Every packaged software implementation will require software changes. By definition, every software change will result in a high Total Cost of Ownership for the customer. As software changes increase, the greater the resource requirements needed to perform a packaged software upgrade. Packaged software upgrades are the primary means for customers to leverage new functionality. Not being in a position to quickly upgrade may result in losing competitive advantage, and wasting money paid on maintenance fees.
Using a blended approach to gathering requirements for packaged business software enables the project team to be responsive to the customer yet encourage the customer to utilize delivered functionality to its fullest. It is an approach that focuses only on software changes that generate maximum business value and return on investment.
A fundamental premise that supports all the other principles described in this book is the ability to negotiate. In the next chapter, we will outline...