Off-the-Shelf and Bespoke Systems

Table of Contents

1. Why computeri e! ". Comparison of off-the-shelf and bespoke soft#are $. Choosing bet#een off-the-shelf and bespoke soft#are %. &pproach for making a decision '. ()amples of off-the-shelf and bespoke soft#are *. +sers of o-t-s and bespoke soft#are ,. & -uide for Selecting Soft#are .. & soft#are selection sample /. 0mpact of computeri ation on the operations of an organi ation 11. Conclusion Bibliography &ppendi) 1 &d2antages and 3isad2antages of Off-the-Shelf and Bespoke Soft#are

Page 1 1 " $ $ % ' / 1" 1" 1$

Off-the-Shelf and Bespoke Systems

0n this age #here e2erything seems to be done faster and more efficiently4 there is a need to adopt measures to cope. The direction is to#ards computeri ation of operations. When a decision to computeri e is made4 there is a decision to make #hether to buy readily a2ailable off-the-shelf soft#are or to ask a soft#are de2eloper to design a bespoke system for us. This paper attempts to make the decision process easier by comparing the ad2antages and disad2antages of off-the-shelf soft#are and bespoke soft#are. 5Off-the-shelf5 soft#are and related applications are packages usually produced by soft#are de2elopers that are intended for sale to a specific target market. Bespoke soft#are4 also called custom-made soft#are4 is a type of soft#are de2eloped for a specific organi ation or function. 0t is generally not targeted to the general market4 but usually created specifically to meet the re6uirements of companies4 business entities4 and organi ations.

1. Why computeri e!
We computeri e because #e #ant to produce results faster and more accurately. Thus4 #ord processing systems #ere designed to eliminate the repetiti2e typing that has to be done #hen #e type our reports. Spreadsheets #ere designed to help accountants produce accurate reports by automating the adding4 subtracting4 multiplying and di2iding functions of bookkeeping. Thus4 instead of indi2idually adding each column and ro# of data4 all #e need to do is input data on their respecti2e cells and the soft#are does the addition automatically. Computing actually started #ith the ad2ent of space e)ploration #hen there #as a need to produce #ork schedules that is easy to update and capable of combining #ith the schedules of other #ork teams. What started as a customi ed #ork schedule soft#are no# e2ol2ed into an off-the-shelf scheduling soft#are.

". Comparison of off-the-shelf and bespoke soft#are

Off-the-shelf and bespoke systems can be compared on the basis of si) factors7 urgency of need4 cost4 efficiency4 comprehensi2eness4 compliance #ith needs and scalability. 8actor 1. +rgency of need ". Cost Off-the-Shelf Can be used immediately. +sually lo#4 e2en free if combined #ith ad2ertisements Bespoke 9ong #aiting time. ()pensi2e because of the cost of design4 de2elopment4 testing4 installation and training is borne only by the user. & recurring cost #ould be for maintenance and

8actor $. (fficiency

%. Comprehensi2eness '. Compliance #ith needs

*. Scalability

Off-the-Shelf :ery efficient4 but it has features that user may use infre6uently or e2en none at all. :ery comprehensi2e. 0t co2ers almost all the needs of the target users. ;ay not fully comply #ith need of user. There is a need to ad<ust operations to the designed feature of the soft#are. 9imited. 3epended on upgrades issued by de2eloper.

impro2ements. Bespoke :ery efficient. 0t addresses the identified specific needs of the user. :ery comprehensi2e. 0t co2ers all the identified need of user. Complies #ith need of users. Soft#are is designed to meet the need of user. (asy. Can be scaled up#ards according to need.

