There is a pre-built starter implementation for our industry

Description

Before implementing, the CPM tool can be pre-loaded with a configuration including a collection of standard functionalities, reports, and metrics that are most relevant to a specific industry, thereby reducing setup time and providing a more feature-complete implementation.

Example Use Case

Scenario: A manufacturing company is looking to implement a planning platform. They require a solution that has pre-built functionalities specifically catered to suit the unique operational, reporting, planning and forecasting requirements of the manufacturing industry.

Solution: The chosen CPM software provides a pre-built starter implementation specifically designed for the manufacturing industry. The starter model includes pre-defined operational dashboards, financial metrics, planning methodologies and reporting structures which align with the industry standards. This simplifies the implementation process and allows the company to begin utilizing the software quickly.

Considerations

There is a difference between a pre-built starting point and a templated implementation. A “starting point” is more of a baseline implementation, meaning that the core structure is set up with the intent of the customer editing, adding, and removing components in a detailed manner. A templated implementation indicates a more rigid configuration that is designed to work in a very specific way and is scoped as such. In other words, when setting up a solution from a template, expect very little customization. This is generally a take it or leave it setup process. Both serve the same purpose of making implementation much faster, however the former provides more flexibility and will generally cost more.

Industry models can be very effective when the customer buys into the process. Some customers, no matter the industry, truly believe that what they are doing is incredibly unique. It usually isn't, but it can be difficult to convince them otherwise. We recommend that buyers be open to the industry models, even if it meets changes on their side. It usually results in a better long-term solution.

That said, if the industry model does not meet about 50% of your requirements, you might be better off implementing it from scratch. It can be more expensive to remove functionality from a financial model than to add it in the first place.

Questions to Ask a Vendor

• Industry Specificities: How does your pre-built implementation cater to the specific needs of our industry?
• Customization Flexibilities: What level of customization does your pre-built implementation allow to cater to our specific business needs?
• Upgrades: If you release an upgrade to our industry model, can we use it? Or are we stuck with the original configuration?