Specifying and Purchasing IT

2. Performance

Understanding how you want your system to perform will help you (and your supplier) to refine your requirements.

2.1 Estimate the volume of work the system will need to handle, both now and over its expected working life. For example:

• How much data you will need to store.
• How many pages you will be printing.
• What size of files you will be transferring over an Internet connection.

2.2 Establish who will be using the system. Considerations include:

• How many users there will be and where they are located. They may be spread across different offices or need to work from home or while travelling.
• How well connected they need to be. A system which allows effective sharing of information can yield big efficiency gains.

2.3 Consider whether speed will be an issue.

• Real-time systems, such as those used in customer-facing activities, often need to respond quickly.
• Will you have any peaks in demand? For example, a relatively slow printer might be adequate for invoices - but not if you need a 100-page report in a hurry.

2.4 The biggest factor affecting system performance can be ease of use.

• Consider how computer-literate your employees are and what systems they are already experienced with.
• A system which makes it easy to do the basics well might be preferable to a complex system only experts understand.
• Employees will be unable to make effective use of a complex system without appropriate training.

2.5 Reliability and security are of overriding importance for systems without which your business cannot operate. Failures can cause huge disruption and even insolvency.

• It can be difficult or impossible to recover important records if they are lost.
• Some stored information may be commercially sensitive, or you may be legally required to ensure good security.
• Consider the consequences if a problem temporarily put your system out of action.