Question

The Shining Stars primary school was the recent recipient of a technology grant to source and implement a school management system. The school administrator is not technology savvy and therefore sought advice from three of the board members who were knowledgeable in the information systems and technology field.

• One director advised the administrator to purchase an off-the-shelf solution which would allow the school to get the system configured and up and running in a short period with reasonable costs.
• The second advised the administrator to invest in the development of a unique   system   to   meet the   custom   requirements of the   school’s administration. He suggested that this would create   a closer fit to the school’s needs compared to purchasing software, but will cost more.
• The third director suggested using an open source solution which would have little if any upfront costs but may require some customization.

The school administrator must decide about which solution to go with.

Required:

Using a decision matrix, identify    and    weigh    the    factors    which    could    influence     the administrator’s decision to buy an off-the-shelf solution, have a customized solution developed, or opt for an open source solution. Are there other options?

Answer 1

Factors	Time	Quality	Cost	Total
Weight	1	3	2
Off-the-shelf solution	3	3	3	18
Customized developed solution	2	3	0	11
Open source solution	2	1	2	9

To get the total, we multiply the value given times the weight value assigned.

Based on the matrix, the best option is the first one in spite of relatively being the most expensive one. It offers more security in terms of quality and time