Software Evaluation Criteria - Essay Example

Software Evaluation Criteria Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code & Name: Date of Submission: Introduction The need to improve of the competitiveness of organizations has led to the integration of technologies in their practices. Among the most common of technological solutions that businesses opt for is the assimilation of computer systems in their processes (Land, Blankers, Chaudron & Crnkovic, n.d.). Computer systems are driven by integrated software each of which performs different functions hence leading to the ultimate optimal performance of the computer system. Because of the need to have a system which enables an organization to meet its objectives, there arises a need to ensure that the organization is able to get the right software solutions which best fit the requirements of an organization. The process of choosing the most appropriate software solutions for an organization is the Software Evaluation Criteria (Strub, 2003). There are various aspects of software which an organization analyses in order to select the best software which meets its specific needs. The following essay gives a detailed insight into the software evaluation criteria. The essay will look at the high level evaluation criteria. Software Evaluation Criteria The main aim of software evaluation criteria is to identify the best software solutions which are best able to satisfy an organization’s needs (Land, Blankers, Chaudron & Crnkovic, n.d.). Most organizations have an Information Technology Department (IT) which oversees the technological issues of the organization. However other organizations, mostly small organizations, do not have an IT department but instead contract outsources to provide them with IT solutions. Whichever the case, it is important that an organization uses the best software evaluation criteria to ensure that it gets the best one in the market. There are various software evaluation criteria which are used in the market. They include; high level evaluation criteria, Analytic Hierarchy process, feature analysis, fuzzy based strategy and weighted average sum (Sonar & Jadhav, 2009). The analytic hierarchy process is an evaluation criteria which subdivides the problems in an organization and also subdivides the various elements of a software and identifying how each of the problems will be solved by the specific software (Sonar & Jadhav, 2009). The software which best solves the organization’s problems is then chosen. A feature analysis approach analyses software’s elements and its capabilities hence choosing the software that best fits an organization’s needs (Sonar & Jadhav, 2009). A weighted average sum approach analyses a software with respect to its various qualities which go towards ensuring that the software is able to meet specific needs of an organization (Sonar & Jadhav, 2009). After this, each software analyzed is allocated points according to its suitability of solving a specific problem. The software whose total points are highest is chosen. A fuzzy based evaluation criteria a descriptive approach which is used when the performance of software cannot be precisely identified. It makes use of the descriptive data to come up with a decision on the best suitable software (Sonar & Jadhav, 2009). On the other hand, a high level evaluation criteria is an approach which seeks to ensure that a software solution is able to satisfy the specific needs of the various stakeholders involved. The approach involves a detailed evaluation of software with respect to specific characteristics of good software. The various types of high level evaluation criteria include an evaluation of software’s ability to; meet functional requirements, meet non-functional requirements, meet supplier requirements, meet implementation requirements and meet cost and time constraints. As indicated in the introduction, this essay will focus on the high level evaluation criteria. . High Level Evaluation Criteria As indicated earlier, there are various types of high level software evaluation criteria In order to analyse the evaluation criteria in detail, the following section will analyse each of the types in detail. Ability of Software to Meet Functional Requirements The functionality of software is based on its ability to meet the objectives for which it was developed / installed (Karthika, Jasaline & Alagarsamy, 2012). The software’s use must also be sustainable, meaning that its use will not fade after a short period of time. There are various functionality requirements of software which include; suitability, security, accuracy, interoperability, and usability. The suitability of software is based on its ability to meet the specific objectives of an organisation (Hochmuller, 1999). This entails the software’s ability to solve the technological problems of an organisation. For instance the suitability of using an SQL database software in an organisation is higher as compared to using a Microsoft Access database. This is due to the various additional data operation features available with SQL which are not present in Ms Access. For this reason, the functionality of software should be evaluated with respect to it’s ability to satisfy the needs of an organisation. On the other hand, accuracy of software is it’s ability to produce error free output (Etxeberria, Sagardui & Belategi, 2008). For instance if an organisation seeks to have a logic / mathematical software to carry out specific operations, the chosen software must be able to provide precise and true results. For instance an accounting firm selecting QuickBooks computerised accounting software due to its accurate results. Security with respect to software is its ability to keep the data and operations of an organisation secure (Bandor ,2006). In today’s times which are associated with a high rise in cyber crime, it is of utmost importance to ensure that the software chosen has the maximum levels of security possible. For instance choosing PHP designed website based system as opposed to a HTML designed one. On a further note on the functionality of software, the chosen software must be able to integrate well with the existing software. This is interoperability ((Jackson, Crouch & Baxter, 2011)For example, it must support the same file formats as the ones presently used in an organisation. For example getting an operating system which is compatible with the Microsoft software which is currently in use in an organisation is advisable. For this reason, operating systems such as Ubuntu and Linux should not be chosen since they will dictate that the organisation gets an overhaul change in its software solutions. Lastly, the usability of software is paramount in an evaluation criterion. This is due to the fact that complicated software may not be easily used in an organisation hence leading to a slowdown in an organisation’s processes (Jackson, Crouch & Baxter, 2011). Ability of Software to Meet Non-Functional Requirements Non Functional elements of software are those elements of which are not mandatory for software to perform tasks but they add on to the efficiency and quality of the software (Odeh & Odeh, 2011). For this reason, it is essential that an organisation gets software solutions which have a high degree of non-functional elements in addition to the functional elements. Non-functional requirements of software include reliability, efficiency, reusability and