Mark Mitton, the liaison to the IS department, has eliminated all but the best three systems. Mark developed a list of required features, carefully reviewed each system, talked to other users, and interviewed appropriate systems representatives. Mark used a point-scoring system to assign weights to each requirement. Mark developed Table 21-4 to help him select the best system.

Required
a. Use a spreadsheet to develop a point-scoring matrix and determine which system Mark should select.
b. Susan Shelton did not agree with Mark’s weightings and suggested the following changes:
Flexibility ......... 60
Reputation and reliability ... 50
Quality of support utilities . 10
Graphics capability ..... 10
When the changes are made, which vendor should Mark recommend?
c. Mark’s manager suggested the following changes to Susan’s weightings:
Reputation and reliability ..... 90
Installation assistance ..... 40
Experience with similar systems . 40
Training assistance ....... 65
Internal memory size ...... 10
Will the manager’s changes affect the decision about which system to buy?
d. What can you conclude about point scoring from the changes made by Susan and Mark’s manager? Develop your own weighting scale to evaluate the software packages. What other selection criteria would you use? Be prepared to discuss your results with the class.
e. What are the weaknesses of the point-scoringmethod?

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TABLE 21-4 An Evaluation Matrix SYSTEM SELECTION CRITERIA WEIGHT Software Fulfillment of business needs Acceptance in marketplace Quality of documentation Quality of warranty Ease of use Control features Flexibility Security features Modularity Integration with other software Quality of support utilities Vendor Reputation and reliability Experience with similar systems Installation assistance Training assistance Timeliness of maintenance Hardware Internal memory size (RAM) Hard-drive capacity Graphics capabilities Processing sp Overall performance Expandability Support for network technology 100 30 50 50 4 50 20 30 30 30 50 4 4 10 20 70 35 35 4 70 40 50 30 eed 4