Checklists for ERP Evaluation

• Vendor Issues
• Product Issues
• Technical Issues
• Installation and Operation Issues
• Integration and Interface Issues

Vendor Issues:
1- How long has the ERP under consideration been sold by the vendor in the market?
2- Has it been developed in-house or acquired? Is the core development team still with them?
3- What's the gross annual turnover and profit of the company? What is the ratio of sales to
support revenue?
4- How long the vendor been in the packaged solution market?
5- What is the installed base is this ERP?
6- What are the hardware and operating systems that it is currently available on?
7- How are they distributed: Industry-wise or location-wise?
8- What is the geographical spread of the vendor's development, sales, and support offices?
9- How many employees does the company have technical and support functions?
10- What are vendor's support and service policies?
11- Does the vendor provide online modem-based support?
12- What are vendor's training programs and facilities?
13- How many employees does the company have in development, technical support, training,
and commercial areas?
14- Do the company's products have user groups? How are they organized?
15- Who are technical and business partners of the vendor?
16- What is the company's strategy for industry-specific solutions?
17- Is the vendor itself ready to implement the ERP package within the company?(Top)

Product Issues:
1- How many actual package users are there?
2- How many year have they been using the package? How many locations has the package
been operational?
3- Have the users been satisfied with the package?
4- Can the vendor provide references of companies where the ERP under consideration is in
operation?
5- Can the vendor provide details of installations at these customer sites?
6- Can the vendor provide professional references who can be contacted in these companies?
7- Can the vendor arrange a visit to one or two sites where the package has been operational?
Can this visit include detailed demos and a review of experiences, operations, and problems?
8- Is the package user-friendly?
9- What is the product map? Is it comprehensive?
10- Does it cover all functions of an enterprise?
11- How scalable is the ERP in terms of the number of users that can be supported as well as
its ability to be deployed as a company-wide solution?
12- Does it follow the principle of one-point data entry?
13- Does it have a centralized database for enterprise data?
14- Are the transactions updates done in batch or online mode?
15- Can it be integrated? Can its modules work in a standalone mode?
16- How easy is it to integrate with third-party systems and solutions?
17- Does it have an open architecture with adherence to worldwide standards?
18- Is it based on nonproprietary technology? Can it work on standard hardware and
operating system platforms?
19- Does it follow standard protocols and interfaces? Can it interface with legacy and other
systems like SCM, CRM, EDI, and so on?
20- Does the source code come along with the system?
21- Is it accessible for making modifications? How will modifications and corrections be made?
22- Will modifications of the ERP be necessary to obtain efficient and effective operations?
23- Will the ERP markedly affect other user services?
24- How easy is it to configure the ERP to the specific requirements of company quickly and
simply?
25- Does the system enable the uploading of data from the legacy systems used by the
enterprise?
26- Does the system have utilities for doing the data conversion? What is the cost of such
utilities?
27- What is the development status of the product? Is it slated to go through a major
revamping or through major additions?
28- Does the package contain current technological features?
29- What is the enhancement and upgrade strategy of the product?
30- How many releases or upgrades have been introduced in the last two years?
31- Did the releases meet your schedule?
32- What is the design strategy for addressing Y2K compatibility, Euro currency, and
international languages?
33- What is the product strategy to make it web-enabled?
34- Does the system have e-commerce functionality or does it have third-party e-commerce
solutions?
35- What is the product strategy to introduce and enhance country-specific functionality?
36- What is the product strategy to introduce industry-specific functionality?
37- How often are the new releases introduced?
38- What is the market view of the product? Has it been analyzed, compared, and
benchmarked?
39- Does the package rate well in surveys?
40- What is the cost of the package?
41- Is the cost based on the envisaged number of users?
42- What are the licensing policies of the product?
43- What is the cost of additional features and modules required by the enterprise?
44- What are the annual recurring costs?
45- What is the cost of periodically purchasing updated versions?
46- What is the cost of installation?
47- What is the cost of training?
48- What is the cost system documentation?
49- What is the cost of vendor support and services?(Top)

