Strategic Issues

• Historical perspective
• Relationship of COTS packages to business strategy
• Relationship of COTS packages to IT strategy
• Relationship of COTS packages to business processes
• Legal issues, legal requirements (e.g. EU rules) and standards (e.g. IEEE1062)
• Configuration and customisation
• System integration issues
• Advantages and disadvantages of the COTS package approach
• Risks of the COTS software package approach and customisation
• Distinguishing between requests for proposals (RFP), requests for information (RFI) and requests for quotation (RFQ)

COTS software package selection and system Integration selection

• A framework for software package selection and system integration
• Fact finding in the context of COTS package selection
• The requirements catalogue
• COTS packages and prototyping
• Published COTS package requirements and matrices
• Defining the structure of weighted matrices
• Defining the weights and content of the high level matrix
• Iteration in COTS package selection

Functional and non-functional requirements

• High level functions for functional scoping
• Business functions and significant events
• Significant input and output requirements
• Identifying static structures
• Identifying relationships between those structures
• Defining non-functional requirements

Product and supplier requirements

• Technical requirements and conformance
• Product design requirements
• Supplier stability requirements
• Supplier citizenship requirements
• Implementation requirements
• Infrastructure requirements
• Integration protocol issues
• Cost and time requirements

Structuring the Request For Proposals (RFP)

• Identifying potential suppliers
• Structuring Requests For Proposals (Invitations to Tender)
• Structuring the evaluation of initial supplier responses
• First-cut evaluation of competing COTS packages

Evaluating and comparing competing COTS packages and customisation / integration requirements

• Evaluating the functional match
• Scripted demonstrations and user-driven evaluation
• Evaluating the non-functional match
• Evaluating the product requirements match
• Evaluating the implementation requirements match
• Finalising cost and time elements of the evaluation
• Investigating suppliers
• Negotiating and amending supply contracts
• Maintenance and support agreements
• Summarising the requirements fit (GAP analysis)
• Determining bespoke and integration considerations
• Agreeing business change recommendations
• The potential role and value of the prime contractor
• Presenting a final recommendation

Procuring and implementing the software solution

• Implementation considerations
• Planning and undertaking data conversion
• Support arrangements for the package
• Support elements for any bespoke elements of the solution
• Integration implications
• Training and documentation
• Upgrade arrangements and management
• Managing the long-term relationship with the supplier