So, you have an RFP. You've done your homework, met with the leadership of your organization and ensured buy-in at every level. You've determined a budget and developed a timeline. You've spent a lot of time honing each requirement.

And now that you're here, it's easy to think most of the work is done and all you have to do is hire a company to build your solution.

We don't think that's true. In fact, we know that's why so many technology projects fail.

When you create an RFP for a specific technology solution, it's easy to lose sight of what you're actually trying to accomplish. You may be forcing a square peg into a round hole. Ask yourself:

• What problem are you trying to solve?
• What is your strategic objective?
• How will an online solution improve the way you do business?
• What can you do better? Smarter? More efficiently?

We'll help you answer those questions; that's a big part of our job. If your technology partner can't help you answer those questions—or doesn't bother to ask them—your project probably will fail.

A traditional RFP will only identify who can respond to the RFP. An RFP won't tell you who will work with you to understand your needs and implement the best solution so you can succeed.

If you know exactly what you need and why you need it, Pantheon may not be the right choice for you (though we may be interested in hiring you!). If not, that's exactly why we need to start our partnership before the RFP.