TrendWatch Blog
Four words to drop from your RFP -- and one to add
16-Apr-2007 --
In product selection, as in life, the key to differentiating among possible alternatives is precision. Vague, wordy RFPs (or "tenders" for our international readers) beget vague, wordy responses. Taking a scenario-based approach can help you make very specific assertions and requests. You can also help your enterprise by removing conveniently ambiguous buzz-words. Here's four that I think you can safely drop from any RFP:
- Integrate. This word allows you and the vendor to conspire in postponing discussion of the hard work coming your way. Instead, articulate specific needs for read- or write-access to repositories, as well as event-triggers across systems. Extra credit: lose seamless too. Seams are part of the fabric of all software.
- Intuitive. To whom? Vendors are justifiably proud of their tools and deem them easy to use. Remember: usability is fitness to purpose, so discover your colleagues' true purpose in employing any tool.
- Robust. Vendor-speak. If you mean "multifunctional," or "development platform," you may unintentionally mitigate against ease of use.
- Compliant. Sure, standards are important, but adherence is always relative. What do you really want out of a system that espouses J2EE/.NET/WSRP/JSR 170/Etc. compliance?
Here's a word to employ more frequently at the beginning of any question: How. Vendors differentiate less on what they do than how they do it. Good luck in your product search!
- Submitted by: Tony Byrne, Analyst
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