Software selection checklist
Choose software on how well it fits your work, not on the demo, and know when the honest answer is to build or to change nothing.
This is a free checklist from WL Solutions to help you make a clearer decision before you spend time or money, no signup and nothing to buy.
Before you look at any product
- Write down the specific problem, not a wish list of features
- Confirm the process itself is worth keeping before you tool it
- List the few things the software must do, and the many it needn't
- Note which systems it has to share data with
- Set a rough budget for buying, configuring, and running it
While you evaluate
- Test it against your real data, not the vendor's clean demo
- Ask how your one critical step is handled, not the common ones
- Find out what the setup and migration actually take
- Check what it costs to leave and take your data with you
- Talk to a customer who runs it the way you would
Making the call
- Prefer a product that fits over one you'd bend your process around
- Consider whether configuration of a tool you own already does it
- Weigh a proven product against a custom build honestly
- Decide who owns the configuration and data once it's live
- Be willing to conclude the right move is to change nothing yet
Related capabilities
Software selection
Choosing the wrong software is expensive twice: once to buy it and again to work around it.
Learn moreVendor research
Vendor claims all sound the same until you dig past the demo.
Learn moreCustom software
Custom software is the right call more often than big vendors admit, and less often than developers claim.
Learn moreSoftware selection checklist: common questions
Is this checklist free to use?
Yes. Every resource on this site is free. There is no signup, no download wall, and nothing to buy.
Who is WL Solutions?
WL Solutions builds custom software, automations, and integrations for small businesses across Dallas-Fort Worth and East Texas. We fix the process first, then build only what earns its keep.
Can WL Solutions help apply this to my business?
Yes. Email admin@wlsolutionstx.com with the problem you are trying to solve. We scope it at no charge and tell you honestly whether it is worth doing, us or not.
Got something that bugs you?
Tell us the problem that's eating your time. Email us and we'll tell you straight if it's worth fixing, and point you to the best next step, us or not.