Draft for Tamir's review. Not published.
Test on real work
Ask the team to list the functions it cannot do without and demonstrate them. Run the same real cases through both options, from first step to completion. A team's preference for familiar software is different from a gap the suite cannot close.
If cost-cutting replaces several tools with one suite, check each function the business earns money from. Separate redundant tools from specialist capabilities, and compare partial consolidation with replacing everything.
Count the full running cost
A specialist product costs integration, and that cost returns at every upgrade of the core system. Ask the suite vendor which interfaces the other product can use and which stay supported through upgrades.
Compare complete licensing and operating costs over several years, including duplicate entry and support. One supplier for everything also concentrates dependence, so include the cost and difficulty of leaving.
Depending on your seat
If you're the CEO, judge on how your people work and on exchange with the organizations you work with. Pick what fits your size and growth plan over what the largest institutions use. Call customers of your size about each vendor's record.
If you run IT, ask the specialist vendor for a site on the same version of your core system, and call it. Check whether the suite vendor's roadmap closes the gap next year. For security functions like identity, list critical applications and access scenarios, including contractors and acquired businesses.
What to check before you decide
- Have the team list its essential functions and test the suite's module on them with real cases.
- Run the same real case end to end through both options.
- Ask the suite vendor which interfaces a specialist product can use and which survive upgrades.
- Estimate integration maintenance over five years, including each upgrade cycle of the core system.
- Compare complete licensing and operating costs rather than the bundle discount.
- Call a customer of your size, on the same versions, for each option.
- Assess the dependence and exit cost of a single supplier for everything.
Questions people ask
Clinic chain choosing a medical record system, the cloud product for clinics or the system the hospitals use?
Choose on how your clinicians work and on exchange with the organizations you refer to, with cost over the chain's growth plan. A hospital system is right only if you need its depth; most clinics need speed, exchange and a vendor that supports small sites. It depends on your specialties, your referral partners' systems and your growth plan.
Should we consolidate business software when one team depends on a specialist tool?
Compare avoided costs with the business capability that would change. Consolidation depends on actual use, feasible alternatives, and whether the specialist function creates value the suite cannot preserve.
Hospital department wants a best of breed system but our EMR vendor has a module, how do I decide?
Judge the EMR module on whether it does the five things the department needs, and judge the best-of-breed product on what the integration costs at every EMR upgrade. Both answers come from a hands-on test with the department's real schedule. It depends on how deep the integration must go into orders, staffing and billing.
Do we need separate laboratory software or can our ERP handle quality work?
Require evidence of a material workflow gap before adding another system. It depends on testing complexity, approval traceability, release decisions, and the operational cost of keeping systems aligned.
Should our municipality extend its CRM or buy dedicated resident service software?
Compare completed resident service cases across departments, including field work and exceptions. It depends on demonstrated functional fit, integration obligations, support capability, and the cost of customising each option.
Should we replace departmental applications with one enterprise software suite?
Compare business capability and full ownership costs before deciding on vendor count. It depends on specialist workflow needs, integration burden, migration risk, and the value of retained choice.
Should we use bundled identity software or choose an independent provider?
Compare the actual identity and access requirements against both options. It depends on application coverage, external users, recovery needs, administration capability, and the cost of changing providers.
How I can help with this decision
- Ask or talk (Free)
- I give my view on which requirement the suite's option cannot demonstrate, and the one test to run before you decide.
- Review (Pay if it was worth it)
- I write an independent comparison of the options on function, integration and full running cost. I recommend the suite, the specialist product or a selective mix, and the terms to attach.
- Retain (When it makes sense)
- I stay close through implementation to review interface decisions and the impact of the first upgrade.