Hardware Software Selection | Preocedure To Follow
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Hardware/ Software Selection: A major element in building system is selecting compatible hardware and software. Hardware and software selection begins with requirements analysis, followed by a request for proposal and vendor selection.
Procedure for Hardware/ Software Selection
Steps of Selection Process are
- Requirement Analysis
- System Specifications
- Request for proposal
- Evaluation & validation
- Vendor selection
- Post-installation review
1. Requirement Analysis
In this step, consider the following:
- Users requirements
- Organizations objectives
- The environment in which the system is being installed
- User’s resources
- Budget
2. System Specifications
System specifications must reflect the following:
- System objectives
- User’s requirements
- Flow charts
- Input Output requirements
- Cost
- The specification must describe each aspect of the system clearly, consistently & completely.
3. Request For Proposal(RFP)
After the requirements analysis & system specification have been determined, a RFP is drafted & sent to selected vendors for bidding. The request for proposal should include the following:
- Complete system specification
- Terms & conditions
- Time frame
- Quantity
- Minimum warranty period
- Training responsibilities
- Conversion responsibilities
4. Evaluation & Validation
The evaluation phase ranks vendor proposals & determines the one best suited to the user’s needs. It looks into items such as;
- Price
- Availability
- Technical Support
- System validation ensures that the vendor can, in fact, match his/her claims, especially system performance.
5. Vendor Selection
This step determines the “winner” the vendor with the best combination of reputation, reliability, service record, training, delivery time, lease/finance terms & conversion schedule.
6. Post-installation Review
After installation, system specifications & user requirements are audited to pinpoint & correct any differences.
Criteria for Software Selection:
a) Readability
Readability means that he person other than a programmer can understand it easily.
b) Integrity
Refers to the accuracy of computation & results.
c) Generality
Generality means it can be used under different situations & requirements.
d) Modularity
Means writing software in modules
e) Portability
Means running the same software on different computer systems.
f) Capacity
Capacity refers to be a capability of the software package to handle user requirement for the size of files, a number of data elements, the volume of transactions & reports etc.
g) Minimal Cost
Cost is the major consideration in deciding between in house & vendor software.
h) Documentation
It should be well documented
i) Efficiency
The software be executed fast & occupy less memory space.
j) Performance
It refers to throughout or how efficiently package performs under peak loads.
k) Security
It should be the source.
l) Quality
It should be bug-free.
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