Capability area A3 · Activity 62020

TechnologyAssessment& Selection

Two questions, asked in the right order. First: is what we have actually the problem? Second: if we are going to change it, how do we choose properly?

Systems audit Requirements Shortlisting Scored evaluation Total cost
What this capability covers

Deciding well is cheaper than implementing twice.

Most poor technology decisions are not caused by poor technology. They are caused by an unexamined assumption — that the current system is the bottleneck, that a competitor's choice will suit you, that the demonstration reflects daily use.

This capability area exists to test those assumptions before money is committed. An assessment tells you what is really constraining the organisation. A selection engagement then makes the choice defensible: written requirements, a scored comparison and a recommendation with reasoning attached.

Our position: Alvoris holds no reseller agreements, no referral arrangements and no vendor commissions. We are paid for the assessment, not for the outcome. “Keep what you have” is a legitimate conclusion and we write it when the evidence supports it.

  • Findings supported by evidence, not impression
  • Requirements written in your language, not a vendor's
  • Options scored against criteria you agreed in advance
  • Cost projected over three years, including the hidden parts
  • A stated recommendation — not a menu with no opinion
Capability diagram

How an option becomes a recommendation.

Criteria are weighted before options are scored, so the result cannot be reverse-engineered to suit a preference formed in a demonstration.

Weighted evaluation model Criteria are agreed and weighted first, then each option is scored against every criterion, producing a weighted total and a recommendation. Step 1 — agree and weight the criteria (before any option is seen) Operational fitweight 30 Total cost of ownershipweight 25 Data portabilityweight 15 Support & longevityweight 15 Integrationweight 10 Implementation effortweight 5 Step 2 — score each option against every criterion Option A Option B Keep current Weighted total 71 Weighted total 68 Weighted total 54 Step 3 — the recommendation, with the reasoning and the residual risks stated Recommendation: Option A, subject to a data migration trial Because operational fit carries the highest weight and Option A is materially stronger there. Cost difference over three years is £4,000 — below the threshold you set at kick-off. Where the current system wins, the recommendation says so — and the engagement has still paid for itself
Criterion weight Recommendation
Services in this area

Two services.

An audit looks inward at what you run. A selection engagement looks outward at what is available. Many clients take them in that order.

05 Consultant assessing an organisation's systems landscape Technology Assessment & Selection

IT Systems Audit & Improvement Review

A structured assessment of the systems landscape: what exists, what duplicates, what constrains the business, and what to address first.

From£1,500 View service
IT Systems Audit & Improvement Review
06 Team comparing software vendor options Technology Assessment & Selection

Software Selection & Vendor Advisory

Requirements captured properly, a defensible shortlist, structured demonstrations, scored evaluation and a written recommendation.

From£1,700 View service
Software Selection & Vendor Advisory
Practical examples

Questions this capability answers.

Before investing“Is our CRM the problem?”Often the product is adequate and the configuration, data quality or process around it is not. That distinction is worth establishing before replacement.
Choosing a system“Which of these three?”Requirements weighted, demonstrations scripted against your real scenarios, results scored and compared on the same basis.
Build or buy“Should we build this?”A direct comparison of a purpose-built system against the closest available products, including three-year cost and the cost of compromise.
Post-acquisition“We now run two of everything”An assessment of overlapping systems from two merged organisations, with a recommendation on which to retain.
Growth planning“Will this scale?”An honest read on whether current systems survive a doubling of volume, and where the first constraint will appear.
Renewal decisions“Renew or move?”Assessment ahead of a contract renewal, with the switching cost and migration risk quantified rather than assumed.
Start a conversation

Test the assumption before you spend against it.

If a significant technology decision is coming up, an assessment costs a fraction of the decision and removes most of the risk from it.