1. 2014
EXECUTIVE GUIDE
EXECUTIVE GUIDE TO
SUCCESSFUL TECHNOLOGY
PARTNER SELECTION

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE
FACTORS TO CONSIDER
MATURE YET FLEXIBLE PROCESSES
EMPLOYEE RETENTION
TECHNICAL COMPETENCE
INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE
DON’T JUST LOOK FOR A VENDOR, LOOK FOR A PARTNER
DON’T TELL ME, SHOW ME
PARTNER’S REPUTATION
DO THEY HAVE THE RIGHT STUFF?
TOP 7 QUESTIONS TO ASK
BUYER’S DISSATISFACTION – WHAT TO WATCH FOR
FORWARD LOOKING
ABOUT VISIONET
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3. 1
Published by the Standish Group International, Inc., which is a market research and advisory firm specialized in mission-critical
software and electronic commerce.
According to Standish research1
, 2 of 3 IT projects fail to be delivered in time and within budget. Many of these projects
do not need to fall in the failure column. Unfortunately, a good majority do because buyers of IT project services make
poor decisions when selecting vendor partners. This abstract is designed to provide pointers and help you ask the right
questions – of yourself and potential partners – that will lead you to an effective choice, giving you the best opportunity to
ensure your projects are successful.
This guide helps your company with
• Gaining a clearer understanding of vendor evaluation and selection criteria
• Building a strong business case before initiating a vendor selection process
• Learning what similar companies prefer for the type of vendor you’re considering
There are a variety of reasons for project failure; culture, morale, missed expectations, poor requirements, communication
and management. Many of these factors can be mitigated by ensuring a couple of key items are in place with respect to
project execution and delivery.
The most critical piece of this is selecting a vendor partner that will help you achieve success. That said, in the midst
of planning, a poor choice in partnering can cost the company critical time and opportunity loss as well as hundreds of
thousands of dollars wasted. If you know what to look for in an IT partner, you’ll go a long way to mitigating the risks
mentioned above and increase your chances of success exponentially.
You start by asking yourself what drives project success in your organization. If you can align that with vendor strengths,
you’re well on your way to achieving success. However, no matter what type of organization you have or where the hurdles
may be, you will always increase your project success rates by considering the following categories and making sure they
align with critical success criteria established upfront.
PREFACE
3www.visionetsystems.com

4. Organizations can typically choose to partner with a
technology service provider that delivers solutions and
services based on the following principles:
MATURE YET FLEXIBLE
PROCESSES
The value chain of delivery methodology and its
associated processes ensure tight control to avoid
potential risks. They also offer a structure and a
framework through which the progress and earned
value of a development effort can be determined. In the
absence of a mature set of processes, tailored to the
needs of the development, your organization is exposed
to unavoidable risks, and achievements cannot be
measured effectively on an ongoing basis. Conversely, if
you deploy a model that is too rigid, effort can get bogged
down in compliance rather than achieving the goal of the
effort. The right balance must be struck between the two.
Therefore, retain a technology partner that has adopted
good SDLC processes but understands that a level of
flexibility must be employed to keep the project moving
at a continuous pace towards on time and within budget
delivery.
EMPLOYEE RETENTION
Arguably the most important determinant in choosing
the right technology partner is through its employee
attrition rate – if a partner has high employee turnover,
rest assured, it will affect the delivery and budget of your
project. Maintaining low employee turnover rates amongst
IT companies and service providers is a challenging task.
Frequent changes to any project impacts the quality of the
service provided, will impact service timelines, costs and
ultimately morale. High attrition will directly impact project
costs and assuredly success or failure.
Engineers working with an IT firm for several years are
generally experienced in a good variety of environments
and as such have seen their share of challenges. Their
collective experience and subject matter expertise bring
substantial value to you. The client gains value by working
with a vendor that has an employee base with a strong
track record of maintaining a consistent team which
directly translates into consistent successful delivery.
Therefore references in this area are of paramount
importance.
TECHNICAL COMPETENCE
The most obvious factor taken under review is to ensure
that the technology partner you have selected possesses
– a) the relevant technical skills to demonstrate how well
that vendor can support your technical and functional
requirements; b) has a proven track record of delivering
value to its clients similar to your company.
As a matter of fact, there is no substitute for relevant
experience in this business. The true test of a technology
vendor is through their risk management and mitigation
approach and their ability to create contingency plans
in times of project stress and difficulty. Similar to the
risk assessment, due diligence should also be given to
investigate the vendor’s performance over time and their
continued suitability to your business. It has to be critically
analyzed that they are well versed with new technology
trends and demonstrate a high level of competency which
will, in turn, transform your technology into a competitive
asset.
FACTORSTOCONSIDER
QUICK TIPS
Before you think of choosing a technology
partner, know that:
• Your obsolete technology may be holding
back your businesses’ potential.
• ‘Thinking ahead’ may maximize the ROI of
your business.
• Agility is the buzzword. If you don’t stay
agile and innovate, you can be sure that
your competition will.
4www.visionetsystems.com

