Tool Evaluation Process
Evaluation Phases
- Phase 1 (2-3 weeks): Business need justification, current solution gaps, user impact assessment, preliminary budget estimate. Stakeholders: Requesting team lead, Operations, Finance (for >$5K/year tools)
- Phase 2 (1-2 weeks): Security questionnaire completion, API/integration documentation review, data privacy compliance check, trial/pilot testing. Stakeholders: IT Security team, Engineering, Compliance team
- Phase 3 (1 week): ROI calculation, implementation timeline, change management plan, budget approval. Stakeholders: Department head, Operations lead, Finance team, Executive sponsor (for >$25K/year)
Approval Thresholds
- <$2,000/year: Department manager approval
- $2,000-$10,000/year: Operations + Finance approval
- $10,000-$25,000/year: Director-level approval required
- >$25,000/year: Executive team approval + procurement involvement
Recent Approvals
Figma Enterprise (October 2025): 6 weeks total evaluation, approved for $18K/year, strong ROI ($45K productivity savings), 95% design team adoption achieved. Calendly Teams (September 2025): 4 weeks evaluation for $8K/year, eliminated 8 hours/week scheduling coordination.
