There is a difference between your ‘need’ and a ‘popular thing (or service)’.
For example, a Toyota Land Cruiser is a famous four-wheel drive but may not fit your specific needs. It is not wise to buy a car based on its testimonials and popularity. Your selection should start with your needs and problems.
Unknowingly, we are by far driven by social proof. We assume popular things must be good.
Like all other things, enterprise software is not isolated from this phenomenon.
Understanding requirements and problems before selecting enterprise software are too complex for many organisations. Therefore, they evaluate software products based on their size, popularity, testimonials and place in Gartner quadrants.
According to the previous example, driven by social proof, I may buy the most popular four-wheel drive for the daily city commute. It would be a dumb idea, however.
The decision to procure must be made based on your needs.
Here is a question for the Project Sponsors:
How well do your organisation know your business requirements before choosing enterprise software?
Note that social proof can magically fool you. So, are you driven by popularity illusion or following a robust logical selection plan?
