Rob Howards response to the Unit I Discussion Board Question
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Information Systems
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Nov 24, 2024
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Uploaded by mercydavid1999
Rob Howards response to the Unit I Discussion Board Question
COLLAPSE
A few years back I was working as a solution architect in a corporation that was preparing to split our
section of the business. We needed a financial tool to move our company forward and we had 12 months
to stand it up and integrate it into our business. My group looked at several solutions, compared cost and
customer reviews from several vendors, and presented the data to our manager for a decision. The clear
choice for a solution that would suit our company as it started being its own company was Oracle. They
had the best offer and a plan to get us up and running in less time than the deadline, leaving time for
testing and verification along the way. This software had integration to nearly all of our systems that were
tested and deployed in other customers environments and they had the resources to make the timeline.
A little history: This company had bought another company two years before and when its leadership
team integrated with incumbent leadership, there were some relationship issues. Those details I will skip
over but the architecture team I worked on was under the control of a manager from the purchased
company and the incumbent managers fought that manager's decisions no matter what they were.
History being what it is, two years later that original plan was dug up and the pricing was updated and
implemented with many of us who once worked at the company being paid consultants for the process.
So, the original decision process was to define the need and collect the information needed to make a
decision.
The need was for a financial solution that would not only solve our need for the day but support
us as we grew.
It had to be an out-of-the-box solution that required little to no customization, customization make
pivoting difficult.
While cost is important, the value is more important, show the value comparison.
Time is a major factor, show who is willing to commit to our time frame.
I think the process behind the decision was firm. Sometimes the cheapest solution is not cheaper in the
long run. Customization in any product makes support difficult and makes strategic change slow, it does
seem to buy job security though.
We followed a well-defined process in making the decision and planned its implementation in stages
defined as Plan, Build, and Run. In the end, it was deployed using that plan. I have worked in many
environments where there is a decision flow process, and it is usually covered in a kick-off meeting and
lays the ground rules for collecting the information to make a good decision and it comes with a deadline
that gives time for the process to be successful.
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