A Guide to Software Package Evaluation & Selection: The R2ISC Method [Paperback]

Nathan Hollander (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 22, 2000

Finding the right software for a company is downright scary! Whether it's for inventory, e-commerce, accounting, e-mail, or whatever else the company needs, a poor software decision has negative ripple effects that can undermine business for years to come (and damage reputations as well).

This pragmatic book is for anyone charged with evaluating and choosing an application. It provides a systematic method for selecting the best software. In careful detail, the book guides readers through each key step to obtaining a package that meets their needs, based on: critical requirements, budget, culture, and in-house technical expertise. Readers learn how to:
-- Create a request for proposal (RFP), and then understand how to thoroughly evaluate the vendors' responses
-- Accurately compare requirements against the package
-- Ensure that the vendor demonstrations really help them determine if the software can do the job they need
-- Investigate the software company to make sure it's reliable
-- Negotiate the contract to the organization's advantage.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nathan Hollander (West Orange, NJ) is senior consultant at CSC Consulting and previously worked for Coopers & Lybrand and Ernst & Young.

Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM (September 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814405533
• ISBN-13: 978-0814405536
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,863,391 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended reading for software selection, June 13, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: A Guide to Software Package Evaluation & Selection: The R2ISC Method (Paperback)

Excellent book for both an IT professional or business manager. Presents a well planned methodology and rating method for selecting a software package. Includes plenty of examples. Also includes project planning for the selection process, RFP essentials, contract negotiations, workshops, scripted demos,...

Book has some editing problems but they are minor compared to the overall content of the book.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nathan Hollander Scores With a Great Book, May 18, 2001

By 

Reynolds (Cambridge, Massachussetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Guide to Software Package Evaluation & Selection: The R2ISC Method (Paperback)

Nathan Hollander is an excellant author of this great guide to software package evaluation & selection. It is great for those new to the computer world and also for those entrenched in the computer sciences. This guide is easy to follow and with its great detail allows the reader to understand the R2Isc method. Personally, I use this book as a guide and quick refference as well as recomending it to my students. Hollander is gold with this, his third guide, and I recomend the use of this book to anyone interested in expanding their knowledge of computers.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical and solid approach to selecting software, June 1, 2002

By 

Mike Tarrani "www.tarrani.com" (Deltona, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Guide to Software Package Evaluation & Selection: The R2ISC Method (Paperback)

This book provides both selection criteria and a process in which to apply them. It's based on the author's R2ISC method. This method stands for Requirements (current and future), Implementability, Supportability and Cost. Both the criteria and the process are provided in detail and in a step-by-step approach, which has the following benefits:

(1) Ensures that the major selection factors are thoroughly examined.
(2) Reduces cost and technical risks by examining those aspects of the selection.
(3) Addresses the alignment of requirements to business needs, which is often overlooked when IT is entrusted to perform selections (the main failure I've observed is that IT gets too caught up in technical details and features without looking at the way packages support business requirements - this book's approach will prevent that from happening if followed).

Criteria in more detail are:
- Current requirements: how well does the package being evaluated map to current
business needs
- Future requirements: can the package being evaluated be modified to support future business needs (which you will need to forecast).
- Implementability: what is required to implement the package (how well does it fit into your existing technical environment and strategic technology plan)
- Supportability: How much training is required? Are special skills needed that need to be hired or contracted? Are there impacts to existing systems, processes and workload?
- Cost: TCO - total cost of ownership. What will ongoing support, including vendor contracts, cost. This is where the real surprises emerge because the initial costs of a package are but a fraction of the true cost.

The R2ISC process is straightforward and looks deceptively easy at a high level. It consists of the following Set the Goal (rate each package under evaluation against the R2ISC criteria), Narrow the Field (the short list), Select the Winner and Sign the Contract. The last step is the one that is fraught with peril and can undo the best evaluation if the contract is improperly negotiated. The book gives excellent pointers.

If you are faced with software selection this book will give you a clear set of criteria and a process. Be aware that the approach looks easier on paper than it is in practice. This is not a criticism of the book or the approach, both of which are excellent, but a warning that the process takes hard work and due diligence - two ingredients that no book can provide.