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"TEC's solutions, which include research comparison reports
selection tools consulting services are driven by its powerful analysis engine,
eBestMatch
TM.Find the best enterprise resource planning
solution based on your business needs."
Source: Technology Evaluation Centers
How Kelly Moore Paints Simplified Its ERP Software Evaluation and Selection
Software Evaluation is also known as :
Software Selection,
Decision Support,
Ebestmatch,
Ergo,
Software Selection Process,
ERP Software Evaluation,
Software Selection Decisions,
Vendor Software Evaluation,
Enterprise Software Selection,
Compare Business Software,
Business Software Evaluation,
Software Evaluation Center,
Software System Evaluation,
Software Selection Best Practices,
TEC Software Vendor Selection,
Software Evaluation Methodology,
Website Evaluation Software,
Request for Information Templates,
Software Evaluation Guide,
Easy Selection Process,
TEC Software Evaluation,
Best Value Software,
Article on Software Selection.
Project Background
Kelly-Moore was using a number of disparate legacy software systems in its three
manufacturing facilities. Company management wanted to move to a single, integrated
enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Management set a time frame of
10 months in which to complete the project, which included requirements-gathering,
evaluation and selection, and implementation.
Project Challenges
Beyond the need to consolidate all business activities into one company-wide platform,
Kelly-Moore also wanted to :
- standardize reporting at the store level
- resolve inventory issues
- manage product development and quality control
Above all, the system requirements-gathering and gap analysis processes had to be
conducted in a cost-effective way. Kelly-Moore had used the services of a well-known
international consulting firm for a recent project. This time it wanted to
fulfill its project
mandate at a lower cost, but without having to sacrifice the value-added services of
experienced professionals.
Solution
A Kelly-Moore project team member was introduced to TEC while doing research for its
ERP project. TEC demonstrated how its decision support engine and methodology could
simplify what is typically a complex decision-making process. Kelly-Moore determined
that TEC could help the company take control of its ERP project at a reasonable price.
Selection and Evaluation Methodology
The company began with TEC's request for information (RFI) templates for mixed-mode
(process and discrete) ERP to identify feature and function gaps that might have otherwise
been missed, and created a custom RFI specifically designed for its environment.
TEC's methodologies enabled the project team to turn subjective feedback into quantitative
data through a series of specially designed activities, which were then
quantified
and integrated into the decision model.
Kelly-Moore quickly mastered TEC's online research portal, decision support engine,
and methodology, giving the project new momentum. "The graphs were great. We were
able to compare up to three vendors at a time," says Kevin Hudson, project manager at
Kelly-Moore Paints. "TEC ... makes the selection process easier."
Company Background
Kelly-Moore Paints is the largest
employee-owned paint company in
the US, with over 2,000 employees,
three major manufacturing facilities,
and 164 retail stores in nine states.
The company's mission is to provide
a broad selection of high-quality
paint and paint-related products at
fair prices to painting contractors,
commercial and maintenance
accounts, and do-it-yourself
consumers.
Initially, there were approximately 20 vendors that it Kelly-Moore's basic needs. TEC's
eBestMatch decision support engine and research portal allowed Kelly-Moore to eliminate
those solutions that did not integrate with its existing Oracle financial platform,
reducing that number to eight. The company then added its custom feature and function
criteria to the pre-existing TEC template, allowing for a further reduction to four shortlisted
vendors. TEC's eBestMatch also provided the Kelly-Moore team with the means
to run "what if" scenarios to determine which software was the best value, based on
price and functionality, matched against the company's specific priorities. This left two
vendors still in the running.
The next step was to have the two remaining vendors conduct scripted demos, allowing
the project team to evaluate features and functions in the context of a real business
process scenario.
Results
"We finally decided to go with Oracle's E-Business Suite for process manufacturing with
a financial upgrade because we felt they were the best match for our feature/function
requirements and business objectives," says Carl Sweetland, chief information
officer
(CIO) for Kelly-Moore Paints, "and we feel very confident with our decision. TEC helped
us focus on what was important to us, and that became the driving force behind the
evaluation process."
Kelly-Moore Paints is now preparing to implement.
To learn more about Kelly-Moore Paints, please visit:
www.kellymoore.com
"TEC saved us time and worry; it
simplified the process for us greatly.
We were able to focus on evaluating
the short-listed results while feeling
secure about the methodology behind
it because the findings could be
demonstrated with our own customized
reports and graphs."
Carl Sweetland
CIO, Kelly-Moore Paints
About TEC:
Technology Evaluation Centers is a provider of research and decision support technology
designed to help businesses evaluate and select the software solutions that best it
their particular needs. Its mission is to reduce the costs, risks, and time associated with
software selection and implementation. Decision makers come to TEC when they want
to make informed software selection decisions, rapidly and cost-effectively.
For more information, please visit:
www.technologyevaluation.com
or contact:
Leona Patlik, Project Sales Coordinator
E-Mail: projectsales@tec-centers.com
514-954-3665, ext. 244