$. Choosing bet#een off-the-shelf and bespoke soft#are

To choose bet#een off-the-shelf and bespoke soft#are4 #e need to #eigh their respecti2e ad2antages and disad2antages. &fter comparing them4 then #e could ha2e an educated basis for making a decision. Sho#n belo# is a comparison of the t#o. Off-the-shelf soft#are Advantages =elati2ely cheap. The cost of de2elopment is spread o2er a large number of users. Can be 2ery sophisticated. 8or e)ample4 >()cel or Word? as the re2enue from a 2ery large number of users reduces the share of each user. Bespoke Soft#are Advantages 3esigned to address your needs and budget. Written to meet specific client re6uirements. Can be upgraded to satisfy changing needs. (asy to use. 0t can be designed to #ork #ithout any super2ision. 0ncreases producti2ity by automating repetiti2e tasks. Business information is easier to understand because they can be organi ed the #ay you #ant them to be.

"

Disadvantages Off-the-shelf soft#are can be highly comple). 0t usually includes features that you may ne2er use. The a2erage Word user is reputed to use only about 11@ of the a2ailable features. Off-the-shelf soft#are may take a long time to learn properly. This is because this soft#are tends to be large and complicated. Aou may ha2e to make ad<ustments. This means altering the #ay that you #ork in order to fit in #ith the #ay that the soft#are has been designed. There #ill probably be operations that you re6uire that you simply cannot do #ith the soft#are. Aour competitors are on your le2el. &s the same system can be purchased by your competitors it is 2ery difficult to gain any competiti2e ad2antage from its use.

Disadvantages Without the source code you are doomed to possess a useless piece of soft#are because it is difficult to make any changes. Aou are dependent on the de2elopers5 continuing e)istence and good#ill. To a2oid this problem make sure you choose a de2eloper #ho pro2ides you #ith the source code. 0t takes a long time for a bespoke soft#are to be de2eloped. 0t goes through se2eral phases7 needs identification4 coding4 testing4 installation4 testing and user training.

& complete listing of the ad2antages and disad2antages of an off-the-shelf and bespoke systems are sho#n in Appendix 1.

%. &pproach for making a decision

Off-the-shelf soft#ares are 2ery po#erful systems but because they are generic and attempts to address the needs of a large group of users4 they may not pro2ide solutions that you specifically need. Thus4 you need to use bespoke systems to address this need. The Pareto rule of .17"1 may apply to this decision process. Aou may adopt to use offthe-shelf soft#are for .1@ of your operation #hile you use bespoke systems for the critical4 repetiti2e "1@.

'. ()amples of off-the-shelf and bespoke soft#are

Some of the e)amples of off-the-shelf soft#are are as follo#s7 ;icrosoft applications such as Word4 ()cel4 Po#erpoint4 :isio4 Pro<ect4 &utodesk applications such as &utoC&34 0n2entor4 =e2it4 ;ap $34 ;otionBuilder4 $3 Studio ;a)4 ;aya &dobe applications such as Photoshop4 &crobat4 Premiere4 &fter (ffects4 3ream#ea2er4 8lash4 0llustrator4 0n3esign4

=esearch (ngineers 0nternational application such as StaadPro Symantec Corp. applications such as Borton SystemWorks4 Borton &nti:irus Computers and Structures4 0nc. applications such as (T&BS4 S&P4 S&8( Windo#s applications such as :ista4 CP4 0nternet ()plorer4 #indo#s 9i2e4 Bespoke soft#are co2ers all aspects of operations4 including accounting4 production control4 in2entory control4 flight bookings4 etc. some of the de2elopers of bespoke systems are enumerated belo#7 Betsight :ision systems Bet#ork ." Solutions =edder -raphic 3esign and #eb 3e2elopment

