Timothy Dixon

Application-specific software

The criteria for selecting application-specific programs will depend on the nature of the applications themselves. Clearly, the criteria for selecting an agency package will be very different from those for a property management package. The main categories which are covered in this section are: accounting valuation and appraisal agency property management

Categories of software

Software is a vital part of a computer system because it provides the series of programmed instructions which direct the computer to carry out its tasks. Today good software is easy to use and requires little or no programming knowledge, though this was not always the case—until comparatively recently users had to have knowledge of a computer language such as Basic for them to utilize a computer’s power.

Stages in the software acquisition process

Selecting software and putting it into operation presents virtually identical problems at all levels of an organization, whether that level is the organization as a whole, the office, the department, the section or the individual. The process may be divided into four stages: 1 Identify the need and define the job to be done. 2 Formulate software acquisition strategies. 3 Select the optimal software and put it into operation. 4 Monitor the efficiency of the software selected and decide about its maintenance and updating.

Making the selection decision

Once you have narrowed the field to a few packages in a number of potential areas, you might have come up with a list resembling the following: task: financial modelling/reporting solution: spreadsheet candidate packages: Lotus 1-2-3, Supercalc or Smart task: agency database solution: DBMS candidate packages: dBase IV or Smart task: valuation solution: application specific package candidate packages: Investment Valuer or ProCash

Managing the software acquisition process

It is essential to plan logically and methodically when choosing software. Systems analysis, whereby the interrelationships between different activities and departments within the organization is explored in depth, will be a vital tool to use. A project manager with sufficient managerial power in the firm (i.e. a senior partner) should be appointed from the outset to see the project through. In a smaller business the onus of planning, organizing and controlling the project will fall on the shoulders of one (or more) of the partners.

The feasibility analysis

Choosing the right software for a particular task can be a major problem for any business, particularly in view of the plethora of programs currently available. Most estimates put the figure at somewhere between 30,000 and 40,000 programs available today for PCs. Moreover, although the cost of packages has been falling, the best are still expensive and typically cost upwards of £100. Indeed, programs written for specific tasks tend to be even more expensive, costing anything over £1,000.