Solution Evaluation

• Demonstration Agenda
• Vendor briefing on the demonstration requirements

1. Provide an agenda to all attendees making sure it has space for attendees to take notes.
2. Undertake the demonstration.

• Complete Demonstrations

Before the demonstration make sure you have a copy of the final agenda. You may need to do a separate copy for your company people to ensure they have room to take notes.

Carry out introductions and ensure the topics on the agenda are covered. Leave room at the end for questions but beware of drilling too deeply in one area. If it does become bogged down in something minor such as how you customise reports, and the way in which the report design tool works, suggest the interested party stay after the demonstration is complete and discuss with the Vendor. If you are comfortable you can use the tool to achieve your desired result, you do not want to turn the demonstration into a training session.

The Project Manager will need to manage the time to ensure the complete agenda will be covered. The Vendor has undertaken many such demonstrations and will know how much can be covered. In other words, you should have developed a realistic timeframe for the agenda, and if the timing is not being met, it may be because the Vendor does not want to visit a part of the agenda. If you do absolutely fail to cover the agenda, a second demonstration may be required to ensure you are comfortable with the information provided. If complicated issues arise, say they will be answered after the demonstration. The Project Manager should keep a list and provide it to the Vendor after the meeting concludes.

Another thing to avoid is where the Vendor will offer to show particular individuals further details of the system in a subsidiary demonstration. If this starts to occur, you will quickly loose control of the evaluation process and find the Vendor visiting different people in your organisation and working directly with them. Explain that the process does need to be controlled, and as the software is further evaluated, there will be an opportunity to dig deeper into the functionality.

Immediately after the demonstration, you should gather the people together and have a debrief. A demonstration evaluation should be written based on the agenda and incorporate comments from the attendees. A template is available.