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A requirements specification that describes solutions rather than needs locks you into a single supplier's approach. Here's how to avoid that.
“We need to see all open quotes for each customer” is a requirement. “We need a quote module with a dashboard” is a proposed solution that rules out good alternatives.
If you cannot explain why the requirement exists, it does not belong there. In our experience, this removes a third of the list.
Access control, traceability, where data is stored, and who will manage it. These factors are often overlooked, yet they are frequently decisive.
Without prioritization, all requirements become equally important, and then the supplier who says yes to the most wins — not the one who is the best fit.
If more than half are critical, then nothing is. Enforce a distribution in which most requirements are not absolute.
Include two or three specific everyday scenarios and ask the vendors to demonstrate them. This is more revealing than a hundred checkboxes.
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Published 9/29/2025
Jets Group was looking to modernize its business systems and planned to start with ERP. Along the way, it became clear that the foundation for growth lay not in the technology, but in understanding and improving customer processes.
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