Criteria for Acquiring Software Packages

Choosing software for a certain department or company is not just a matter of checking the prices. The real cost of a product includes the price of the software and the cost of implementing it as well. As I browse the net, I found this presentation by an international, award-winning author John Hedtke that shows how to identify the features you need, the features you want, and the features you don’t care about.

The presentation also discussed ways to determine other important selection criteria, such as the hardware and operating system requirements, the product’s interoperability with other departments, new and intermediate user training requirements, and the need for continuing product support. You’ll see how to create a list of selection criteria that accurately reflects your needs and priorities, evaluate the products that may fulfill your criteria, and make a selection. The presentation concluded with tips on evaluating the product’s appropriateness after you’ve been using it for a month or two.

Criteria for acquiring Software Packages:

Hardware and Operating System Requirements

Product's Interoperability with other Departments

New and Intermediate User Training Requirements

Need for Continuing Product Support

Price of the Software and the Cost of Implementing the Software

Hardware and Operating System. Acquiring software package needs examining performance. When you examine performance, a number of factors influence how much capacity a given hardware configuration will need in order to support a given application. The hardware capacity required to support your application depends on the specifics of the application and configuration. You should consider how each factor applies to your configuration and application. Choosing an Operating System considers the following factors; Stability and Robustness, Memory Management, Memory Leaks, Sharing Memory, Cost and Support, Discontinued Products and Operating System Releases....