Business System Consultation Center - Our Business System ColumnVol.30 2013.06.01 Takahashi Minoru

The variance in quality among IT vendors exceeds that among doctors

Thank you for your interest and continued support.
This is Takahashi from the Marketing Plan Research Laboratory.


In casual conversations with company presidents, I often hear the opinion that “there’s a big difference in quality among system vendors.”
That is certainly true, and we must remain vigilant to ensure we do not fall into the “miss” category.


I believe the “hit-or-miss” nature of system vendors stems from the following factors:


1. Their technical expertise does not align with the CEO’s vision
Many system vendors are quick to claim, “We can do anything,” but
but there is no such thing as a system provider—not even among the major players—that can truly do everything.
Every company has its own "area of expertise."
They may specialize in websites or homepages, desktop applications,
smartphones, factory automation (FA), design,
and so on. While it’s good to have specialized expertise,
if those skills don’t align with the CEO’s vision, it’s a “miss.”


2. They don’t speak Japanese
There are surprisingly many system engineers with communication issues.
This can be an issue with the individual system engineer,
it can also be a problem with the IT company itself (its management policies).
Even if they are system engineers from a major, well-known, top-tier SI firm,
if they cannot communicate effectively with the client, they cannot build a good system.


3. Incomprehensible Estimates
"Person-month rate," "project (management) fees," "test design fees," etc.
System estimates are full of terms unique to the field,
and these have essentially become technical jargon.
Depending on the CEO’s industry, the quote may consist of a list of terms they’ve never heard of,
and when this happens, you lose all motivation to read the contents.
(Although that is precisely the intention of the system vendor.)


4. The scope of the proposal is too large
"Is it really necessary to go to such lengths for something so minor?"
They end up proposing a system with such a massive set of features that you can’t help but think this,
This is also a common occurrence in proposals from system vendors.
This tendency is particularly strong among vendors selling off-the-shelf packages.


5. Response times are far too slow (the system vendor is too busy)
“Even after reporting a bug, it’s ignored for a month”
“No response at all—not even a word—to requests with strict deadlines, such as tax code changes.”
I often hear complaints like these.
I believe a prompt response to inquiries is an essential requirement for a system vendor.


6. Too frequent changes in personnel
This tendency is particularly strong among large system vendors.
The reasons vary—resignations, transfers, regular rotations (to prevent collusion), non-regular employment—but
whenever the contact person changes, the history of the project is lost,
which places a heavy burden on the president who must deal with this.


Since relationships with system vendors are typically long-term,
I recommend exercising caution when selecting a vendor.


That's all, Thank you for reading.

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