Comparing apples and oranges: Methods for evaluating and selecting RM software

Anyone contemplating purchasing records management software understands what an overwhelming task this can be. There are many records management software products on the market today, and more being developed every year. Trying to pick the right product from all the products available can be as difficult as comparing apples to oranges.

Software selection is a highly individual choice, there is no "one right answer" for everyone. However, your selection method can mean the difference between success and failure.

We will not be reviewing specific software products or features, but will instead focus on the necessary decision-making tools to winnow through the product descriptions and promotions to find the product that best meets your organization's needs. While we are using records management software as our example, you may use these evaluation methods to purchase any product, including file shelving, furniture, computers, printers, copiers, teler phone systems, etc.

BUILD YOUR TEAM

The first step is to build a selection team made up of individuals within the organization who can work together through the software selection process. The team should include select staff representatives from the Records Management (RM) department and technical representatives from the Information Systems (IS) department. Be judicious in your team building. Make sure your team members will be dedicated and committed to the software selection process.

It will also be beneficial to obtain assistance, as needed, from other departments, such as the finance department for budgeting assistance; the purchasing department for guidance in writing the Request For Purchase (RFP); and the legal department for reviewing the license agreements and maintenance agreements.

CULTIVATE MANAGEMENT SUPPORT

Upper management needs to be fully apprised of the progress of your selection process. It is important to highlight your successes and advisable to be honest, albeit lowkey, about any problems you may encounter.

IDENTIFY YOUR NEEDS

Decide what you want to automate. Review your current processes and differentiate between your needs and your wants. In other words, what product features or functions do you absolutely require, or need, in the new system? What product features or functions would you like to see, or want, in the new system, but do not require for the success of the program? It is very important to be realistic in this process.

Next, develop the foundation for your search: the requirements document. This document lists, in order of importance, the features required in the new system. Assign a quantifiable weight to each item listed in the document. Determining the relative weighting scheme should be one of the first tasks of the selection team. The weight is determined by how important the item is in relation to the success of the program. A "want," therefore, would carry less weight than a "need." In the Sample Requirements Document (Figure 1) we have listed 1 as the lowest priority (nice to have) and 3 as the highest priority (essential). (Figure 1 omitted.)

The requirements document should include a timeline for the project. Identify your deadline--the target date for installation--then work backwards, noting your interim goals and the expected dates.

This is the stage where you will want to make sure that the IS department is fully involved. You should know and understand the hardware and software standards that the IS department has developed for the organization. The records management software should be the "cornerstone" within the IS document management strategy. The long-range plans for the organization should be developed collectively by the RM department and the IS department.

Do not get caught up in the "hype" presented by vendors. Make sure you examine your own system thoroughly before you talk to any vendors. It is essential that you know and understand the requirements of your system prior to reviewing any of their products. Later, after you have reviewed some products, you may become aware of particular features and functions that are available. At that time you may consider adding these to your requirements document. The requirements document is a fluid document and adjustments can be made as needed.

PERFORM PRELIMINARY RESEARCH

There are many options available for a preliminary review of available software. With your requirements document in hand, the first place to begin is ARMA International's Software Directory for Automated Records Management Systems. This directory is a valuable resource that summarizes almost all of the records management software or systems available on the market today. A detailed review af this directory could help eliminate those systems that are obvious non-contenders.

You can do additional research by visiting conference exhibits and trade shows; reading the advertising and articles in the Records Management Quarterly and trade magazines; hearing about systems through word-of-mouth from satisfied (or unsatisfied) users; and attending vendor demonstrations in your local area.

Do your homework and familiarize yourself with as many products as you can. Then narrow your field to at least three, but no more than five, products.

WRITE YOUR RFP

By this time you should have your requirements clearly identified. Write these down in the request for proposal (RFP) in an easy-to-follow format (Figure 2). The items on your requirements document should be written in a detailed, narrative style.

