How to Add a Solution to MACHULU

What is a Solution

A solution is vendors offering to customers. It could be a product, service, knowledge, technology, and much more.

Adding a Solution is a simple process, but it requires quite a log of data entry and thought. We recommend doing this on your computer.

New Solution Process Overview - 4 easy steps

Step 1

Enter the solution basic details

Step 2

Describe the challenges this solution can solve

Step 3

Enter your Solution implementation details and explain what is the cost model of that specific Solution

Step 4

Add use cases and any additional information, including attachments

Solution Description

Click on the Solutions Icon in the Menu.
Click on the Plus button.
The Share your Solution Popup will appear.

Enter a Meaningful Title – a short title that anyone can understand its purpose or meaning of the solution offered.
Enter a Detailed Description – a detailed paragraph that explains all of the details, instructions, values, statistics, or any other important fact that will allow a customer to better understand the solution offered.
Select an Organization that owns the solution.
Select the relevant Group that will be responsible for the solution.
Select the Solution Type from the list.
Select the Solution Category from the list.
Enter any relevant Keywords that will assist the customer in searching for the solution.
Click on Continue

Challenge Definition

Enter a clear answer to the question: What challenge does your solution solves? Which in simple terms is the title of your problem, describing it in one sentence that will correlate to a real customer problem
Enter a Detailed Description to the challenge written above, detailing a clear story, definition, understanding in the most accurate way, adding as much detail that will allow the customer to relate to your description and choose it from a long list of competing challenges.
Select from the list Who is affected by the challenge? – the range varies from a single person to the entire organization, to the customers, to the vendors, and everyone.
Select from a list of Business Impacts the impact that is closest to the impact that the challenge/problem/issue has on the organization.
Enter a Root Cause – this describes the reasons that you believe the challenge exists. Describe in as much detail as possible why this occurs.
Click on Continue

Implementation Estimate & Plan

In this step, you will enter your Solution implementation details (including price and timelines) and explain what is the cost model of that specific Solution.

Depending on the offered Solution, you can enter an estimation (range) or offer a specific plan and price.

As a default, your customers will see the estimated price and timelines. If you will enter a detailed implementation plan, your customer will see this as default.

Adding a details plan, when possible, will save you the effort of sending a separate plan to each customer.

Choose the units you wish to use for this solution.
Time Estimation – a high-level estimation of how long it will take to implement the solution
1. Enter a Numeric Value
2. Select a Time Unit – Hours or Days
Cost Model – a payment model that the customer is expected to pay.
1. Select a Cost Type – what is the cost being incurred for (e.g. License, Time & Materials).
2. Select the Payment Type – what frequency is the payment expected.
Price Estimates – an estimated range that will be incurred by the customer for the solution
1. From – lowest expected price to be paid by the customer (bottom of the range)
2. To – highest expected price to be paid by the customer (top of the range)
3. Currency – the payment currency you are expecting the payment to be made

Implementation Plan

A default plan that can possibly be expected to be executed as an implementation of the solution – this plan is to be read by a customer as part of a selection process, where the solution is being compared to other solutions offered by competing vendors. The more detailed the plan will be, the easier the decision will be for the customer. This plan will be used as template for the agreement (including the price which can be finalized as part of the agreement process).

Click on the Add an Implementation Plan button.
Select a Currency that will be used throughout the Implementation Plan.
Select a Time Unit that will be used throughout the Implementation Plan.
Adding Implementation Milestones
1. Enter a Title for each milestone.
2. Enter an estimated price for each milestone.
3. Enter an estimated time for each milestone.
4. Select the responsible party for the milestone (Customer or Solution Provider).
5. Add a New Milestone by clicking on the green (+) in the bottom right.

* You can move milestones up and down by clicking on the arrows right of each milestone. ** You can remove a milestone by clicking on the (–) in the dark gray circle on the right of each milestone.

Enter a Risk Factor (in percentage) – which will auto-calculate the total with the time and cost % added on top of the sum of both cost and time of all milestones.
Manual Pricing and Time Estimation – a manual override for the milestone table and summary with risk.

Implementation Plan Prerequisites

Enter the Resources that are estimated to complete the implementation based on the milestones entered above.
Enter the T&C (Terms & Conditions) – in this section enter all the terms expected to be agreed, can be a copy of the agreement (which can be uploaded in the next section) or can be a summary of the agreement (highlights).
Enter the Comments which are related to customer expectation, information that you as the vendor would like to convey to that will assist with the decision.
Click on Continue.

Solution Use Cases

These are additional problems or uses that the solution solves or can be used for.

Click on the green (+) to add a new use case.
1. Enter an additional Problem the solution solves.
2. Enter the impact this problem has on the organization.
3. Enter the Internal Customer this problem will affect.
4. Click on the green (+) to add another use case.

Solution Additional Attributes and Attachments

In this section add any documents or corresponding information that may strengthen the case for the user to select your solution over competing vendor solutions.

Click on the green (+) to add a new document.
Enter a Title for the document.
Select a Document Type.
Choose a File from your environment to upload.
Click on the green (+) to add another document.
Click on Add Solution to My Offerings to submit the solution and complete the process.