Since individual people will support a very limited view of the entire system, strategic, operational and departmental requirements will have to be added to the needs definition as well. We use a printed form called the Detailed Needs Definition to collect this information. This form is a mirror image of the questions asked in the analysis program. However, the form itself supports a slightly modified method of indicating the relative importance of each requirement. Rather than forcing people to select a value from 0 to 9 to represent the importance of the question, we also give people the ability to indicate their interest by selecting either LOW, MODERATE or HIGH. This makes the assignment of importance factors much easier without really affecting the validity of the analysis.

The program uses a methodology not unlike a word processor to enter and manage needs definition files. The use of a FILE | SAVE AS function enables you to create progressively more detailed or simplified needs definition files without losing original information. Consultants can use this methodology to create template needs definition files for clients in similar industries or to help users establish a starting point for their own needs definition file.

2. Print and Verify Needs Definition

Once the information has been input into the analysis program, you can print your needs definition to verify all of the information. This report can serve an additional purpose. If you want to compare your requirements against specific products, but without having to wait for the program to complete the initial analysis, you can do so through this report routine

3.Run Initial Analysis

Once the needs definition has been completed, the program will compare it against each product (or selected groups of products which you define). The program will use each product's total weighted score to rank it according to how close it matches your requirements. If you have defined critical requirements, the program will eliminate any product not meeting even one of these needs (you can also determine exactly why each product was eliminated). The objective of this initial analysis may be to just see where all of the products fit. Some people define only their most important requirements, and then use the ranking to select several products which will be compared against a second, more detailed, needs definition.

4. Modify Needs Definition if Required (Modifiable Edition only)

The Modifiable Edition gives users the ability to add, modify or delete questions as well as add new products to the database. This single feature makes The Accounting Library a very powerful analytical tool indeed, particularly from the point of view of reducing dramatically the time required to create a formal RFI or RFP. Once the questionnaire has been modified to suit your needs, you can export the revised questionnaire, send it together with what we call our Vendor Program to whomever you wish, regardless of whether they are in the database or not. The vendors will install the program, answer your revised questionnaire (if they are already in the database, all they would have to do is answer the new questions and possibly review their previous responses), and export their responses and send the update file to you (usually via e-mail). All you would have to do is import each vendor's file back into the program and then continue with your analysis, but with a version created specifically for you.

5. Revise Needs Definition (If Required)

It's unlikely that a single pass at the analysis will be sufficient in most instances. Many people like to use the analysis program to carry out a form of sensitivity analysis where they can see how the ranking changes as they change their needs definition.

6. Print and Examine Ranking Reports

Obviously the reports are your most important decision support tools. We try to provide our subscribers with progressively more detailed reports so that they can start with the most basic product ranking and proceed to examine ever more detailed information concerning the products in which they have an interest.

• Ranking Report
• Eliminated Report
• Module Report
• Subsection Report
• Questions Report - Full Report
• Questions Report - Features Present
• Questions Report - Features Absent
• Product Report

7. Create Semi-final Product Grouping

Once you have examined several reports, and formed a fairly good idea as to which products seem to be of greatest interest, you can create a product grouping which contains only those products. This will enable you to reprint specific reports that will serve as your information source as you proceed forward with your software selection project.

8. Reprint Basic Ranking Reports

The first step before you proceed into an analysis of demos, vendors, resellers and any other factor which will influence your final purchase decision is the printing of what might be called the final reports from the analysis program. As indicated above, these reports will serve as source information as the project proceeds forward.

9. Identify Specific Strengths and Weaknesses

It will not be possible to use the analysis program to make a final purchase decision. We don't recommend that and will not take responsibility for any purchase decision you make. The program has been designed to help you identify which products seem to be of interest as well as their strengths and weaknesses. These reports should serve as the source of questions you need clarified as you begin to discuss your requirements with vendors and/or their resellers.

10. Prepare for Final Analysis

This is the final step before you begin to evaluate other software selection factors. The analysis program should be used to identify likely candidates as well as raise questions about each product so that you can better understand what each product does, how well it compares against your requirements as well as against other products, and what might be required in terms of modifications or adjustments to make sure the product delivers exactly what you require.