*. +sers of o-t-s and bespoke soft#are

+sers of off-the-shelf and bespoke soft#are can be classified into three groups4 namely4 small4 medium4 and large. Small users are those that ha2e simple needs and relati2ely fe# transactions. These users use off-the-shelf soft#are for #ord processing4 spreadsheet4 presentations4 emails. They also use speciali ed soft#are for specific functions4 such as architectural and engineering applications4 such as &utoC&34 flo#charting4 such as :isio4 photo editing such as Photoshop4 2ideo editing such as Premiere. ;edium users use off-the-shelf soft#are and most probably one or t#o bespoke systems. & small retailer #ould perhaps use an accounting system to record his transactions and to control point-of-sale and in2entory transactions. 9arge users use both off-the-shelf and bespoke systems. The off-the-shelf soft#ares often used are those for #ord processing4 spreadsheets4 flo#charting and presentations. Bespoke systems used could co2er the entire range of his business4 such as a full accounting and reporting system4 payroll4 in2entory4 sales4 and all kinds of analyses. 0n graphic form4 the users of off-the-shelf and bespoke systems can be sho#n as follo#s7

,. & -uide for Selecting Soft#are

There are ad2antages and disad2antages to both approaches. The three main differences are7 1. Price Off-the-shelf soft#are is usually reasonably priced #hereas a customi ed product can be relati2ely e)pensi2e to build. The cost of de2elopment of an off-the-shelf product is distributed o2er a large number of buyers and therefore could be priced relati2ely lo#. Bespoke soft#are4 on the other hand4 is uni6uely designed for <ust one buyer. 2. Generic build Off-the-shelf soft#are is made for a #ide range of consumers. The de2elopment team pro2ides a standard design and pre-defined frame#ork. Since off-the-shelf products are standard4 they may not cater to all re6uirements for e2ery indi2idual company. +sually there are ad<ustments that an e)isting organi ation #ill need to make in order to implement an off-the-shelf product. Customi ed soft#are addresses current needs and builds an electronic frame#ork to automate them. There is no re6uirement to change any processes. 0t takes a matter of days to familiari e yourself #ith the soft#are. Customi ed soft#are can be changed to suit your needs. Aou are also able to fine-tune the soft#are for better performance . 3. Updates (ach time there is a re2ision in soft#are purchased off-the-shelf4 you #ill need to pay an update fee. 8re6uently updates can easily be made the moment the appropriate fee is paid. Customi ed soft#are4 on the other hand4 can be updated on the basis of current re6uirement and financial capability of the company. +pdates ha2e to be de2eloped and can take time to become a2ailable.

'

The ad2antages and disad2antages of Off-the-shelf and Bespoke Soft#are Off-the-shelf soft#are Advantages =elati2ely cheap. The cost of de2elopment is spread o2er a large number of users. Can be 2ery sophisticated. 8or e)ample4 >()cel or Word? as the re2enue from a 2ery large number of users reduces the share of each user. Bespoke Soft#are Advantages 3esigned to address your needs and budget. Written to meet specific client re6uirements. Can be upgraded to satisfy changing needs. (asy to use. 0t can be designed to #ork #ithout any super2ision. 0ncreases producti2ity by automating repetiti2e tasks. Business information is easier to understand because they can be organi ed the #ay you #ant them to be. Disadvantages Off-the-shelf soft#are can be highly comple). 0t usually includes features that you may ne2er use. The a2erage Word user is reputed to use only about 11@ of the a2ailable features. Off-the-shelf soft#are may take a long time to learn properly. This is because this soft#are tends to be large and complicated. Aou may ha2e to make ad<ustments. This means altering the #ay that you #ork in order to fit in #ith the #ay that the soft#are has been designed. There #ill probably be operations that you re6uire that you simply cannot do #ith the soft#are. Aour competitors are on your le2el. &s the same system can be purchased by your competitors it is 2ery difficult to gain any competiti2e ad2antage from its use. Disadvantages Without the source code you are doomed to possess a useless piece of soft#are because it is difficult to make any changes. Aou are dependent on the de2elopers5 continuing e)istence and good#ill. To a2oid this problem make sure you choose a de2eloper #ho pro2ides you #ith the source code. 0t takes a long time for a bespoke soft#are to be de2eloped. 0t goes through se2eral phases7 needs identification4 coding4 testing4 installation4 testing and user training.

