A Critical Success Factor

Implementation partners are absolutely critical to executing and delivering successful COTS projects. Their importance cannot be overstated for several key reasons:

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Research consistently shows that implementation partner selection and management is one of the top determinants of COTS implementation success. According to industry studies, organizations working with experienced implementation partners are significantly more likely to achieve their implementation objectives within budget and timeline constraints. 

Most organizations recognize that attempting major COTS implementations without qualified implementation partners significantly increases project risk and rarely represents a viable approach for complex enterprise software deployments.

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Technical and Functional Expertise Gap

Most organizations lack the specialized expertise required to implement complex COTS solutions like ERP, CRM, or SCM systems. Implementation partners provide:

• Deep product knowledge that internal teams rarely possess

• Understanding of technical architecture and integration points

• Experience with system configuration best practices

• Awareness of common implementation pitfalls

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Risk Mitigation

Implementation partners substantially reduce project risks through:

• Proven methodologies refined through numerous implementations

• Experience anticipating and addressing common challenges

• Knowledge of critical implementation sequencing

• Access to specialized tools and accelerators

• Ability to quickly troubleshoot complex technical issues

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Organizational Change Management

Beyond technical aspects, implementation partners often guide the human side of implementation:

• Helping organizations manage the transition to new systems

• Facilitating stakeholder alignment and buy-in

• Providing effective training approaches

• Supporting user adoption strategies

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Resource Scalability

COTS implementations typically require temporary scaling of resources that isn't practical for most organizations to maintain internally. Partners provide:

• Surge capacity during implementation phases

• Specialized skills needed only during specific project phases

• Ability to scale resources up or down as project demands change

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Business Process Expertise

Experienced implementation partners bring valuable cross-industry knowledge:

• Best practices observed across multiple clients

• Industry-specific process knowledge

• Ability to identify process improvement opportunities

• Experience optimizing business processes around software capabilities

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Vendor Relationship Management

Implementation partners often have established relationships with software vendors that bring advantages:

• Priority access to vendor support resources

• Ability to escalate critical issues effectively

• Knowledge of undocumented product features or limitations

• Early insight into product roadmaps and upcoming changes

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Implementation Outcomes

The data on COTS implementations clearly shows that qualified implementation partners correlate strongly with:

• Higher implementation success rates

• Better adherence to timelines and budgets

• Improved user adoption metrics

• Greater realization of expected business benefits

• Fewer post-implementation issues

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