When purchasing a new software system, it’s often really helpful to create some scenarios describing how it will be used.
This not only helps you, the customer, to decide what you need. It also helps the suppliers decide if their system is right for you.
Within procurement projects, I usually ask suppliers to demonstrate how their software will support each scenario.
Please use this as a guide. It’s not meant to be proscriptive. You’ll probably need to adapt it to your specific context.
Users and organisations
Are all the users going to be from one organisation? If not, will you need to keep the data for each organisation separate? Who will need to see data about users from each organisation? Will you need to break down the users into further sub-groups? For what reasons?
List the types of users. Eg. End user, Client administrator, Client managers, Site Administrator. You might want to do a scenario for each type of user.
User onboarding
How will your users be brought into the system? How will they receive their login details? Will you be connecting into one or more Identity Providers (like Microsoft, Google, Facebook etc)? Will users self-register? Will users pay for their own access? How? Will users pay on behalf of other users? How?
Will some users have access to some parts of the system, whilst other users have access to other parts?
End user journey
Consider the end user:
Once a user is logged in, describe what you expect them to be able to see and do.
Think about: what you want them to do; how they will find what they need to do; and how they will look back and see what they’ve done.
Will their journeys be linear (following a standard path)? Will users be able to choose their route? How will they be guided?
Will all users follow the same route?
Reports
What reports do you need to be able to see? (Be sure you know WHY)
What reports do your clients need to be able to see?
What reports do your end users need to be able to see?
If you'd like to discuss this article, or how I can help you, get in touch.
Posted: 29 July 2022
Tags: Resources Supplier selection Solution design