TECHNOLOGY · 2 HOURS
Choosing Technology for Your Team
Choosing Technology for Your Team teaches team leaders and managers to compare tools against the real work, including doing nothing, and to count the cost of switching in and out. You finish with a one-page choice record that explains what was chosen and why, so the decision still makes sense a year later.
About this course
Choosing a tool for a team usually starts with a product someone has already seen, and the comparison then becomes a contest of features in which the longest list wins. The better approach is to describe the work the tool must carry first, then judge every option, including changing nothing, against that work. This course teaches managers without a technical background to make that kind of choice and to record it so it can be defended later.
You write a job statement in the language of your team's week, put the same five questions to every option, test the strongest one on three real cases including an awkward one, and count the cost of moving in and moving out. You finish with a signed one-page choice record that a successor, an auditor or a new finance director could read a year later and still understand.
What you will take away
- You will be able to write a short job statement that says who does the work, what comes in and goes out, how often it happens and what goes wrong, with features kept out of it.
- You will be able to put five questions to every option, covering fit with the work, who runs it, where the data goes, what it connects to and the cost over three years, and tell a checkable answer from vendor copy that leaves the question open.
- You will be able to run a trial on three real cases from last week, carried out by the person who does the job, and write one sentence on the result of each.
- You will be able to estimate the switching cost in both directions, mostly in people's time for named roles, and keep it separate from the licence price.
- You will leave with a signed choice record in six parts: the job, the options including changing nothing, the five questions, the trial, the switching cost, and the decision with its known weakness and a review date.
Who this course is for
- Team leaders who have been asked to choose a tool for their team and want a method that does not depend on the best vendor demonstration.
- Managers who must recommend an option to the person who holds the budget and need a written case that sets out the weaknesses as well as the strengths.
- Office and practice managers who suspect that keeping the current routine might be the right answer and want a fair way to show it.
- Anyone who inherits a tool at renewal time and wants a record that explains why it was chosen and when it should be reviewed.
What you will do
Each lesson teaches one part of the method, works through a realistic example, and ends with a check on a case you have not seen. The course closes with an assessment and then the piece of work you sign.
- 5lessons with a worked example and a check
- 8scenario questions in the course assessment
- Signedthe choice record, with a record anyone can verify
- 2 hoursat your own pace, with progress saved
- 01
Lesson
Start with the job
This lesson teaches you to write a job statement before looking at any product, because vendor pages quietly turn your needs into their features. You practise building one and then mark draft requirement sentences as describing the job or naming a feature.
- What a job statement is
- What a job statement is not
- Two labels for every sentence
- Why this matters, and the usual mistake
You mark 4 statements from a realistic case and receive an explanation for each one.
- 02
Lesson
Five questions for every option
This lesson gives you five questions to put to every option, and explains why they are read side by side rather than scored. You read vendor sentences and mark whether each one answers a question with something you could check or leaves it open.
- The five questions
- What the questions are not
- Two labels for what you read
- Why this matters, and the usual mistake
You mark 4 statements from a realistic case and receive an explanation for each one.
- 03
Lesson
Test it on your own work
This lesson explains why a vendor demonstration cannot show whether a tool does your job, and how to run a short trial on three real cases, including an awkward one. You judge trial notes and choose the one built on real evidence.
- A demonstration is the vendor's best case
- A trial on your own work
- What a trial is not
- Why this matters, and the usual mistake
You compare two versions of the same piece of work, choose the stronger one, and see the reasoning behind the answer.
- 04
Lesson
The switching cost
This lesson separates the licence price from the cost of moving your work in and moving it out again, most of which is people's time. You complete a comparison line with both directions and then mark lines as switching cost or licence cost.
- Moving in and moving out
- What the switching cost is not
- Counting people's time
- Why this matters, and the usual mistake
You mark 4 statements from a realistic case and receive an explanation for each one.
- 05
Lesson
Repair a choice record
This lesson sets out the six parts of a choice record and the two parts most often missing, which are changing nothing and the review date. You repair a weak record in place, keeping what already works and adding what a later reader needs.
- The six parts of a choice record
- What a choice record is not
- The two parts most often missing
- Repair in place
You repair a flawed draft so it meets the standard the lesson sets, and your revision is checked against it.
- 06
Course assessment
Judge a choice in practice
This course assessment recaps the method and shows where it is usually broken under time pressure, using a mixed case from a veterinary group. You then apply every earlier lesson to eight situations in workplaces you have not yet met.
