Evaluation methods for procurement of business critical software systems

Abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to explore what software evaluation methods are currently available that can assist organizations and companies in procuring a software solution for some particular task or purpose for a specific type of business. The thesis is based on a real-world scenario where a company, Volvo Technology Corporation (VTEC), is in the process of selecting a new intellectual property management system for their patent department. For them to make an informed decision as to which system to choose, an evaluation of market alternatives needs to be done. First, a set of software evaluation methods and techniques are chosen for further evaluation. An organizational study, by means of interviews where questions are based on the ISO 9126-1 Software quality model, is then conducted, eliciting user opinions about the current system and what improvements a future system should have. The candidate methods are then evaluated based on the results from the organizational study and other pertinent factors in order to reach a conclusion as to which method is best suited for this selection problem. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is deemed the best choice.