As you continue on the path to determine what Solution and provider is best for you, you have now narrowed it down to 2-3 solutions.  Now it is time to get deep into the evaluation process and choose a solution.

In Depth Demo:   It is time to have another Demo with the remaining solutions.  For this demo, it is time to make lists of items that you want to see the systems do, not what the vendor wants to show you.  Remember that demonstration systems are just that and cannot always customize everything you are hoping to see but you should be able to get a pretty good idea of what to expect, especially when it comes to the integration component. From this demo, you should have a very good idea of what each solution can do for you and evaluate the solution, estimated price, and schedule to make a final decision.

Discovery process:  Once you have selected a vendor/partner – it is time (before contracts are signed) to perform a discovery process and document exactly what is to be delivered based on your requirements.  This documentation process should result in a project scope document that will be used to determine:  final cost, deliverable items, schedule, and to determine out of scope requirements (if there are any).  Do not short cut this process.  It should be thorough and complete and detailed enough to avoid misunderstandings later.

Contracts and Proposals. There should be sufficient information that explains everything to be delivered, what the implementation process includes (and does not include) and well as ongoing support and maintenance fees/policies.

A successful implementation requires full commitment from both sides and having resource scheduled for critical items is mandatory for a smooth process.  You will need to be prepared to perform various user acceptance testing (UAT) tasks, review workflows, forms, and functionality throughout the process.

Congratulations and best of success with your new workflow solution.  Hopefully this will change the way you work and complete tasks in a much more efficient way than you are doing it today.