Supplier relationship management : feature request process

In this post, you will find a process to submit requests to your software supplier. Focus on the important issues that require your attention, and let your team take care of the issues they can manage without your support. The visio file is provided : feel free to adapt it to your own use.

20151021-01-processes-erp-feature-request.pdf
20151021-01-processes-erp-feature-request.vsdx

As a manager (CEO, CIO, CFO, IT Manager, Product owner), you might spend a lot of time dealing with the users’ requests regarding your business solutions : ERP, CRM, PLM and so on…
This process is a simple way to make sure that the users will receive the required level of service and at the same time that you will not waste your time.

The key element is here :

…you make sure that your ERP competency centre (ERP Service desk or Business solutions service desk) is empowered and can order changes directly from the supplier. At the same time, you ensure that the budget will still be on-track because you make a special contract with the supplier (integrator or software editor), allowing only to proceed without specific offer/order for less than 10 hours per instance.

Before you put this process in place, you will have to prepare a few things :

• You must put in place a ticketing system : it must be simple and user-friendly
• You must discuss it with the supplier, adapt the contracts, specify the hourly rate, make sure that the supplier will work on the ticketing system directly (no emails)
• You must put in place a “Business Solutions Service Desk” (might be a single person, even part-time, but it must exist)
• You must teach the users how to use the ticketing system, and explain that this is the main way to obtain support (it is still possible to let the Business solutions service desk create the tickets from emails in a first step (see my post about change management)

A few simple ticketing systems that fit well in this scenario :

• Jira : https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira/
• Mantis : https://www.mantisbt.org/

Should you need help to put in place this process, don’t hesitate to contact us using the contact form.