Interview business people who participate in the purchase of off-the-shelf software in their organizations. Review with them the criteria for selecting off-the-shelf software as follows:
Cost, Vendor support, Functionality, The viability of vendor, Flexibility, Ease of installation, Documentation, Response time
Have them prioritize the list of criteria as they are used in their organization and provide an explanation of the rationale for each criterion`s ranking. Ask them to list and describe any other criteria used in their organization.