5. FACTORSTOCONSIDER
INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC
EXPERIENCE
Typically, an ideal technology service provider has
industry-specific consultants and experts who are
specialized in specific areas within specific verticals
- having a focused knowledge and expertise on the
challenges that a particular business area encounters.
This is particularly important as consultants of this caliber
will consider your strategy and goals and help identify
improvements and plans of action. Typically, these
industry and/or business knowledgeable teams help
devise innovative solutions, frameworks and accelerators
based on best practices. This helps streamline work effort
and save countless hours of waste by avoiding “gotcha”
scenarios.
Here, it is recommended that you evaluate the length and
breadth of the combined experience of your technology
vendor. As much as the length of experience would
demonstrate their domain knowledge, the breadth of
experience would help you determine their industry
expertise. The implementation of a technology can only
succeed when the implementation partner holds a true
understanding of your unique business scenario and
your specific requirements, in a process-driven, risk-
aware environment that comes from extensive years of
specialized experience.
DON’T JUST LOOK FOR
A VENDOR, LOOK FOR A
PARTNER
What makes a vendor a good “partner” should always
be measured on their demonstrable service excellence.
It is one with a flexible engagement and delivery model
designed to meet your company’s specific needs, a
service model which offers an exceptional value, and
willingness to provide qualified references that speak to
low turnover and high proficiency. A partner that claims
to offer an excellent service at an excellent price will
demonstrate the following:
1. Best execution services that makes the basis of
customer satisfaction
2. Flexibility in team size adjustment, if required, and a
blended cost model
3. Innovative and out-of-the-box thinking that addresses
unique business challenges
Ultimately, you must select a partner who knows who they
are and how to deliver value in the areas where they excel.
It is the job of the vendor to convey this value and the
success of the buyer to recognize it.
DON’T TELL ME, SHOW ME
Another important factor while considering a technology
partner is their capability to showcase testimonials and
demonstrate similar work done for others. As far as
possible, these demonstrations should be carried out in
a real-world or, at minimum, sample environment with
business data that closely resembles the Business As
Usual state. This would essentially help you analyze the
bigger picture, including identification of and solution to
your business problems and importantly, it would help
you understand and measure the sustainability and
scalability of the approach and its ability to grow
alongside your business for many years to come.
PARTNER’S REPUTATION
International research analysts believe that the most
considerable factor in selecting any partner is their
reference work, case studies and most importantly the
customer testimonials.
Partners should provide references of organizations where
the solutions/services have been successfully delivered.
References should be questioned in detail and a buyer
should gauge the reference’s experience on specific
projects as well as the overall length of the relationship.
5www.visionetsystems.com

