Stages of growth of an innovative software house: an additional criterion for software package selection
Paul A. Swatman, Paula M. C. Swatman, James E. Everett · 1990
As software becomes more crucial to organisational success, there is a tendency to turn towards third-party software houses for cheaper, faster and more effective solutions. This paper discusses the problems encountered by small suppliers, offering innovative software solutions to industry. It suggests that there is a common pattern to the development of such suppliers; and proposes a model of their evolution and development. This model, in turn, identifies a fairly consistent set of issues which should be addressed by organisations purchasing such innovative, strategic software products. The paper provides an appropriate criterion for judging the likely success of products purchased from such a software house, additional to the standard criteria of product quality and suitability.