A decision framework for the selection of commercial off-the-shelf technology for organizational processes

Technology is enabling fundamental changes in the business processes used to carry out the work of an organization. The time and cost required to develop one-of-a-kind technology solutions is no longer an option for most organizations, and they are turning to commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology to meet their needs. Selecting information technology (IT) solutions that support the business processes of an organization is critical for aligning IT with organizational goals.; Current systems and requirements engineering methods assume that technology will be developed to meet a unique set of requirements. The Stakeholder Life Cycle Method for COTS Solutions (SLIC) was developed to show the progression of the use of COTS technology purchased to optimize the business processes in an organization. The SLIC method uses the IT requirements defined by the process model of the organization to create the criteria for the evaluation of potential COTS IT solutions. Multi-attribute utility theory is used to facilitate the evaluation and selection steps.; The first use of the SLIC method was validated with an explanatory case study for a group of three newspaper publishing organizations located in southeastern Massachusetts. The research protocol documented in operational terms the explanation building process for explanatory case study research. Following the case in which the stakes were so high led to many interesting observations and ideas for future research. Triangulation of results from multiple sources of evidence gathered over the last two and half years demonstrate that the SLIC method is promising. It allowed the organization to evaluate the ability to meet its goals before a significant investment in changing the business processes or implementing purchased technology was made. The outcome of the project that served as the case for the study showed that SLIC enabled the goals and objectives of the publishing organization to be met with the selected technology; yet there were valuable lessons learned that will improve the method in future projects.