Figure 2. Sample RFP

FruitCakes, Inc 144 Nutty Lane * Citrus 35353 * 123-555-4500 January 15,1996

Dear (Vendor):

This is a Request for Proposal (RFP) regarding the records management program software needs of Gruitcakes, Inc. (FCI). Recipients of the FRP will hereinafter be referred to as "Vendor." Please note--THIS IS NOT(underline) AN ORDER. FCI shall incur no oblicagion or liability whatsoever to anyone by reason of issuance of such request. It is the policy of FCI to seek out and purchase functionally suitable, technically-appropriate products and services at the lowest over-all cost; however, the decision in the selection of a supplier shall not rest solely ont he lowest over-all cost. Please review and responds to all specifications and requests contained in the RFP in the order and format in which they appear. Provide sufficient information for evaluation of the proposal, including a copy of the product user manual (which will be returned) and a product prototype, if available. Any exceptions to the specifications must be noted. Incomplete proposals or proposals which do not comply with the specifications may be eliminated from the purchase decision, at FCI's discretion. Vendor must notify FCI by telephone, fax or letter on or before January 29, 1996 of their intent to submit a response to this RFP. Vendor has the obligation to ask questions or clarify any issue. Questions regarding the RFP must be submitted in writing on or before February 5, 1996. FCI will make every attempt to answer all questions from each Vendor; however, available to all Vendors responding to the request to ensure consistent interpretation of the request. Vendor has an obligatioon to clarify any and all conditions imposed on or included in their responses to this RFP. RFP responses must be submitted no later than 2 p.m. on February 26, 1996. In addition to your response to the enclosed software requi

Be careful not to use "in-house jargon" in the RFP that the vendor may misread or not understand. Try to use standard records management terminology. You may use ARMA International's Glossary of Records Management Terms or any industry-recognized text or reference book to review for standard terminology.

Let the vendors know that this is a competitiue evaluation. Set the ground rules for your expectations and identify your required timeline for all responses. Be sure to set a manageable deadline for the return of the proposal.

The vendors may have questions regarding the RFP. Specify how you would prefer the questions be issued, via phone or in writing. All questions should be gathered from all vendors and answered collectively in a formal response from you (Figure 3). (

RESEARCH THE VENDORS It is very important that you get to know everything about your vendors. Who are their current customers? What is the vendor's vertical market; i.e., to what industries do they usually market? Do they provide records management consulting services? How many instal

1- lations are there for the product you I are considering? What type of ini-stallations are they (mainframe, PC t ]s stand-alone, or network)? What is 6 ly the current version of the software? v 1- How often are new releases issued? n 1- How often is the product updated? e

How long has the vendor been in business? What is the makeup of the staf and what are their skills? What is the background of the developer? Is the developer a records manager? Is there a records manager on staff]

EVALUATE THE RESULTS AND ASK FOR 1IIORE Vendor responses can sometimes be vague. Be sure to follow up with the vendors to clear up any questions not adequately answered in the RFP. Never assume anything.

You should demonstrate your current system, either manual or s electronic, to each vendor. The ven;h dors can then visualize and discuss your requirements for the new sysn tem, as compared to the current system.

DEVELOP A SAPLE DATASET A representative sample database of your existing system should be developed and given to each vendor for testing on their software. The basic elements of your system should be included, such as samples of your classification system, your retention schedule format, document or folder detail for data entry, and examples of required reports. Ask the vendors to use this dataset to prepare a demonstration of their software with your data.

SCHEDULE A DE1VIONSTRATION Schedule a time with the vendors for the demonstration of your data on their systems. Try to arrange all of the demonstrations close together so that comparisons can easily be made. If possible, it is recommended that this demonstration be performed on the destination hardware, or, if not in place, on a system similar to which you intend to operate the software. This will ensure the software can operate in its intended environment.

Based on the demonstrations, you can establish benchmarks on such items as how easy it is to maneuver through the software, add records, print reports, etc. Ask for some hands-on time with the software. Who will be operating the system? Make sure the people who will be doing the data entry are fully involved. Many times the records manager makes the software selection but the entry level staff must operate it. What is the learning curve of this product? If you are confused in the demonstration, it may indicate that the software has a difficult learning curve. Make sure that your IS representative is in attendance for the demonstration of the software. He/she may be able adequately to determine if the software will meet or exceed your technical capabilities.

Find out if there are peripheral products or software that is needed to operate the system fully within your environment. Should you pur

chase a modem and communication software, a specialized label printer, more memory for your existing system? Do you need to be a member of an on-line computer service to access updates?

REEVALUATE YOUR RESULTS This is where you follow-up on the references provided by the vendors. Contact every reference] Ask if you can visit a site where the type of software you are interested in is installed.

Double check, are all of your questions answered? Follow up on everything. Be sure to keep management informed of your progress.

DEVELOP AN EVALUATION R(ZATRM An evaluation matrix: (Figure 4) is developed for each vendor who responds to the RFP. The evaluation matrix is the most important key to objectively evaluating the software products. This document should be in a consistent format with the RFP. Each feature or function discussed in the RFP is identified as a line item in the matrix.

