3D GRAPHICS SOFTWARE

1) First, review your current processes around time & attendance, and do an audit of your computer systems and capabilities. Document the software and hardware that you have or plan on purchasing in the near future. Review your current scheduling and absence tracking procedures - don't neglect the most basic unit: the on-the-ground employees - and review your policy and procedures around pay, hours of work, and workflow. Thoroughly document your day-to-day administration of time and attendance tracking procedures and systems.

2) Draw up your requirements document. First and foremost, what are your technical needs - and limitations? What do you actually need the system to do? Seriously, this sounds simple, but it's the most neglected step in this process. Separate absolutely necessary from nice to have, and don't revisit or consider of any nice-to-haves unless there is the need for a tie-breaker. Weight your requirements by how operationally essential they are - if the system was down for a day, what processes would simply fail? Rank those first!

3) Send out a Request for Proposal to at least five time and attendance software system vendors. Request a response that addresses each of your requirements. Specify that if they can't meet the requirement they should lay out what it would take (in time and money) to implement it. Ask about new developments in the industry. As the experts, the vendors are in much better touch with what's out there. If you can, hire a consultant who can't bid to review the technical offerings. Vendors will use acronyms and fancy graphics - get somebody who knows the industry and can cut through the cruft.

4) Call your shortlist and ask them to present. Ask for high-level overviews and a general budget proposal. Pay close attention to the company's philosophy and dynamics - do they present as a team, or is each component presented separately? This is - seriously! - an important indicator of how well the system's components integrate too. Specify that you would really love to see both a software engineer and workflow management expert on the presentation team, not just the sales group.

5) Choose your vendor like you'd hire an employee. Send the winning vendor a letter of intent - subject to reference checking. Then make sure their references check out in the specific areas that are most important to you.

6) If there's no perfect fit, ask for a "proof of concept" period. Like a trial period with commercial software, negotiate a trial period for a nominal fee that will let you test the system. Track the results - if the system does most things, ask the vendor if they can quote on specific modules / additions, if required - if you want it, other people might just want it too!

7) Enjoy your system. Remember that satisfaction with a new system always starts out with huge expectations (it's so much better than our old system!), is followed up with despair as user expectations are brought down to earth (it doesn't do this thing that our old system did...), and then levels out within a few months as the system is adopted, learnt, and begins to shows its unique and useful strengths.