Let’s assume you’re looking for an independent consultant to assist you in selecting a new ERP system. One question to answer is how do you know they are independent. Take a look at a Blog from the Enterprise Spectator or some insights which include:
Conflicts of Interest per Enterprise Spectator
- Does the firm offer services to tech providers?
- Do they have a partner or alliances page? If so, are tech providers listed?
- Does the consultant also offer implementation services for specific vendors?
- Are their blog posts and white papers truly thought leadership reports, or are they mostly puff pieces for specific vendors?
Litmus Test per 180 Systems
These are good, but we would suggest a couple more:
- Does your firm receive any financial benefit from any of the vendors?
- What systems have your clients selected over the last 2 years? If they are independent, there should be a wide variety of systems included.
Not Just the Top 10 ERP Systems
Our approach to independence is to consider all potential vendors in our software selection projects – not just what some consultants call the top 10 ERP Systems. Some of the vendors will be well-known companies and others will be relatively unknown except to the specific industry they serve.
Independence is critical in life and in software selection.