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nFold is currently helping a customer to choose between two ERP systems. The customer is merging two companies, one uses AccPac and the other uses PeopleSoft.
Looking back at the software survey results for 2003, of the 102 participants, 5% used PeopleSoft while 18% used AccPac. This graph shows the relative sizes of the companies using both products.
You can see from the graph that (50 percent or more) of companies using one of these systems employed more than 500 people. I find this interesting because there is a common view that AccPac is used by smaller companies only.
The next step of the evaluation was to create a decision matrix that compares relevant information about the two products.
A request for information has been sent to each supplier to complete missing details. Internal users and external peers using the software are also being surveyed.
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The factors included in the decision matrix are:
- System Efficiency
- Financial Implications
- Requirements Match
- Supplier Performance
- Technical Considerations
- User Feedback
The graph shows customer feedback received for each of the systems (3 customers each gave scores out of 5 for different criteria). On average, the AccPac customers were more likely to select the same software again. AccPac systems were typically upgraded very easily within a matter of days, while PeopleSoft systems took an average of 6 months to upgrade (although one customer did manage an upgrade within 6-8 weeks). The software was more or less on par in terms of changes needed to custom reports and data compatibility with earlier versions.
The evaluation is ongoing. I will find it especially interesting to compare supplier responses in terms of the functional requirements. We have asked suppliers to indicate whether the functions are standard features, require customisation, require programming or are not supported.
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