We get groups to make good technology decisions - on time

There are often substantial costs to making a decision too late, making an ill-informed decision or not making any decision at all. We have developed ways of clarifying and ranking your options to reflect all the crucial factors. Our process usually manages multiple criteria, multiple options and multiple decision-makers. Another way of describing decision-making is choosing consequences, and our methods ensure the decision-makers understand the full set of consequences of the decision.

Extra-ordinary decision-making

There is compelling evidence that 'winging it' and making 'gut feel' or instinctive (System 1) decision-making introduces a predictable set of biases. Most organisations use processes when procuring off-the-shelf solutions (whether on-premise 'package' or cloud service) with unintended consequences. These can mean that the best candidate is overlooked, rejected or withdraws. Using our guiding method, we will help the project team, project board or senior management objectively evaluate the options open to them and then confidently make decisions that are evidence-based, auditable and rational.

Our decision-making process, especially during project board meetings, ensure that biases are controlled and that participants commit to supporting the final decision. We help people pass 'the point of no return' with the confidence not to doubt themselves. We offer a robust, proven, effective approach that in 57 selections has resulted in higher discounts, lower risk, greater speed and more confidence. And never once has a client used our consultancy service and procured technology that subsequently proved unfit for purpose.

Decision Evaluation brings together the excellence of:

• Facilitation, coaching and leadership
• Management consulting
• Technology to model and present complex data, factors and options
• Techniques for scoping, feasibility, evaluation and selection
• Techniques for negotiation, contracting, readiness assessment and implementation.

Our systematic method to evaluate, select and procure off-the-shelf solutions augments (with highly specific and relevant techniques and philosophies) your organisation's normal approaches to project sponsorship and management, decision-making, technology management, due diligence, procurement and change management. We sometimes liken it to the tie-bar that goes through a building, dedicated to the single job of keeping the walls from bulging, so the walls can in turn keep the roof up.

Access to our approach

We offer consultancy services, training workshops and published material.

There are free resources on our downloads page.

In 2015, BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, published our book explaining the Decision Evaluation selection method: Off-the-Shelf IT Solutions: A practitioner's guide to selection and procurement.

For our selection method workshop see: Evaluating, Selecting and Procuring Off-the-Shelf IT Solutions: public workshop based on our BCS book.

For our article on Procurement Orientated Requirements Engineering (PORE), published by the International Requirements Engineering Board (IREB) in RE Magazine see: IT Requirements when Buying, not Making: Effective specifications to select off-the-shelf software.

Overview of selection approach with mapping to book chapters

Overview of approach - OTSIS selection method