Packaged and In-house Developed Software Products
Student Name
Institutional Affiliation
Software Developed from the Ground-up
Advantages
Software developed within the organization integrates well with the organization’s culture. Once the system is in-house, then the organization’s protocol and principles are raised within it. The operations of the organization are reflected inside its architecture making its existence a compliment to the institution. Having built using the company’s technology, it makes it easy to install and run it inside the organization since the testing is done right there.
The process of gathering the issues to be addressed by the new system is easier for the analysts. In the case the information is being gathered in a face to face basis, it is easier for the employees to fully open up to someone you are conversant with than to an outsider (James et al., 2014). Therefore, the information needed is collected quickly, sparing valuable time, which reduces the development cost. This also ensures no important detail is left unhandled.
Disadvantages
The major drawback of building a system from Ground-up is the high cost that is incurred. Cost is a common issue for any type of software whether in-house or outsourced, but in-house products will bring along additional cash loads like the cost of training the users, cash cover for times when employees get sick, rent, and the hardware too. All these small costs get accumulated and are recorded collectively as a big figure in the final software’s price.
Another shortcoming is the availability of talented personnel. Employees in organizations are prone to unseasoned relocations especially if the conditions of working at the current site are unbearable. If this happens with the important personnel in the project then it means that the project will face the issue of unmet deadlines. Not hitting deadlines could lead to losses in the organization since budgets are usually drawn alongside tight timelines.
Choice between Ground-up and packaged software
Ground-up software products are planned, designed, developed, and tested within the organization’s environment. This means that the entire process uses the resources, such as the teams, hardware and the buildings of the organization. Packaged software is one developed by an organization and made publicly available for any one in need to utilize its services (Kulkarni, 2015). Whoever wants to use it only needs to remotely access the servers where it is hosted and download it into their local machines. Both products have their advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of packaged software is that they have a lower acquisition cost and simpler interface to use. However, my choice of software would be an In-house developed software product. The reason is that the software is modifiable should need be. Also any additional software management cost would be overcome since the personnel to handle them will be readily available within the organization.
References
James, M. P., Reddy Pandillapalli, P. K., & Gopalakrishnan, S. (2014). Prediction and comparison of critical speeds and potential excitation using in-house developed software for an integrally geared centrifugal air compressor. ASME 2014 Gas Turbine India Conference. https://doi.org/10.1115/gtindia2014-8247
Kulkarni, S. (2015). Assessment of outsourced software testing. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2557259
Valacich, J. S., George, J. F., & Hoffer, J. (2015). Essentials of systems analysis and design. Pearson Higher Ed.