Implementation team has experience with customers from our industry

Description

The implementation process for planning, reporting, and consolidation software can be complex, especially for first time buyers. Having an implementation team who has experience in their specific industry can make the process smoother, and result in a more complete implementation.

Example Use Case

Scenario: A pharmaceutical company needs financial consolidation software to manage its corporate performance. Their operations involve complex regulatory requirements that are unique to the pharmaceutical industry.

Solution: They seek a CPM implementation provider with an implementation team experienced in the pharmaceutical industry. With its industry-specific experience, the implementation team applies relevant strategies to meet the company's complex regulatory needs, ensuring a smoother transition to the CPM software.

Considerations

When interviewing implementation providers, expect that the vendor themselves will have a mish mash of experience across industries. Specifically requesting a resource who has experience in your industry is risky - if they quit, there probably is not a competent replacement.

When getting down to a implementation consultants experience, we find it better to seek a partner who has experience in your industry. Often these smaller consulting companies experience is weighted towards a specific industry like education, financial services, manufacturing and so on. Ask your vendor who they might recommend in your industry and why.

Questions to Ask a Vendor

• Industry Experience (for consultant): Can you share examples of similar projects you have carried out in our industry?
• Industry Experience (for vendor): Which partner would you recommend for our specific industry needs?
• Knowledge Transfer: How do you ensure our team understands the software functionalities that are particularly relevant to our industry?
• Regulatory Compliance: How does your software and implementation process comply with the regulations and standards in our industry? (important for financial close)