Systems Acquisition Process Acquiring software The Business Perspective

Introduction • In the previous presentation we considered the grow your own approach •

Why? • Possible situations: – Limited IS staff – IS staff has limited skill set – IS staff is overworked – Problems with performance of IS staff • When this is the case, there are two options: – External acquisition of a prepackaged system – Outsourcing systems development Copyright © 2016 Curt Hill

• Process Similar to the software development process in its initial stages • Typically use these step: • Systems planning and selection • Systems analysis – In order to buy something you must know exactly what is needed • Development of a request for proposal (RFP) • Proposal evaluation • Vendor selection Copyright © 2016 Curt Hill

Request For Proposal Needs • A summary of existing systems and applications • Requirements for system performance and features • Reliability, backup, and service requirements • The criteria that will be used to evaluate proposals • Timetable and budget constraints Copyright © 2016 Curt Hill

Evaluation of RFP • Evaluation should include: – Viewing system demonstrations – Evaluating system performance – Judging how system lives up to important criteria • Use of system benchmarks – Benchmarks estimates the performance of the system in several realistic scenarios – These should be developed by the buyer Copyright © 2016 Curt Hill

Selecting the Vendor • Often multiple feasible solutions • Prioritize or rank competing proposals • Weighted scoring system works well for this • Other approaches include – Simple checklists – Subjective processes • Once vendor is selected, external acquisition is almost complete – Integrating it into enterprise remains Copyright © 2016 Curt Hill

• The License Varying degrees of restrictiveness or freedom • Types of licenses – Shrink-wrap or click-wrap licenses • Typical for off-the-shelf and system software – Enterprise or volume licenses • Usually negotiated • Software asset management – Performing a software inventory – Could be part of an Enterprise Architecture operation Copyright © 2016 Curt Hill

Finally • In general acquiring COTS is less expensive • It is more likely that this will cause the enterprise to do the task the way the software expects and not the reverse • This task should not be entered unless there is a confidence that everyone does a similar process Copyright © 2016 Curt Hill