Off-the-Shelf IT Solutions: A Practitioner's Guide to Selection and Procurement

  • 5h 5m
  • Martin Tate
  • BCS
  • 2015

Despite the sophistication of modern off-the-shelf IT packages, most organisations find they don't get the benefits they expected. This practical book presents a proven decision-making process to help IT and business managers select the off-the-shelf software package that best fits the needs of their organisation, whether in the commercial or public sector. Offering a structured approach to managing stakeholders, requirements and candidate IT vendors, this practical 'how-to' guide will help IT and business managers deliver a rigorous, defensible decision within an aggressive timescale. As well as illustrating the techniques, this book includes case studies from business managers who have been through the process. Formats and templates are available by download from the supporting website.

About the Author

Martin Tate is founder and principal consultant at Decision Evaluation Ltd, an IT consultancy that has specialised in selecting off-the-shelf solutions for over twenty years. A ‘poacher turned gamekeeper’, he formerly worked for an IT provider and was trained to sell software. BCS awarded him Chartered Fellow status for eminence in IT selection.

In this Book

  • Foreword
  • Abbreviations and Glossary
  • Introduction—Purpose and Principles
  • Introduction to Off-the-Shelf Solutions
  • Talent Management—Supplier Psychology
  • Initiation—Shaping and Authorising the Project
  • Requirements Analysis—Capturing the Organisational Needs
  • Requirements Document—Documenting and Agreeing Requirements
  • Trawling the Marketplace—Establishing the Longlist
  • Assessing Longlist Candidates—Selecting the Shortlist Using the RFI
  • Detailed Evaluation—Assessing the Shortlisted Candidates
  • Scoring—Establishing Degree of Fit and Ranking
  • Demonstrations—Proving the Fit
  • Reference Sites—Real Customer Feedback
  • Contracts—Negotiation and Agreements
  • Implementation—Preparing the Ground
  • Viewpoints by Theme
  • Concluding—Recommendations and Resources
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