-ro#ing companies are in2esting an increasing amount in 0T systems to automate and simplify business processes. This means the market for such systems is 2ast4 #ith imagination and budget as the only boundaries. &s companies look to automate different business functions the 6uestion of bespoke or off-the-shelf is usually raised. Whether relying on an in-house 0T team or outsourcing the #ork to a specialist company4 the decision to purchase a ready made solution or to ha2e soft#are specifically de2eloped raises a number of issues that must be considered. Consider the follo#ing7 Bespoke systems are tailored to the exact requirements of the company allo#ing the soft#are to fully integrate4 helping to meet legislation or key business ob<ecti2es. Scalabilit is also a positi2e factor4 #ith bespoke systems able to accommodate business gro#th and contract #ith any necessary do#nsi ing. The system should e2ol2e #ith the company to pro2ide an ongoing perfect fit. This is possible because bespoke systems are designed #ith the long term 0T plans of a company in mind. Soft#are of this type ensures that the company can mo2e for#ard instead of <ust automating #hat it already does4 resulting in it being stuck in the same rut. There are three factors pre2enting companies from using bespoke systems. These are7 1. The cost of bespo!e so"t#are can be much higher than off-the-shelf solutions. 0ndi2idually crafted soft#are often needs teams comprising of do ens of people each bringing particular skills such as analysts4 programmers4 hard#are and soft#are specialists and technical #riters. $he time and manpo#er needed to create and maintain a bespo!e s stem quic!l adds up. Do#e2er4 bespoke soft#are successfully de2eloped can potentially be sold4 becoming an e)tra source of re2enue for the company. ". Bespoke soft#are can only match the re6uirements of the customer to the e)tent that the customer can de"ine them and the de2eloper can understand them. 0f the customer does not ha2e a clear strategic plan for the business operations4 long term 0T plans that support the business re6uirement are difficult to determine. This could lead to a system that does not ha2e the capacity to e2ol2e #ith the company4 #ith errors and misunderstandings at the early stages of de2elopment leading to spiraling costs and delayed deli2ery. 3. $he issue of compatibilit can cause problems. 0f the soft#are is not compatible #ith the e)isting systems4 operational difficulties are likely to arise. Off-the-shelf systems may not ha2e been designed #ith integration in mind and therefore the ability to transfer data bet#een systems may ha2e a ma<or impact on the inter-operability of systems. Similarly if the soft#are is not compatible #ith the systems of others4 customers and suppliers for e)ample4 it may cause problems to the o2erall functioning of the business.

-enerally speaking4 off-the-shelf systems are produced to meet the perceived needs of a particular market or sector. They ha2e4 in effect4 a one si e fits all set of generic features and4 for more comple) applications4 customi ation facilities. &s a rule4 they are eas to install and eas to use. Off-the-shelf solutions are bred from the best components of 2arious soft#are systems4 often starting as a bespoke package designed for a specific client4 meaning off-the-shelf packages may pro2ide users #ith the best of both #orlds. The process of soft#are and systems de2elopment is a difficult one in2ol2ing highly skilled people and consuming a great deal of time and resources. Do#e2er4 off-the-shelf systems can be limited in terms of performance4 and businesses often find themsel2es #orking around the soft#are instead of the soft#are #orking round them. 9uckily users re6uiring support for their off-the-shelf system ha2e the peace of mind of kno#ing that the soft#are is tried and tested4 and support is readil available. &n alternati2e #ay to access the more e)pensi2e off-the-shelf products is through a managed ser2ices company. They purchase the products and allo# clients to use them as part of a managed ser2ices contract4 #hich results in a much more cost effecti2e solution. &lthough the customer does not then ha2e o#nership and management rights4 the soft#are is made affordable4 and the problem of it becoming outdated and e2en obsolete is eliminated. +nless the company has some ama ingly uni6ue scenario >that #ould not ha2e been picked up by the thousands of off the shelf solutions? many companies can buy a suitable off-the-shelf solution that is the result of hundreds of thousands of man-hours of de2elopment and fine tuning. Do#e2er4 the a2ailability of soft#are off-the-shelf at 2ery lo# prices bears no comparison #ith the cost of the processes in2ol2ed. The lo# prices are the result of mass marketing - meaning that many companies #ithin the same market sector ha2e access to the same soft#are4 so there is no competiti2e ad2antage to be gained from it. %" existing processes or those that a compan is #ishing to develop are unique to the business& products or ser2ices4 then a bespoke solution is likely to fit better. 0t #ill deli2er a more appropriate result than a commercial off the shelf solution. & third option to consider is a compromise bet#een off-the-shelf and bespoke solutions. Specialist 0T companies can de2elop systems using a mi)ture of commercial off-the-shelf soft#are #hich can be modified by them to fit in e)actly #ith the customer5s re6uirements. By matching the needs of the customer to an e)isting product4 the challenge is then to integrate it seamlessly into the company4 #ith little or no disruption to e)isting #orking practices. This pro2ides an immediate competiti2e ad2antage to the customer #ho is not then operating the same system as direct competitors.

