How to choose your Appian implementation partner
If your business is looking at implementing Appian for your business process management and automation needs, it’s important to find a partner that can get you the most out of your investment. Here are some important things to look out for when choosing an Appian implementation partner:
1. Understand their expertise and experience
It’s obvious that you want the partner you choose for your Appian implementation to have deep expertise within your industry vertical. It’s also important that they have a lot of experience working with the software and its capabilities for customization. You want them to be able to tackle your specific challenges, business processes, regulatory requirements, etc.
When exploring potential Appian partners, make sure to ask for examples of their work within your industry. Where possible, also ask for any demos they have to further understand how they can build solutions to help solve your day-to-day challenges.
An added aspect to look for in an implementation partner is if they’re an award-winning Appian partner. Appian recognizes partners for their success in helping companies execute their business strategies through applications and automations built on its platform. A company recognized by Appian as an award-winning partner is sure to provide you with exceptional service and solutions. As you can see on Appian’s site, we’ve been recognized in a couple of different partner categories over the past few years!
2. Don’t judge on size, focus on approach
When seeking an Appian implementation partner, many organizations think the bigger the better. But this isn’t necessarily the case. It’s true that the large, well-known companies may have an endless list of impressive clients and projects. But their size also comes with restrictions and limitations on things like pricing, customizations, team size, support, and more.
While it may feel obvious to go with a big well-known name, it’s important to remember why you’re looking for an Appian partner in the first place. You want a dedicated partner who understands your unique business challenges and needs, will uncover what outcomes you’re looking to achieve, and guide you through the best solutions for the highest return on investment. You want them to be invested in your Appian implementation as much as you. Plus, you want them to enable your team both during and after the project to make sure you’re set up for success now and in the future.
3. Understand delivery methodology
There are many ways to approach and deliver a software implementation project. And there are pros and cons to all of them. Take time to understand how a potential Appian implementation partner would deliver your project(s).
For example, as an award-winning Appian partner, we use an Agile delivery methodology, also known as a Scrum approach. This is a common delivery approach because of the ongoing communication and collaboration with the customer throughout the development cycle.
Delivered in short “sprint” cycles, the project is broken up into “deliverables,” or to-do’s, that are completed and reported on in regular sprint meetings, giving the customer hands-on insight into their Appian implementation. This approach allows for instant feedback, quick adjustments, and faster delivery. Learn more about Agile delivery in our BIG expert blog series.
Overall, when choosing an Appian implementation partner, prioritize their expertise within your industry, their experience with the platform, and completing projects similar to what you’re looking for, how they deliver projects, and how they partner with you throughout the journey.
Contact us today to chat about your Appian implementation needs!
