On Thu, Jun 18, 2009 at 8:49 PM, Nolene Sherman <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> What is it with IT and Gartner -- it's like their bible. "According to
> Gartner, this software was the best" seems to be the only justification they
> need. I've run into this several times where a decision was made or pushed
> with the only justification being it's placement on a Gartner graph.
>
> I'm scrambling right now to present alternate choices for an ERMS. A VP at
> our company read a Gartner study and contracted with a well-known ECM vendor
> to do a "vendor-neutral" needs assessment. What's the chances that the
> assessment will tell us we need only what they can supply? Our legal
> department was pushed to purchach a email archiving solution, which then had
> to pair with an e-discovery vendor, because the company was on Gartner ---
> even though the legal department preferred another more robust EDMS vendor
> that could do both and more.
> Aaaaaargh!
> Nolene Sherman
> [log in to unmask]
>
> Tracking where records are kept is what Tiggers and Records Managers do bes


Your job is to convince them that the object is NOT TO find a 'product'
first, then try to fit it to your business needs, but rather to assess your
business needs and then evaluate products available to see what is in the
marketplace that provides the functionality required to meet your needs.

Best case, it will be a product that can offer the functionality and meet
the requirements in a 'native environment', that is to say that it does it
within the product without the need for third-party add on products.  No
problem if you may need modules they offer directly to reach the end state,
but it's best if the module is THEIRS, not that of another vendor, trusted
partner or not.

The problem with bringing in a vendor to perform an assessment, beyond what
you've identified already, is they won't have sufficient knowledge of the
practices and usage patterns of information assets i your organization...
and what will end up happening is what ALWAYS happens with Consultants in
this type of 'hit and run' engagement... you'll end up paying them to read
your watch and tell you what time it is. =)  So much time will be spent
schooling them on how you do what you do, they won't be making
recommendations based on anything other than what they already know, and as
you said, what they can supply.

Larry
(BTW, cool email address Nolene =)  )

-- 
Larry Medina
Danville, CA
RIM Professional since 1972

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