Buy vs Build Evaluation

The Shining Stars primary school was the recent recipient of a technology grant to source and implement a school management system. The school administrator is not technology savvy and therefore sought advice from three of the board members who were knowledgeable in the information systems and technology field.

• One director advised the administrator to purchase an off-the-shelf solution which would allow the school to get the system configured and up and running in a short period with reasonable costs.
• The second advised the administrator to invest in the development of a unique system to meet the custom requirements of the schools administration. He suggested that this would create a closer fit to the schools needs compared to purchasing software, but will cost more.
• The third director suggested using an open source solution which would have little if any upfront costs but may require some customization.

The school administrator must decide about which solution to go with.

Required:

This is for Accounting Information Systems

Using a decision matrix, identify and weigh the factors which could influence the administrators decision to buy an off-the-shelf solution, have a customized solution developed, or opt for an open source solution. Are there other options?