The Pareto .17"1 principle can be applied to this scenario. Da2ing .1 per cent of the application already a2ailable enables the remaining "1 per cent to be configured specific to customer re6uirements. This type of en2ironment is especially suited to #orkflo# or process dri2en re6uirements4 #here the engine and administration aspects of the application are already a2ailable and the "1 per cent bespoke configuration allo#s rule sets and process specific to the customer to be easily implemented. Other benefits that become apparent are the cost sa2ings. ;odifications or additions to an e)isting soft#are package shouldn5t run into the tens of thousands of pounds that a full system de2elopment #ould cost. This is a much more manageable pro<ect for an inhouse 0T team that also has ongoing 0T issues to deal #ith. The challenge that lies ahead is ho# to combine the t#o to capitali e on the strengths of each #hile eliminating the #eaknesses. Customers are increasingly demanding 5smart5 solutions4 and more companies need to respond by offering them.

.. & soft#are selection sample

To pro2ide a concrete e)ample of the process of making a choice of going off-the-shelf or bespoke is to use a Content management System >C;S? sample. 0f you5re thinking about de2eloping your corporate #eb site4 you are going to ha2e to make decisions on the follo#ing three main areas7 1. Do# you5re going to build it ". Do# you5ll test it $. Do# you5ll de2elop it in the long term

Building your site

When you plan your site4 one of the decisions you5re going to ha2e to make is #hether or not to use a content management system. & content management s stem E or C;S E comprises a set of templates #hich4 in turn4 you can use to make up your site. The great benefit of a C;S is that it allo#s the people #ho #rite for your site to manage the content themsel2es4 rather than ha2ing to rely on the technical team to do it for them. Aou get control4 timely updates4 consistency and cost effecti2e site maintenance and your contributors get to take responsibility for their o#n #ork. The options are7 >1? you could buy into one of the large-scale content management platforms that are a2ailable4 or >"? you could use soft#are that has been de2eloped for you by a specialist pro2ider. 1. 'espo!e vs. o""(the(shel" )*S Big C;S sells the dream of easily updated #eb sites4 content published in multiple formats to a myriad of de2ices and platforms.