- The method in one page
- Where the method is most often broken
- How the assessment works
You judge 8 new workplace situations, with feedback on every option, and need 6 correct to pass.
- 07
Final work and signed record
Write your choice record
In this final lesson you write the choice record for your own team's decision, drawing on the job statement, answers, trial and switching cost from earlier lessons. You check each part as a reader would and then sign it for your record.
- Bring the course together
- Two labels for your own lines
- What goes on the record
You write the choice record for your own work, part by part, and sign it as your record.
GOOD WORK.THE CHOICE RECORD, SIGNED.
WHAT CHANGES
What the course changes for you and your organisation.
- 01
Decisions that survive the renewal
The choice record is written for a reader who was not in the room, so the reasoning is still clear when the contract comes up for renewal. It names a review date, which stops a tool from renewing year after year without anyone asking whether it still does the job.
- 02
Fewer surprises after signing
Testing on your own awkward cases and asking whether your data can be exported brings problems to light before the contract is signed. Counting the cost of moving out as well as moving in protects the records the team will build up in the tool over several years.
- 03
A fair hearing for every option
Every option, including changing nothing, is judged against the same job and the same five questions. The organisation gets a comparison that reflects its own work rather than which supplier presented best.
- 04
Fewer regretted software purchases
Capterra's 2025 Tech Trends Report found that 59% of businesses regret at least one software purchase from the previous 18 months. Teams that compare options against the real work and record why they chose give employers decisions that still hold up a year later.
QUESTIONS
Questions about Choosing Technology for Your Team
- What is Choosing Technology for Your Team about?
- Choosing a tool for a team usually starts with a product someone has already seen, and the comparison then becomes a contest of features in which the longest list wins. The better approach is to describe the work the tool must carry first, then judge every option, including changing nothing, against that work. This course teaches managers without a technical background to make that kind of choice and to record it so it can be defended later. You write a job statement in the language of your team's week, put the same five questions to every option, test the strongest one on three real cases including an awkward one, and count the cost of moving in and moving out. You finish with a signed one-page choice record that a successor, an auditor or a new finance director could read a year later and still understand.
- Who is Choosing Technology for Your Team for?
- Team leaders who have been asked to choose a tool for their team and want a method that does not depend on the best vendor demonstration. Managers who must recommend an option to the person who holds the budget and need a written case that sets out the weaknesses as well as the strengths. Office and practice managers who suspect that keeping the current routine might be the right answer and want a fair way to show it. Anyone who inherits a tool at renewal time and wants a record that explains why it was chosen and when it should be reviewed. No specialist background is assumed, and every term is explained before it is used.
- What will I be able to do after Choosing Technology for Your Team?
- You will be able to write a short job statement that says who does the work, what comes in and goes out, how often it happens and what goes wrong, with features kept out of it. You will be able to put five questions to every option, covering fit with the work, who runs it, where the data goes, what it connects to and the cost over three years, and tell a checkable answer from vendor copy that leaves the question open. You will be able to run a trial on three real cases from last week, carried out by the person who does the job, and write one sentence on the result of each. You will be able to estimate the switching cost in both directions, mostly in people's time for named roles, and keep it separate from the licence price. You will leave with a signed choice record in six parts: the job, the options including changing nothing, the five questions, the trial, the switching cost, and the decision with its known weakness and a review date.
- How long does the course take, and how is it taught?
- The course takes about 2 hours and is studied online at your own pace. It has 5 lessons, each with a worked example, a practice exercise, and a check on a new case, followed by a course assessment of 8 scenario questions in which you need 6 correct to pass. Your progress is saved to your account.
- Do I get a certificate?
- Yes. When you pass, you sign a record that names you, the course, and the choice record. Anyone you share it with can verify it online and download it as a PDF. The record confirms what you completed and does not claim compliance with any regulation.
- How much does it cost, and when can I start?
- The course costs £129, paid once by card through Stripe. Access begins as soon as payment is confirmed, and you can save a sign-in to return to the course from any device.
- Can my organisation train a whole team?
- Yes. Individuals can buy any self-paced course online, and organisations can book trainer-led courses for teams, in person or online, through the Experrt Academy.
More technology courses are listed on the self-paced technology courses for non-technical teams page.
THERE IS A NEXT CHAPTER.
Start today, and finish with
the choice record your organisation can use.
Checkout takes an email address and a card, and access begins as soon as payment is confirmed. When you finish, you sign a record that names you and the choice record, which anyone you choose can verify online. The record confirms what you completed and does not claim compliance with any regulation.