Technical Issues:
1- Does the ERP run on the target platform identified by the enterprise?
2- What is the minimum configuration required for the target computer for installing the ERP?
3- Does the package need any optional features from the OS?
4- Does the ERP have an application repository system?
5- Does it have a GUI system?
6- Does the system provide for defining default screen characters, function keys, fonts, and so
on?
7- Does the menu have pictures or icons? Is the status information displayed on the screen for
reference?
8- Does it have a menu management system?
9- Is the system startup satisfactory, including date, time, operator identification, control
numbers, security controls, and so on?
10- Are there clear, brief, and well-documented instructions to guide the user through the
system?
11- Are error messages well formatted, clear, and well documented?
12- Are the error correction options and instructions satisfactory?
13- Are single-key action commands used to speed the interaction of the user?
14- Does have a help management system? Is contextual help available on a field or a
program?
15- Does it have a database management system?
16- Does it have facility for database reorganization?
17- Does the system provide direct access to the data within the database outside of the
system?
18- Are the record sizes, key structures, and other elements relatively independent of the
target environment?
19- Are the detailed layouts available for all data tables?
20- Do the data tables contain sufficient audit trails including date changed, by whom, and the
type of change?
21- Does the system test for the existence of numbers such as account numbers, document
numbers, and code numbers?
22- Does the package have adequate input and output edits and controls?
23- Does the package have adequate controls for maintaining the integrity of tables and data?
24- Does it have a 4GL development system?
25- Does it have a query management system?
26- Does it have report management system?
27- Can user select documents, formats, and fields and control the output to the screen the
printer?
28- Does it have an application administration system?
29- Does the system provide mirroring or data replication?
30- Can the system tolerate errors and difficulties at the terminals and continue operating?
31- Does the system save the data needed for recovery in case of power failure, entry of
improper data, and so on?
32- Are terminal users prevented from stopping, disrupting, or destroying the operation of the
system?
33- Are there simple non-destructive methods for EXIT or GO BACK or PREVIOUS SCREEN?
34- Does it have software distribution system?
35- Does the system provide for defining an access profile at specific terminals?
36- Does it have a configuration management system?
37- Does the system help in guiding through the configuration system?
38- Does it have change management system?
39- Does the system have facilities to control the release of new or changed programs into
production?
40- Does it have version management system?
41- Does it have security and administration system?
42- Does the system provide for defining and maintaining access profiles and passwords?
43- Does it have an audit management system?
44- Does it have a disaster recovery system?
45- Does the system provide automatic recovery procedures?
46- Does is have as archival management system?
47- Does it have a communications management system?
48- Does it have an API system?
49- Does it have an online documentation system?
50- Does it have a powerful search facility as well as suggestions on released topics?
51- Does it have a print documentation system?
52- Does it have an online tutorial, training, and documentation system?
53- Does it have an office-automation system?
54- Does it have a facility for voting?
55- Does it have a groupware and Workflow system?
56- Does the workflow system interface with the email system?
57- Does it have a data warehouse and data analysis system?
58- Does it have an implementation project management system?
59- Does the system report on missed milestones, schedules, and so on?(Top)
Installation and Operation Issues:
1- Are the vendor's and purchaser's installation responsibilities clearly defined?
2- Are installation specifications defined clearly?
3- Does the vendor have a manual or computer-assisted installation procedure?
4- Does the configuration of the specifics of the enterprise and is there enough assistance
available via documentation or vendor personnel?
5- Are the acceptance criteria clearly defined?
6- Does the operation of the system need extensive training for computer operators and
system programmers?
7- Does the vendor provide the sample operating standards and procedures that can be
adapted and used?
8- Does the system documentation confirm to the installation's documentation standards?
9- Can the system be installed in the operating system environment, database, LAN, and so
on without major modifications?
10- Are the system's performance criteria for acceptance clearly stated?
11- Does the vendor promise full support until the system is installed satisfactorily?
12- Will the vendor be available for the data conversion effort?(Top)

Integration and Interface Issues:

1- Does the ERP system provide an interface to its database?
2- Does the ERP system provide an interface to other databases and systems?
3- Does the ERP system confirm to known communications protocols and standards?
4- Does it confirm to known standards of encryption?
5- Does the system provide online or batch interfaces?
6- Does the system provide for controlling the upload of data into the system?
7- Does it provide facilities for quickly mapping the external data into the system tables and
vice versa?
8- Does the system provide for defining and scheduling the upload or download of data in an
online mode?
9- Does the system provide a report or audit trail on the transfer of data?
10- Does the system provide an interface with email?
11- Does the system provide an interface with the workflow system?
12- Does the system provide an automatic interface for loading data into a data warehouse
system?