A large o""(the(shel" )*S can #or! #ell for sites #here most of the content needs to be updated fre6uently and #here you ha2e sufficient4 trained editorial staff to keep feeding the system #ith ne# material. But not all pages of your site ha2e to be updated fre6uently. These are the pages o2er #hich you need control. 9arge corporate sites may ha2e hundreds of pages4 but only a small proportion of them may need to be fre6uently updated. 0f you use a bespoke C;S4 you get to define something that5s appropriate for your site and for your editorial resources. Aou can take charge of pages in high-priority areas or #ith fast-changing content4 such as ne#s releases4 hotspots and contact information4 and can ha2e the ability to upload important P38 documents. Aou can lea2e the more comple) storytelling pages to your agency E if you like. There5s also the 6uestion of "lexibilit . 0f your #eb site specification is e2ol2ing4 or if it 2aries across your organi ation4 then a bespo!e approach #ill tend to #or! best. 9arge C;S4 #ith its rigid4 pre-built templates and structures4 <ust is not fle)ible enough. -ood sites are scalable. This is because organi ations tend to e2ol2e and their sites #ill need to e2ol2e #ith them. 0f you go for the big C;S option you can become tied to infle)ible and outdated designs and structures. 8le)ibility is also about being able to react to changing standards. Take accessibility for instance. The 3isability 3iscrimination &ct >1//'? means that corporate #eb sites must be accessible to users #ith disabilities. &lthough most modern C;S systems ha2e caught up no#4 for a #hile4 large-scale C;S 2endors struggled to make their systems accessible. Some companies #ere left #ith sites that could not easily be made accessible to users because this #as not included in the original C;S specification. ;aking the sites accessible #ould mean abandoning the old inaccessible templates and commissioning ne# code E a time and cost intensi2e process. This round clearly points to going bespo!e. Bespoke pro2iders tend to ha2e a strong ser2ice orientation and #ill build up a comprehensi2e understanding of the site4 its users and the organi ation5s needs o2er time. 2. +and coding vs. machine coding 0f you don5t use a C;S4 you5ll need someone to code your site. &nd here you5ll face the same old 6uestion7 #ill you ha2e your site hand coded or #ill you use a generic WAS0WA- editor! &s #ith C;S4 #e definitely come do#n on the hand-crafted4 bespoke side of the argument. 0f your site is hand coded4 then you can be sure that e2erything is created to your specifications E not those of the creator of the soft#are E and you5ll ha2e far greater control o2er the generated page. The code should #ork more efficiently and be easier to debug4 check and alter.

11

0n fact4 if you ha2e real people #riting your code4 then it5s much more likely that they5ll be able to sort out any problems that may arise. They5ll understand ho# the code #orks4 #hich might not be the case if people are relying on a coding tool to do the <ob for them. Accessibilit is an issue here too. The ma<ority of WAS0WA- editors are still founded upon pi)el-based design4 and so pro2ide limited fle)ibility for relati2e font si ing. This is symptomatic of WAS0WA- editors5 limited support for accessible coding E they tend to produce code that nods to#ard the standards4 but doesn5t reach them. &nother one for bespo!e. ,ound 3- 'rand and design 9et us no# talk about the content that goes in the pages. Successful corporate #eb sites fully e)plore a concept and think about brand. They may contain highly designed pages that are integral to telling the organi ation5s brand story. The issue here is "lexibilit . 0f you use a pre(built )*S to create your pages4 there5s a danger that its templates #ill end up dictating the design. Aour designers #ill ha2e little fle)ibility and may find it difficult to create and maintain a satisfactory brand e)perience. &n off-the-shelf site #ill do nothing to di""erentiate you from your competitors. & bespoke approach gi2es you the fle)ibility to de2elop designs that fulfill your brand and meet the needs of your company and your audiences.

%. Testing your site

Once your site has been built4 it needs to be tested. There are t#o #ays7 manual testing and automatic testing &utomatic testing companies use specialist soft#are #hich goes through the pages of your site compiling a report of all the errors it finds. These errors are not about #hether the site #orks or not but they sho# discrepancies bet#een ho# your site has been programmed and the formal definition of DT;9 that the soft#are is using. ;anual testing users li2e programmers to test the system using a range of set ups4 operating systems4 connection packages and machines. ;anual testing appears to ha2e an edge on this aspect. .- /ive user testing vs. automatic testing "or accessibilit &ccessibility testing needs people to be thinking through the issues and ho# they affect each other. One of the most interesting de2elopments in this area has been the launch of +sability ()change4 #hich brings together site creators and disabled end users to impro2e #eb accessibility and usability.