6. DO THEY HAVE THE RIGHT STUFF?
TOP 7 QUESTIONS TO ASK
As a result of increasing budget pressures and the nature of the IT industry, it has become apparent that most
organizations (big and small) must engage in some level of partnering if they are to remain competitive, innovate and thrive
in an ever technologically-centric business climate.
Nevertheless, don’t rush to poor decisions; ask yourself the following:
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1 What is the experience of the technology provider? How long has it been offering IT services?
3 Does the firm have industry-specific consultants and experts in your industry or technology
domain under consideration?
5 What Key Performance Indicators does the technology partner measure?
2 How many technical employees does the firm have? More importantly, what is their average
employment tenure with the firm?
4 Does the technology partner keep up with latest technology trends?
6 What do other customers say about this company? Quality of resources, flexibility, etc.?
7 Will the technology partner help you grow and evolve to meet the ever-changing demands of
your business?
www.visionetsystems.com

7. BUYER’S DISSATISFACTION
WHAT TO WATCH FOR?
Research studies have shown that the percentages of IT projects classified as failures – did not meet the given time,
budget, deliverable metric – range from 40% to 60%. Some of the outcomes that constitute for buyer dissatisfaction are
as follows:
• Technology partner not delivering the desired ROI
• Inordinate extensions in the implementation schedule
• Budget overruns by exorbitant variances
• Adverse effect on business operations
To mitigate the risk of your projects falling into these statistics, proper partner evaluation beforehand is a must. Only
when you are certain about the maturity of their approach, processes, customer satisfaction, employee retention and the
success rate of projects they have undertaken, you may distinguish them from the bulk of vendors (not really partners)
available in the market. Once you are ready, be convinced that the selected technology partner would enable productivity
and efficiency gains within the expected timelines and budget.
7www.visionetsystems.com

8. FORWARD LOOKING
Every business wants to succeed, grow, and prosper. When it comes to technology, there’s more to it than just
the initial investment. As your business grows, the technology needed to make it work ages or changes. And so,
it requires important decision-making to ensure that the technology partner you choose offers the right kind of
functionality that drives the competitive advantage, saves you time and money, lowers your total cost of ownership
(TOC), as well as help you increase Return on Investment (ROI).
Once you begin interacting with possible partners, you can begin the process of understanding their depth and
breadth of offerings, flexibility in pricing and delivery, technical prowess and expertise they have acquired over the
projects and services delivered to their customers. Remember, your ultimate goal should be to invest in technology
that is the right fit for your unique needs and business processes; and your technology partner should be able to
translate that into business success.
If you’ve been so fortunate to have escaped the pain of selecting poorly, consider yourself lucky. Rest assured that
the odds going forward will be against you. However, if you employ the techniques outlined above, you just may
beat the odds and ensure that the partner you engage in the future has the “right stuff.”
8www.visionetsystems.com

9. ABOUT VISIONET
Visionet Systems, Inc. is a privately held and employee owned company headquartered in Cranbury, New Jersey.
Visionet is a full-service technology consulting and business process outsourcing company that delivers software
solutions, services, and technology-led BPO products, which are built on the best-of-breed philosophy to help our
customers increase business agility, drive down costs and reduce risks.
With two decades of IT solution creation along with deep experience in solving business challenges, Visionet has
positioned itself among the top leaders in IT and Business Process Outsourcing services. By bringing these two
centers of excellence together, we have built a suite of technology enabled solutions that drive ROI for our clients and
sets Visionet far ahead of any competition.
Through our team of 2,500+ engineers and both onshore and offshore presence, we are well equipped to offer our
clients ‘Best Execution’ partnership and support. Over the years, Visionet has engineered high performing and cost-
effective solutions for its customers across diverse industries including banking and insurance, retail and branded
consumer products, food and grocer, as well as distribution and manufacturing. At Visionet, we are committed to
our customer’s success and focus our considerable engineering capability on delivering value that exceeds customer
expectations.
To find out more about how Visionet can cut your organization’s IT costs and add value to your business, please
contact us for a complimentary assessment on a brief conference call.
9www.visionetsystems.com

10. HEADQUARTERS
4 Cedarbrook Drive, Bldg. B
Cranbury, NJ 08512
Tel: 609-452-0700 x 1143
Fax: 609-655-5232
www.visionetsystems.com
sales@visionetsystems.com
PROCESSING CENTER
183 Industry Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15275
Tel: 412 927 0226 | 412 265 1029
Fax: 609 655 5232