Executive manager wants you sign a contract with a vendor to purchase a certain system (Not the optimum) but it fulfills the needs for the short-term?

If you want to learn the rules of dealing with EXECUTIVES, then please read the famous book "The48 Laws of Power".

http://the48lawsofpower.com/summary

 To summarize; I advise each one who works with decision makers not to question their commands. I have been a CTO for10 years at one of the richest companies in the world... $243.2Trillion.

I had the opportunity to have a great exposure to know how the executive management makes a decision. I have not ever questioned why such a one solution was chosen over another.

Fortunately, these uncalculated decisions, made me upset at that time; but as a byproduct of succeeding in executing them, they provided me with a tremendous and a special experience that I was not going to have otherwise.

The time to implement these projects was short and the cutoff day was the same day we have started to implement another new solution to remove the currently implemented one. (Waste of multimillions of dollars!!)

Back to the book, The48 Laws of Power"; 

1st of48 laws of power

Never outshine the master

Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite, to inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.

Trust me, I have seen many highly qualified professional get isolated from any discussions, just for their clever opinion that have been mentioned in a general meeting with the executives. 

Also, it seems you were not involved with in the making the decision, so you are not to suggest a solution to a problem, you are probably seeing the tip of its iceberg.

If you think such a decision is wrong, then prepare yourself for a great opposing from people who have convinced him in the first place.

Advice you may like from an office politician:

Find more about the product he has picked, and do a great job in publicizing the benefits of such a solution. I guarantee you that you will be involved in the next project as the publicity officer and you can then influence the decisions by discussing "how people would think about it if they knew the bad side of the proposed solution".

48th of48 laws of power

Assume formlessness

By taking a shape, by having a visible plan, you open yourself to attack. Instead of taking a form for your enemy to grasp, keep yourself adaptable and on the move. Accept the fact that nothing is certain and no law is fixed. The best way to protect yourself is to be as fluid and formless as water; never bet on stability or lasting order. Everything changes.

Good Luck & THUMBS UP4 U.

I would assume that there is no hidden agenda.

May depend on what defines the "optimum" system, or the "non-optimum" one. Features? Cost? Time to deploy? Value?

The vision of this optimum might differ from one person to the other, from one role to the other.

I remember asking the same to my chief manager and the procurement department. The system was not "optimal", but it was available, serving our needs, and could be deployed within days, while the "optimal" ones required months of work. In the end of the day, the system I recommended helped us fulfill our mission, and the benefits we gained from this were far bigger than the costs of deploying two different solutions within few months.

Considering that the executive manager has made his decision driven by business considerations, I would go for it and still recommend to consider alternatives on the long term.

hi

arguing with the top management might not end up healthy.

however, being a technical person; can suggest the best practice,

suitable for the business wheather it is short term or long term.

business solutions shall be selected based on the requirement,

available functionalities, cost, deployment time, post implementation

support and sustainability etc.

all the best

First i can't deny or aurge with my amanger even if pick me up to discuss that but i have another solution , i should ask him / her why we shouldn't make serve through the company to see the best can applied to the company best , Second i advice him also to make market status and research for that system with the other suppliers in the same field and let them send offical mail to compare and pick up the best for the company as well, finally i think if he / she tough according to the2 advice at least he / she will follow up one of them as both are for the company best and he / she can't deny that.

its all about office polotics,if he hinted then get back to him and get confirmation,ask him staight forward,do you want me to buy the stuff from this vendor?

do as told.never question authority.

 after all you need to protect your back,if uncertain ask for confirmation and reconfirmation, never assume anything.

Hi 

According to your Question your manager is not willing to hear an other opinion 

That is one of the hierarchical system system problems

So if I was in your place I will follow the order of may manager followed with a detailed report about my opinion

sometimes a quick easy to read and understand comparison between options will help getting better desicion.

If I was in your place, I'd do the following

1- Needs & Goals: prepare a list of company's needs that this system should fullfil for short-term and long-term, which will make things obvious to him when comparing systems.

2- Ways & Solutions: Prepare a comparion between options in price, features, time to install, after sale service, relibility, upgradability, need for training, etc.

3- Decesion Support: ask help /opinion from the technical person in your company who will directly supervise or use the system such as IT/network engineer, customer service officer, Financial Manager after all the system will be used by them and for them.

I think a Manager's responsibility is to justify any action to the company and management and if he is just looking for short term / stop gap options it would not be ideal decision. As you have mentioned he is tough man i guess what best could be done is approaching someone who is close to him/her and putting things across through a proper channel as Manager wont listen if someone else tells him if inner feeling is he is going wrong on this purchase or selecting a right vendor. So giving a right guidance is what i could do. Rest is with Manager to accept.

If the purchase was over the set amount, the manager would have to endorce the purchase. 

Dear Mohammed,

If I were you , I'd flow the normal procedure & go for the best offered quality System and the best Beder , regardless of what he ( Your Manager ) have recommended as long that it's your authority & resposibilty to make that dicision.I'd do that even if my Boss is tough , for sake of doing the wright thing & because Allah is tougher on judgment day and Allah will be watching for me .

B rgds,

KSG