11

Bespoke testing puts the user e)perience first and that5s something that5s more important than any automatically generated score or coding checklist. 0. User behavior anal sis vs. usage data retrieval To find out ho# people are using your site4 you need information. Aou could press a button on WebTrends or a similar analytics package4 and get a nice thick report. Do#e2er4 in an undigested format4 the data is difficult to understand. To make the data useful4 someone needs to do an analysis. & bespoke approach is the only logical thing to use.

/. 0mpact of computeri ation on the operations of an organi ation

Computeri ation has mo2ed the #orld from the industrial age to the information age. With almost e2erything done almost instantly4 the #orld has suddenly gro#n smaller. What used to take days to finish4 no# is done almost instantaneously. Computeri ation has changed the #ay #e do things. Take communications for instance. Writing letters in2ol2ed drafting4 correcting and finali ing4 then dropping it to a mailbo). This perhaps took four or e2en 1' days to complete. With the use of an email4 all #e ha2e to do is type your letter and press the send button and your message is sent immediately. Aou donFt e2en ha2e to correct typographical errors. &nother e)ample is making financial pro<ections. Before computeri ation4 it takes about t#o #eeks to prepare and correct a financial forecast4 using adding machines. &ny change #ould re6uire another #eek to make. With a spreadsheet4 it takes about t#o days to make the assumptions and encode the needed data. Aou can change your assumptions as often as you #ish by <ust changing some data. Bo# it #ould take about four days to ha2e a financial forecast done.

11. Conclusion
On the basis of the issues and arguments presented abo2e4 selecting bet#een off-theshelf and bespoke systems is not a clear cut process. & company that #ants to be ahead of the packs can ha2e a mi) of off-the-shelf and bespoke systems4 #ith the really critical operations going bespoke. ooo

1"

Bibliography

Custom soft#are http7GGen.#ikipedia.orgG#ikiGCustomHsoft#are Do# to Choose a Content ;anagement System to Build an &uthority Website http7GGinigo.netGe2entureG#pcontentGuploadsG"11,G1$Ge2entureHcmsHandHblogsH1'1$1,.pdf The benefits of bespoke ecommerce system de2elopment ###.iabuk.netGmediaGimagesGThe@"1benefits@"1of@"1bespoke@"1ecommerce @"1de2elopmentH',*.doc

1$

&ppendi) 1

&d2antages and 3isad2antages of Off-the-Shelf and Bespoke Soft#are

Type of Soft#are 1""(the(Shel" &d2antages (asy and 6uick to install Cheap. (2en free if bundled #ith ad2ertisements Can be used immediately I :ery efficient. :ery comprehensi2e 3isad2antages -eneric - does not sol2e specific needs 8re6uent updates 3ifficult to learn. ;ay need some form of outside training to fully utili e its features. 9o# branding image. Aou are identified #ith the rest of the #orld. ;ay not ha2e been designed #ith integration in mind and therefore the ability to transfer data bet#een systems may ha2e a ma<or impact on the interoperation of systems. +ser has to adapt his operations to the features made a2ailable 3ifficult to upgrade to satisfy changing needs of user 9ong #aiting time =e6uires definition of specific needs Dard to repair

'espo!e

Sol2es identified specific needs (asy to use after training Pro2ides ans#ers to specific 6uestions. &lso pro2ides reports that are re6uired by e)ternal agencies. 0mpro2es branding image by incorporating specific brand features. :ery efficient. &ddresses identified specific needs of user.

=e6uires super2ision ()pensi2e. Cost co2ers design4 de2elopment4 installation4 testing4 documentation and user training. =ecurring costs are also included to fi) bugs or upgrade to meet changing needs.

&llo#s for full integration4 meeting the legislation or key business ob<ecti2es. System designed #ith for#ardlooking 0T plans gro#s #ith the gro#th of user.

1%