Key Issues in a Software Package - Focused Implementation

Why a PACKAGE FOCUSED APPROACH?

I believe that every opportunity to achieve a better solution should be taken.  Better can mean cheaper, more functional, more effective, less risky, or more rapid.

The best balance of costs and benefits will normally be achieved by using standard components wherever possible; for example, standard, open hardware solutions, standard networks, standard packages, standard relational databases and standard software tools.  These will minimise the need for expensive development work.

From this desire to exploit the software to the full, we can deduce a number of key consequences:

Avoid Wasted Effort

In a custom-built system, a high level of detail is required in the requirements, analysis and design documentation to make sure you get what you want.  With packages, much of the routine processing is already dealt with.  You do not need to waste time in defining and documenting these aspects of the system. 

Adapt to the Package

Some organisations spend a vast amount of time, effort and money on adapting a package to meet their own preconceptions.  A better preference is to look for ways in which the organisation can design new business processes based around the industry best-practice options found in the package, thus leading to lower costs and, often, a new view of how things can be done.  Only when this fails should you consider amending the package.

Parallel Approach

Since the technical architecture of the package is fixed, much more work can be performed in parallel.  The overall detail of the system can be broken into logically distinct aspects.  These are far simpler to understand which leads to genuine user participation and review.

Tasks also become simpler to perform.  Altogether, this leads to better use of staff, less elapsed time, less effort, and a better overall solution.

User Focus

Technical aspects of the design have already been completed.  This leaves the team free to concentrate on the functional issues - the user’s viewpoint, the user’s needs. 

Prototyping

The package is ready to work immediately.  This makes it an excellent design aid.  Ideas can be tried out and tested before becoming fixed in the design.

Development of the system can be carried out as an extension to this design prototyping to build a full system prototype ready for formal testing.Prototyping during design and development tasks is a valuable option that can lead to dramatic improvements in elapsed time and quality.