R “Ray” Wang, principal analyst & CEO of the next generation research firm, Constellation Research and author of the popular blog A Software Insider’s Point of View, notes that there are really three types of industry analysts: client advocates who advise their clients on product quality, pricing, and help define client needs; vendor marketing analysts who help vendors bring to market and position their products; and market evangelists who explain the market to the public in business language.

“The really good analysts can function [in all three roles],” says Wang. “But to be able to do so, analysts need to spend time talking to the ISVs, talking to customers, and talking to the major vendors like Microsoft.”

.According to Wang, “In the past, direct software industry experience might not have been needed, but to be an analyst in today’s complex industry, it’s essential.  Analysts today need pragmatic experience.  How can you properly advise someone if you’ve never worked in the industry? You need someone who knows what the tough questions are and who has the confidence to ask them.”

In the beginning, says Wang, the big firms like Gartner, IDC, and Forrester had that pragmatic experience and they still do today. However, in recent years, there’s been a rise in “self-anointed analysts” that have never worked in the software industry. This has lead to a watering down effect exacerbated by the increasing role the Internet plays in all areas of the software development, buying, and selling processes. There’s so much information emanating from so many “expert” sources that there is a ‘can’t see the woods for trees problem’

Wang points out that the Internet  offers customers, ISVs, and analysts access to relevant online information that  allows everyone to gain a surface-level knowledge. It is importnat to understand which analyst(s) have the requisite knoelwedge,  skill set and experience and  what are the associated costs. Though you may want an independent analyst there are few who corss platform and prodcut expertise and they will inevitbaly have some bias based on their own knowledge and experience, and they will have forged realtionships wih particular implementation partners and vendors . Indeed without that they may not be able to properly evaluate the various  propsed solution archiectures against your proposed requirements within a  sensible time frame and budget.  It has been established many times that selecting the right partner  is more important than selecting the product.  The right partner will propsoe and provide the right solution archiecture and system analysis, or even be prepared to walk away and to recommend someone else  and this will not only save time and money but also provide accountability.

So how do you find the right partner?.  Those implementing for the first time focus on what seems to be ease of use and a low cost proposal.  Those who have more experience focus on the implementation partner- how long have they been in existence, what is their track record for completing projects, are they locally based, do they know the vertical, can they demo themsleves ?, do they have a manned support desk – are most of the clients still under a support agreement, do the management take an interest in the delivery or only the sales, do they struggle to find a reference of ther own, do the compromise too easily on price and time or do they have a focus on quality and deliverbales and their own reputation – do they value their own skills and time- . what does their product documentation look like? These answers will tell you far more than a detailed rfp or poc with much less investment of time.  The good partner will make it happen  and even if they don;t sell you the best solution it will be a good enough one and they will make it work.