As with the requirements document discussed earlier, each item is assigned a quantifiable Loeight, which is determined by how important the item is in relation to the success of the program. A "want," therefore, would carry less weight than a "need." In the Sample Software Matrix, a weight of 1 is the lowest priority (nice to have) while a weight of 3 is the highest priority (essential). Your selection committee may, however, chose to determine another weighting scheme. After reviewing the vendor's responses to the RFP, you score each item on the matrix by how the vendor addressed the item. In the sample matrixes we scored the vendors from 0 to 3, with 0 being "unrespon

le le sive" up to 3 which is "fully responty sive." An unresponsive score would t- mean either that the vendor cannot r- meet the request or does not have the feature; a fully responsive score e- means that the vendor positively re:h sponded to a request on the RFP. n- To arrive at a value for each item, n- we multiply the weight of the item rs by the vendor's score. Adding up all n- of the values for each vendor will

give you the Grand Total for comparing vendors.

MAKE YOUR CHOICE Review the priorities you established in your requirements document. Evaluate the quantifiable results of the evaluation matrix. The overall costs should be a consideration, but not the primary consideration. Consider the qualitative factors, such as, the vendors' reputation, history and references. Factor in your gut feelings and then make your decision.

Finally, notify all of the vendors of your selection. The "losing par

ties" may be interested in your deci's sion to purchase a competitor's r- product. If they ask, there is noth

ing wrong with sharing your reasons with them. Be courteous and honest.

AGREE ON A CONTRACT The vendor usually has a standard contract that you will be asked to sign before the software is installed. The contract is written to protect the vendor's rights. To protect your organization's rights, some suggestions for contract inclusion are: request that the vendor maintain the current source code in escrow; identify the terms for acceptance; and identify the terms and conditions of the product's support and service.

It is advisable that you have the legal, contract or purchasing department review the contract before you sign anything.

AND WHEN IT'S OVER Celebrate] When the new system is "live" and working well, host an Open House] Use the event to publicize the records management program. Demonstrate the new features and introduce the new functions the department is now able to perform for the records users.

AUTHOR: Jane M. Owens is a former high school business teacher who doubled her salary by joining the business world. For almost nine years she has been ManagerRecords and Information Management for U S WEST Communications-Business & Government Services. Her records management experience includes classification systems development, in-house software design, records inventories, creation of procedures and manuals, training of employees at all levels, supervision of records management staff, strategic planning and budgeting, and records management facilities design.

Jane has been active in the promotion of records management at U S WEST and participated in the planning and presentaon of the first-ever U S WEST Records Management Conference. Jane's responsibilities also include information security. In 1989 Jane developed and implemented a program for the protection of information assets within Federal Services, and traveled the country to conduct the mandatory training for all employees. She has been trained in industrial security management by the Defense Department and in seGure communications management (COMSEC) by the National Security Agency.

Jane has been a member of the Mile High Chapter of ARMA International for nine years.

I AUTHOR: Teri J. Mark, CRM is the principal - consultant with T.J. MARK Consulting in the Denver, Colorado metropolitan area. She has - over seventeen years experience in records ; and information management and has spent the last seven years consulting throughout North America. She has worked with clients on the design, development and implementation ; of total records management programs, including records inventories, uniform filing classification systems, retention programs, vital records : programs, work-flow analysis, policies and procedures manuals, and automated and manual records retrieval systems.

r Teri has extensive experience with records automation projects. She has directed several ] projects using both packaged software and custom designed software. She has trained clients on the introduction and use of various RM software programs.

Prior to starting her consulting company, Teri I held records management positions at Davis, Graham & Stubbs, Denver, Colorado; Amselco Exploration Inc., Reno, Nevada; and Sierra Pacific Power Company, Reno, Nevada.

Teri is a frequent speaker on records management for various business and professional groups, and has taught records management at the community college level. She has written for the Records Management Quarterly and has spoken at several ARMA International conferences.

A member of the Institute of Certified Records Managers (ICRM) since 1985, Teri has served on the ICRM Exam Development Committee since 1987, and is currently serving on the Board of Regents as Regent, Exam Development. She has been a member of the Association of Records Managers and Administrators (ARMA International) since 1980, and has held several offices and served on numerous committees for both the Mile High Denver and Sierra Nevada (Reno) Chapters. Teri holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University hlnh nlCn3

Copyright Association of Records Managers and Administrators Inc. Jan 1996
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