Main obstacles in choosing a system and some tips to deal with them

Many businesses and organizations describe the process of choosing an information system as a long, tedious, and scary process. Many of them report a process in which they chose a system, began its implementation, but the implementation did not end successfully, or the system had to be replaced in an advanced part of the project after discovering that it does not meet all their needs. Below are a number of obstacles, and tips on how to deal with an information systems project.

Main obstacles of choosing an information system:

• Economic barriers – organizations are afraid to enter into a large investment with a final cost that is difficult to estimate in advance. Purchasing a system has many components – licensing costs, implementation, maintenance, and more.
• Lack of familiarity with the information systems field – CEOs and owners of organizations understand and know the conduct, needs and requirements of their organization well, but when they get to information systems, they lack familiarity with the variety of options and products that exist in the market. The price differences may be significant, and the impact on the organization is big.
• The day-to-day conduct of the organization – the day-to-day and demanding tasks of an organization may cause information system projects to be pushed aside. There is not always a person in an organization who can manage and promote such a project without getting in the way of their daily tasks.
• The contribution of the information system to the organization – it is not always clear to the organization how a new information system will affect the current conduct. Many organizations report after a successful process that if they had known the magnitude of the change of conduct of the organization at the beginning of the process, they would have advanced the project.

Tips for dealing with the main obstacles of choosing an information system:

• Estimating the cost of the project before it starts – one of the most important stages in the project is the planning stage. It is important to know what the costs of the project will be before it begins and to choose a system that fits the organization’s budget.
  • Write a requirements analysis for the system – this will describe what organization’s main requirements of the system are. Different requirements from the same system can result in very different costs, at the level of licensing, implementation and in other areas.
  • Contact suppliers with a request for a quote – distribute an identical written characterization to several suppliers for the purpose of receiving a quote. This allows the suppliers to understand exactly what the organization’s requirements are and to give the organization a clear quote for the application that is specifically required for the organization.
  • Compare prices – it is important to compare the quotes on their various components and to make sure that all the offers include all the required components (hardware, software, licensing, implementation, maintenance…)
• Studying and testing the existing systems in the market – read and learn about the variety of options that meet your requirements, as written in the requirements analysis.
  • Learn from colleagues – you can learn from fellow colleagues and other organizations in the field that have similar processes and needs, and see the system and the solutions they use in their organizations.
  • Meet with suppliers and request a system presentation – system suppliers will be happy to receive a characterization analysis and present the appropriate solution for your organization
  • Compare between the solutions – it is useful to compare the different solutions and to indicate advantages and disadvantages for each system in order to make an informative decision.
• Project management – to make sure that the project progresses according to the schedules and subject to the budget, it is advisable to appoint a project manager who will be responsible for the project on behalf of the organization.
  • The role of a project manager – it is important to have a project manager and for the project to be at the top of their priorities. The necessary time should be allocated in order to advance the tasks.
  • Assignment of an internal/external project manager – if a suitable person is found within the organization who can manage the project without interfering with their current work and whose current work will not interfere with the execution of the project, they can be appointed as project manager. If such a person is not found, an external project manager can be used.
  • Managing the project through its entirety – ideally, the project manager will accompany the project through its entirety and will not be replaced in the middle.
• Increasing the value of an information system for the organization – the more correctly the system is defined and deals with the main required processes, the faster the system will bring value, and its implementation will be faster and cheaper.
  • Definition of required main processes – firstly, the main processes required for the organization must be dealt with. The organization must decide which issues are really important, and which processes can be dispensed with.
  • Implementation of a system in stages – for a quick and easy implementation, it helps to divide the implementation of the system into stages (if possible). For example, consider whether the management of the production floor/budget/profit centers can be postponed to a later stage.
  • Postponing developments, changes and additions after going live – choose a system that meets most of the organization’s needs. Even if some of the needs can be developed for the organization, it is advisable to postpone these developments to a later stage, and initially work with the basic product, even if the final result is not perfect.