What C.E.O.s Need to Know About Software Selection

This document presents the issues discussed during a meeting of information technology (IT) managers belonging to the MicroSave Action Research Partners (ARPs) network. The issues were:

• Why do institutions upgrade?
• How can institutions avoid introductory problems?
• How can they define their needs?
• How do they plan for growth?
• New software often means change - how do they manage this?
• What other software selection issues should they be aware of?

The discussion brought forth the following answers:

• Institutions need new software to:
  • Support new products and a wider geographical network;
  • Provide operational support.
• Institutions can avoid introductory problems by:
  • Defining organizational needs;
  • Listing possible providers;
  • Employing an external consultant.
• They can define their needs by:
  • Understanding and re-engineering key processes in order to make the necessary internal changes;
  • Reviewing e-banking trends.
• They can plan their growth by:
  • Ensuring that the software will meet the institution's needs for 5-8 years;
  • Reviewing the business plan and the aim of the institution.
• They can cope with change by:
  • Recognizing the importance of change;
  • Employing a consultant to guide them through 'change management' workshops;
  • Standardizing branches to use and interface with the new software in a standard way.
• The other key software selection issues to be aware of include:
  • Connecting branch networks;
  • Reporting;
  • Technical support;
  • Vendor management.