Software Selection Scorecard Template
This template turns the approach from our guide to choosing business software without regret into a working artefact. Print it or copy it into a spreadsheet — one column per candidate product. The one rule that makes it work: fill in the criteria and weightings before you watch a single demo.
How to use it
- List your requirements as criteria (rows). Write them as business outcomes, not feature names.
- Weight each criterion 1–5 for how much it matters to you. Do this before seeing any product, and don't change weights afterwards.
- Trial each candidate with real work, then score it 0–5 per criterion based on what you observed — not what the salesperson said.
- Multiply score × weight per row, total each column, and let the arithmetic argue with your gut. If the winner surprises you, work out which weight your gut disagrees with.
The scorecard
| Criterion | Weight (1–5) | Product A score (0–5) | Product B score (0–5) | Product C score (0–5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Does the core job (name it: ___________) | ||||
| Least-technical team member managed a full day unaided | ||||
| Connects to our accounting platform | ||||
| Connects to our other must-have systems (list: ___________) | ||||
| Full data export tested and readable | ||||
| Support responded to a real question within a working day | ||||
| Multi-factor authentication and per-user logins available | ||||
| Total cost within budget ceiling at our real user count | ||||
| Price at double our current size still acceptable | ||||
| (Your criterion: ___________) | ||||
| (Your criterion: ___________) | ||||
| WEIGHTED TOTAL (Σ score × weight) | — |
In practice: the export and support rows are the two most commonly skipped — and the two that hurt most later. Actually export your data during the trial. Actually contact support with a genuine question. Score what happened, not what the website promises.
Walk-away limits (fill in before shortlisting)
- Budget ceiling per month at our real user count: ___________
- Data must be exportable in open formats: yes / no
- Minimum support level we'll accept: ___________
- Anything that instantly disqualifies a product: ___________
Common failure: letting a product that fails a walk-away limit back into the race because its score is high. The limits exist precisely for the moment a shiny product tempts you to ignore them. A high scorer that fails a hard limit is disqualified, not "worth discussing".
After the decision
Keep the completed scorecard with a one-paragraph note: what won, why, and the trade-offs you accepted with open eyes. Diarise a twelve-month review. When someone asks "why do we use this tool?" in two years, the answer is a page, not a shrug — and your next selection starts from an honest record instead of folklore.
Official sources
Delegating this work to an assistant? Our companion sites cover hiring a VA and working as one.