Evaluating Software Systems

As technology managers, we are often tasked with finding the right software system for our company. This may be a small-scale or limited distribution system, or it may be a wide-scale system that will support significant business operations.

Evaluating the potential value of new software systems can be challenging. Even though Amadeus Consulting is a custom software company, we still use plenty of off-the-shelf software internally, although we still like to do our own customizations as well.

When we evaluate software systems for ourselves or on behalf of our clients, we follow a fairly strict process for determining how well it will work for us. This includes:

1. Information about the provider

Mostly, we want to know how stable the provider is. We look at how long the company has been in business, how many other companies use its software, what proportion of the market share the company controls, and other related information.

This helps predict whether or not the company is on stable ground, and will be able to provide you support and updates in the future. It is also important to factor in the underlying technology that was used to build the software. Specifically, is it a fairly universal and understandable language that will make additions and customizations easier in the future, or is it built on something archaic and difficult to modify? This will also help you determine how well it will integrate with current software and systems.

2. Data Storage and Management

In this age of real-time analytics, understanding how the system handles data can greatly impact your purchasing decision. Specifically, as your business grows and your use of the software increases, will you be able to tap into the data to gather important information regarding your business processes?

This means finding out if the system has well documented points of integration and an open API so that you can easily build into the system. Also, consider what types of APIs are included, whether they be code based, or web based, and if they will be scalable to all your potential needs. Code based APIs can lock you in to a particular development technology for integration.

For example, APIs that are Java packages are most easily accessed via Java whereas web-based APIs are usually independent of development technologies, but some can be easier to implement than others, such as SOAP APIs which can be easily accessed via .NET using a wizard.

3. Insider Information

After narrowing your search, start looking for information from people and businesses that currently use the software. Ask the company to talk to its current customers, visit customer forums, user groups, and look at real customer feedback.

This can give you much better insight, and tell you how things actually work. This can help you identify potential problems or specific nuances that may impact your decision. It also helps you integrate into the general community which can help with support and customization in the future

Other tips

Finding this type of information requires asking a lot of questions and knowing what questions to ask. Sometimes it can be challenging because the sales person may not immediately know the answer. Be sure to allow time for follow up, and be willing to ask until you find the answer you are looking for. If you have a specific need, Amadeus Consulting can also help with technology validation to find the right solution for you.

The Amadeus Consulting blog also has some other related articles that you may find helpful, including deciding between a custom software solution or a pre-built system, and some ideas on choosing the right technology partner.