For operations leaders weighing a platform investment: a services business needed better software without losing valuable workflows. We recommended stabilizing what it had while testing what to buy.
Scope essential work on the existing platform. Preserve useful workflows and integrations while addressing immediate support and maintenance needs.
Test purchased products against the team's actual workflows. The likely direction combines purchased capabilities with custom work for unmet needs; the final choice remains open.
Hold the full migration and speculative new product outside the first commitment. Confirm vendor fit, commercial terms, and demand before funding later work.
Adapted and anonymized from a real assessment. Identifying, commercial, and technical details have been removed. This brief describes recommendations, not achieved results.
The original evaluation included hands-on trials for some products and preliminary research or conversations for others. No vendor had completed full validation.
Likely direction, subject to validation
Proceed only where vendor validation and business priorities support the mix.
A possible bridge
Use it while planning, recognizing that deferral alone doesn't address platform limits.
Test workflow fit first
Evaluate shortlisted products with actual workflows before choosing one.
Reserve for unmet needs
Prioritize unmet needs. Reconsider scope when a purchased capability proves sufficient.
Compare the cost to change with the cost to operate over time. Mark unconfirmed pricing and assumptions explicitly. General appraisal guidance also calls for explaining alternatives, the preferred option, and uncertainty: see the UK Green Book, written for public investment decisions.
The assessment separated essential platform work from a larger replacement decision. Vendor evaluation could run alongside it, using the team's actual workflows and integration requirements.
A full migration and speculative new product remained outside that initial commitment. The assessment recommended validating demand before funding the new product and defining triggers for any later replacement.
These example acceptance checks adapt the recommendation. They don't represent checks the client completed or passed.
Agree on the required platform work. Before the next phase, demonstrate the affected workflows, record unresolved issues, and confirm who owns ongoing support and the release decision.
Run the same representative workflows through shortlisted products. Record which requirements pass, which need custom work, and which remain untested. Confirm integration effort and full commercial terms.
Use the evidence to choose the platform mix and prioritize remaining gaps. Name an owner, budget, acceptance criteria, and a stop condition for the next phase before funding it.
Your next commitment should follow the evidence. These checks show when we'd narrow the scope, test another option, or revisit the plan.
Bring the workflow, the constraints, and the options you're considering. We'll discuss whether a Strategic Assessment is the right first step.
