CRM, ERP, Cybersecurity, e-commerce, and agentic AI platforms are some of the enterprise technology categories commonly associated with a formal evaluation process.
A thorough technology evaluation is often an in-house effort, but many companies contract with third parties to assist with the evaluation.
Why do some companies bring in a third party? They may not have the inclination to do the requisite staff interviews. They may not have time to research the market for a short list of potential solutions.
When a company does hire a third party to help with technology evaluation, it would seem logical to reach out to a technology services company. After all, these companies specialize in delivering technology solutions — so they know technology the best, right?
If All You Have is a Hammer
As the law of the instrument and Maslow’s hammer declare, “if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”
Beginning a technology evaluation with a focus on the nuts and bolts of vendor solutions can lead to an overcommitment to technology for its own sake. It can also extend the evaluation process. It’s important to view technology as a means to an end, not as a destination.
A technology services company may also have an agenda — getting a technology evaluation customer into a product for which they provide consulting services.
View technology as a means to an end, not as a destination.
An Organizational Approach to Technology Evaluation
By delaying the technology vendor feature & functionality conversation, and first identifying business problems to solve, it’s more likely that a company will ultimately end up with the best-fit technology solution.
The alternative approach to technology evaluation is to get a business consultant‘s perspective. The Grokipedia definition of a business consultant is, “a professional who provides professional or expert advice or service in a particular area such as security (electronic or physical), management, accountancy, law, human resources, marketing (and public relations), financial control, engineering, science, digital transformation, exit planning or any of many other specialized fields.”
Not all the advice or analyses involve acquiring new technology, but some do. Those that do become cataloged as business requirements.
Through this approach, technology becomes a part of a broader vision for company success. It creates an environment in which there’s a habit of asking, “What’s the business need, and does it even make sense to apply technology to that need?” If it would cost more to automate a process than to continue with a manual one, why automate it?
Getting to The Technologies
Only once the main organizational problems have been identified and there’s a definition of how some of those problems can be solved by technology does it make sense to begin focusing on technology vendors.
The technology evaluation will now be grounded in organizational need.
A business consultant’s approach to technology evaluation will not only yield the best-fit solution but also likely increase the return on investment for the chosen solution.
