or two potential partners. Call the rep of your first choice, and tell him you'd like to meet the owner or principal, the engineer who will be working on your project, and you'd like to visit their office in the next day or so. This accomplishes three important things. It allows you to see the actual business. If you do it on short enough notice, they won't have time to clean up...you'll see them in their natural habitat. This can be very illuminating. You also should meet the actual person who will be doing the work, just in case you hate each other. And finally, this visit gives you the opportunity to meet the owner. One of the most important things to do when hiring a consultant is to have a relationship with the CEO. If there are problems (and there are ALWAYS problems), this relationship will smooth the way. If the top dog doesn't have time to meet with you, walk away. Don't waste another second with them. 8. Get five references from whoever is your first choice. Don't bother with references from your other possibilities. If your preferred consultant doesn't check out, you can always get their references later. Make sure that the references are for projects like yours. They should be of similar size, using similar technology. Actually check them. Don't assume that they're OK just because the consultant gave them to you. If they are close by, visit them. Checking references is a critical part of your process, and will weed out all but the best consultants. Take it seriously. 9. After these visits, you should be ready to go. Make your decision and get moving. You've dawdled long enough! Have them prepare a formal proposal, with a scope of work, and make sure it matches yours. Get it all in writing. Don't rely on any commitments that aren't covered by a piece of paper. I repeat...don't rely on any agreements that are not in writing. Almost all failed consulting relationships start with a mis-communication because the rep committed to something that wasn't on paper. Sometimes a casual comment, like "Oh, no problem. We'll throw in that extra overhead polytransit," as the rep is walking out the door is forgotten until the day when you realize you'll have to pay an extra $5,000 for the darned thing. Even if the rep remembers his statement word-for-word, the last thing he's going to do is admit it to his mean old boss. Get it in writing. I'm not talking about putting things in blue-backed, legal sized contracts. But confirm commitments via letter or email, and make sure the actual proposal covers everything you're expecting. 10. Here are some hints on payment. Don't pay ANYTHING up front, except for hardware and software that the consultant is purchasing for you. And if you do make such a payment, ask for immediate confirmation that the products have actually been ordered and are shipping. Structure your deal so that a significant portion of it won't be paid for until you are completely satisfied with the work, and that the completed project has met your objectives as outlined in the scope. Following these 10 principles will result in a successful implementation of your technology. There is a LOT more detail to all of these steps, which we'll get into in future articles and reports. But use this as a guide, along with your common sense, and you'll develop a relationship with a vendor that will be valuable and productive for years to come.
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