2. Prioritize stakeholder requirements

Every department involved in the CMS selection process will have different requirements. Ask them to prioritize their requirements (in terms of features and integrations) using the MoSCoW method:

Must-have

Essential features the department can’t work without.

Should-have

Features that are generally as important as Must-have’s but are not as time critical

Could-have

Features that are desirable but not critical for the department’s functioning.

Would-have

Features that are least critical, lowest payback or not appropriate at this time.

You might have a matrix like this after taking their recommendations under consideration:

Keep this in mind before you start the CMS selection process. Understand that a typical CMS selection process will take a significant amount of time. For a medium-sized business, you can expect 2-7 months between understanding requirements, writing the RFP and signing the final contract. Essentially, you’re looking for a solution that checks off as many high-priority features for as many stakeholders as possible.