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Once the decision has been made to pursue the development of a new system,
the next challenge is creating the specifications that are to be read and responded
to by your internal I/T department, outsourcing firms, ASPs, consultants, and hardware
and software vendors.
Developing these specifications is never an easy job and is made particularly
difficult for today's telco team because the proposed systems are typically new
or radically different from anything anyone at the company has worked with before.
 Ultimately, if your specifications are accurate
and focused, then the rest of your systems development process will be straightforward.
If, however, your team is having difficulty figuring exactly what it is they need
in the system, then you may find yourself moving into an area of confusion, excess
cost, and much waste of many people's time.
When your team knows what to include in a specifications document and
how to ask for what is needed, then those responding will have to come back with
their best estimates and offerings.
If your specifications are vague, open-ended, or unsure, then you are
sending an open invitation to try to "sell you" and "shape"
your requirements into what the responders would like it to be, instead of what
you need.
Vendors will try hard to sell you what they already have available. They
will invest much energy in trying to convince you that this is what is best for
you. If you do not have a good, clear idea of exactly what it is that you are looking
for, then these vendors will attempt to increase your scope, expand the project's
vision, and in general turn your project into a large, cumbersome, and expensive
potential disaster.
TTA has been around the vendor response process many times in the past
and we have put together a collection of tools that can help you reduce the confusion
and vulnerability of your systems development initiation process.
Using our TTA-QuickSpec Methodology, your team can learn first hand how
telcos around the world have developed specifications that get the point across,
minimize the chances for vendor scope expansion, and quickly get you exactly what
you are looking for: a proposal for a solution that meets your specific needs.
For more information see our
TTA-QuickSpec© Methodology.
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