comprehensibility (Amellar, Ayala,Cabot & Franch, 2010). Usability and security are also non-functional requirements of software. Reliability of software is its ability to give constant results/ constant performances within the recommended operating conditions (Gutierrez, Escalona, Mejias and Torres, 2010). With respect to reliability, an organisation should look for maturity in software which ensures that there are no software halts in instances where errors occur. Software should also be fault tolerant in that it should have the ability to perform within the standard levels in instances of error occurrence. In addition to this, it should have a high degree of recoverability which restores the software back to its full performance and stores the organisations data (Chung, Nixon & Yu, 1995). Examples of this are the auto save feature in Microsoft office and restoration points in windows 7 operating systems. Efficiency of the software chosen should be acceptable, in that it should perform the required actions within the most convenient time duration. Software should also be reusable, in that it can be reinstalled if the system is changed or reconstructed. Lastly the usability of the software must be great in terms of comprehensibility, operability and attractiveness (Grover, 2007). Ability of Software to Meet Supplier Requirements As pointed out earlier, the success of software is determined by its ability to meet the objectives for which it was developed. However, it must also have the ability to meet the objectives of the developer / supplier (Kunda & Brooks, 2002). The underlying objective of any software developer / supplier is to make money out of it. In order to do this, he/she must develop software which has the ability to satisfy customer needs and in so doing, he/she is able to make money out of his venture. There are many issues which relate to the supplier requirements. Some of the include the level of experience, the supplier stability and financial robustness. As a common trend in business, a product is the mark of its maker, so does this theory apply in software supplies. Developed software must be able to match to the level of experience in software development of the specific supplier. For instance, quality software is expected from Microsoft. For this reason, the software gotten by organisations from Microsoft must reflect the level of experience which the company has in the market . It is a common trend for organisations to purchase products from well established suppliers due to their level of experience in the field, which translates to the level of efficiency of their software. For instance, Microsoft office is very trusted software due to the developments it has undergone over the years. On the side of the supplier, financial benefits from software solutions developed are a great desire. For this reason, good software is very expensive and equally very efficient (Hollandar, 2000). Ability of Software To Meet Implementation Requirements Aspects of software implementation are maintainability and portability. Maintainability of software is the ability to modify it with ease. Maintainability involve the following; analysability, which is the ability to detect problems in the software, stability, which is the state of a reduced change or error, testability, which is the effort needed to validate changes to the software and lastly is changeability, which is the ease of modifying defective elements of the software (Etics2, 2012). For an organisation to make a good choice on software, it should opt for software which can be easily maintained, e.g. by updating on the internet and scanning with appropriate antivirus. In addition to this, an organisation should chose software which has been developed using functions. A function developed software is easy to maintain, restructure and improve on (Strub, Thompson & Jakovljevic, 2003) (Grover, 2007). Portability of software is its ability to be used in various operating systems. Portability entails adaptability, where software is expected to perform optimally in various operating systems. It also entails coexistence of the software with other software which had been previously installed. Portability also entails replaceability which is when the software can be used to replace other software and perform the same actions in the given operating environment (Jakovljevic, 2007). Lastly, the software chosen should be stable. Ability of Software to Meet cost and time constraints The integration of technology in organisational practices is meant to improve on the organisation’s rate of performing tasks and also its overall efficiency (Etics2, 2012). As previously indicated, good software is expensive, and more so customised software. For this reason, an organisation should use an evaluation criterion which allows it to get the best software in the market within their budgetary limitations (Wessing, 2012). This ensures that the organisation do not suffer from adverse financial implications. On the other hand, the software must provide the organisation value for their money (Affleck & Clark, 2010).). This means that the organisation must be able to realise the full benefits which they had in mind at the time of purchasing the software under context. With respect to time, the prospected software must have the ability to perform tasks within a short period of time, at least a shorter time than the previously used system (Brown & Jakovljevic, 2003). This gives an organisation a more time resource hence being able to perform other tasks and consequently increasing production. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that software evaluation is vital for the success of a technological transformation in a firm. Due to the fact that each and every firm is unique in its own way, it is important to ensure that the software solutions available to it are effective in enabling the firm meets its objectives. As seen in the essay, various software evaluation criteria are available in the market. The essay has given an overview of the Analytic Hierarchy process, Feature Analysis, Fuzzy Based Strategy and Weighted Average Sum. Each of the strategies has its pros and cons, hence their interchanged use in the market. However, one of the most effective software evaluation criteria is by the use of a High Level Evaluation Criteria. The essay has analyzed the five types of High Level Evaluation Criteria which are an evaluation of software’s ability to; meet functional requirements, meet non-functional requirements, meet supplier requirements, meet implementation requirements and meet cost and time constraints. This evaluation gives an organisation an opportunity to analyse the finite aspects of software while making their choice. For this reason, the High Level Evaluation Criteria is a very effective software evaluation strategy and is recommended to all organizations. References Amellar, D, Ayala, C, Cabot, J & Franch, (2010) Non-Functional Requirements in Software Architecture Practice; Software Quality Journal. 18 (1)1-7 Affleck, J & Clark, D. (2010). Taking Measures for Success: How to Choose Software that Meets Your Needs, Technology Evaluation Centers Brown, J & Jakovljevic, P. 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Rugged System-Level Solutions Streamline Prime Supplier Costs, Costs Journal [online] Retrieved on 17th September 2012 from http://www.cotsjournalonline.com/articles/view/100585 Read More