Microsoft Office EA - Part II

Yesterday I set the stage for some work I have in front of me around determining the value of a Microsoft Office Enterprise Agreement. I've decided to use portions of a process I learned several years ago from a guy named Mahan Kahlsa. Back then, I was in sales and Mahan's process was something a consultative salesperson might use on a customer in order to prove or disprove the value of a particular product or service. The tables are turned for me now but, it seems to me, I can adapt much of what I learned back then to fit this current situation.

Mahan's process was something he called the "ORDER" process. I forget exactly what O-R-D-E-R stood for but I remember that the O stood for "Opportunity," the R for "Resources," and the D for "Decision." I think that's about as much of the process as I need to use anyway so we won't worry what the E and last R is about!

In phase one of the process, the Opportunity, begins with further exploration around the business opportunity present with this solution (Microsoft Office EA.) It's important to recognize that solutions, no matter what they are, have no inherent value. They derive their value from the problems they solve and/or the results they provide. It is this basic concept that will guide me through the remainder of this discovery process. I'll be working towards assessing a potential value to a potential solution so that we can make a better business decision.

The first step in exploring the opportunity is to get out all the issues. I can do this by answering a few simple questions:

1. What problems are we trying to solve with an Office EA?


2. What results are we trying to achieve with an Office EA?


3. What issues are we trying to address with an office EA?

I just need to get started making a quick list here by answering these three questions. Once I've spent some time on the list, I'll run it by my staff and others to make sure the list is complete. I want to make sure I get a complete list of all the issues before I go into detail on any one of them. Then, I'll start attacking each issue in order of importance. Stay tuned!