Buyers of enterprise software have typically have had very few, and mostly unpalatable options available to them to remedy a systems implementation project gone awry.
Let's say the company is seven months in to the project, the software is either not functioning properly, the project team is either understaffed, incapable, or dysfunctional, or funding has been withdrawn.
What are the options?
1. Cut bait - Scrap the project, send away the consultants, don't renew the software and maintenance licenses, and perhaps write-off the project costs to date, (and possibly look for a new job). The project was important but not important enough to cripple the organization.
2. Vendor wrestling - Needed when the primary cause of the problems are software bugs. Hopefully you have enough juice to lean hard on the vendor to get some action on outstanding issues, and while you are at it maybe you can wring some free training credits or a couple of passes to the next user conference out of them.
3. Clean the decks - Sack the consultants you are working with, install a new project manager, form a new 'core team', and re-launch the project. Toss in a (second) big kick-off meeting and make a few stirring speeches about lessons learned, and a need to change processes, etc. This might work. Maybe.
4. Re-open the vendor evaluation - This is the old 'it's not me it's you scenario'. Maybe the organization did not take enough time in the vendor selection process and a 'fit' between the client's needs and the solutions capabilities did not materialize. Starting all over again with a new solution might work. Or it might not.
5. Sue - Who can the organization sue? The software vendor, the consulting partners, maybe both. There are some celebrated and high-profile cases of organizations suing for damages over failed enterprise software implementations.
6. Get a refund - What? Refund? There are no refunds in enterprise software are there? Typically not. But this week Halogen Software, a leading provider of Talent Managment software announced a new 'money-back guarantee'. According to the company:
After using one of our assisted implementation programs to bring any one of our products into your organization, if you’re not happy with it, we will refund in full your unused subscription fees – as long as you let us know within 6 months of your purchase date
Halogen is the only vendor in this class that offers such a program, and I think it's uniqueness is a testament to Halogen's faith and track record of excellent customer support.
But it is also telling that in projects that can be incredibly complex, expensive, lengthy, and risky that having a guarantee of any kind is extremely unusual. Full marks to Halogen for having the courage to offer such a guarantee, we will see if any other vendors follow suit.
Does anyone have any knowledge of other enterprise software vendors that offer a comparable guarantee?
While you contemplate the question, have a look at my favorite 'refund' scene, from 'Breaking Away'