Independent Software Evaluation

The evaluation guides the concrete selection of a central business application neutrally, with a focus on data ownership, portability and fair cost structures. Such a decision has an effect for years, so switchability counts from the very start. Open-source alternatives such as Odoo, ERPNext or Mautic are deliberately included, because they strengthen the negotiating position.

A neutral selection makes visible how user numbers, interfaces and exports affect cost and switchability over the long term. A neutral evaluation separates the systems that fit the real processes from those that are merely well sold, and keeps vendor lock-in deliberately small. Here the system category is already fixed: this is about the concrete selection, no longer about buy or build. The organisation makes the decision; le dot provides the neutral basis for it.

Typical starting points

  • CRM, ERP, member management or marketing automation is being newly selected or replaced: candidate systems are assessed on process fit, data ownership and exit costs
  • a system is to be freed from an existing vendor lock-in: data exports, interfaces and replacement steps are framed as a real exit path
  • data ownership, portability and long-term cost matter as much as functionality: the shortlist combines functional coverage with portability, API contracts and TCO over five to ten years

Outcomes

The evaluation makes the investment decision robust: which system covers which processes, how it stands on data ownership and exit costs, and where an open-source option is the economically better choice. The concrete deliverables produced are:

  • an evaluated shortlist with a clear recommendation for a prototype
  • a strategic architecture paper

This way the system decision is made on a shared, evidenced basis.

Scope of work

Every candidate system is placed along two dimensions: how well it meets the real processes and how much data ownership it leaves. Only both together show what holds up over the lifetime.

quadrantChart
    accTitle: Placing candidates neutrally
    accDescr: Candidate systems are placed by functional fit and data ownership across four quadrants, from first choice to avoid.
    title Placing candidates neutrally
    x-axis Low functional fit --> High functional fit
    y-axis High vendor lock-in --> High data ownership
    quadrant-1 First choice
    quadrant-2 Sovereign, with gaps
    quadrant-3 Avoid
    quadrant-4 Works, ties you down
    "Open-source option": [0.72, 0.8]
    "Established SaaS": [0.8, 0.3]
    "Niche product": [0.4, 0.62]
    "Legacy lock-in": [0.5, 0.18]

Process mapping Real processes are captured instead of writing wish lists:

  • commodity is separated from the value-adding core features
  • specialisation only pays off for the core features

Technological review (portability and API contracts) It is audited how deeply a system ties you down:

  • APIs, data formats and portability
  • whether the system can, in an emergency, be self-hosted or moved to another provider via clearly defined API contracts

TCO comparison (True Cost of Ownership) The total cost over five to ten years is compared, not the entry price:

  • licensing models, per-seat fees and integration costs
  • the exit costs are factored in

Scope boundaries

The evaluation is a neutral decision basis, not an implementation. Migration, customising and operating the chosen system are not part of the mandate, nor is contract negotiation with the provider. No system is recommended whose subsequent rollout would earn le dot revenue; the neutrality of the selection is not coupled to implementation revenue. When it is not about the system selection but fundamentally about in-house development versus off-the-shelf software, the Make-or-Buy Consulting frames that question.

Key data

The effort depends on the number of candidate systems and the breadth of the processes:

  • how many stakeholders feed into the process mapping
  • how deeply portability and API contracts are audited
  • how extensive the TCO comparison is

A focused selection with few candidates is assessed quickly, a broad field across many departments calls for more depth. What the selection costs in a concrete case depends on exactly these factors. The price range gives the frame for your own project.

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Further information