Over the past decade, enterprise asset management (EAM) systems have promised greater and greater benefits. But selecting the right system has become more difficult. The systems are evolving and the technology is changing so rapidly that it is difficult to separate hype from reality or to know what is most appropriate. Some packages look good on the surface but may not be the best fit for a specific industry. Others may not provide enough flexibility for the future. Still others may be overkill. Vendor viability, software reliability, and ease of implementation must all be considered.

A successful selection requires an organized approach: collecting operating data, building the business case, analyzing key requirements, screening vendors, and organizing product demonstrations. Choosing the wrong vendor or system can be costly. MMSI provides expert advice for evaluating and selecting new enterprise systems. Because we do not resell software or partner with software vendors, we have the independence and objectivity necessary to give unbiased advice. Our consultants are experts in EAM technologies and in maintenance management. They have worked with a wide variety of applications and across all industries. With our structured methodology, we ensure that the right system is selected and that your organization is prepared for its implementation.

Our software evaluation and selection methodology is comprised of the following steps:

Project Kick-off - the project team comes together for the first time, the client's team is educated, project goals and responsibilities are set, and basic company data is gathered.

Business Case Development - a business case for the new system is developed together with a vision for the system, integration and architecture requirements, anticipated costs, benefits, and ROI.

Requirements Workshop - a complete set of prioritized functional requirements and operational constraints are developed to be used as criteria for system selection.

RFP Construction - a formal request for proposal (RFP) is constructed that describes, in detail, your EAM requirements, vendor evaluation criteria, and vendor response requirements. Where necessary, a request for information (RFI) is prepared to assist in the identification of qualified vendors.

Short List Preparation - based on a thorough search of vendor solutions and responses to the RFI, a short-list of vendors who will receive an RFP is developed.

Proposal Evaluation and Vendor Selection - Responses to all proposals are evaluated and scored based on pre-defined scoring criteria. A second short-list comprised of the highest scoring vendors is created. Those vendors are invited to present and demonstrate how their solution fits your business. The final vendor is chosen from among this short list.

Negotiation and Contracting - vendor contract terms and conditions are finalized.

Implementation Planning - a preliminary implementation plan is constructed and used to plan, coordinate, and manage vendors, third-parties, and client resources to ensure implementation success.