ENGINEERING OFF-THE-SHELF SOLUTIONS - A LIFE-CYCLE VIEW

This paper describes a market driven life cycle methodology for applic ation of off-the-shelf products and provides anecdotal lessons for eac h of the life cycle phases. In order to form a framework for further d iscussion, a model of the off-the-shelf marketplace is introduced to d efine a range of products from low cost commodities to high-end niche or specialty items. Within this framework, strategies are recommended for defining product requirements both technical and programmatic, sur veying the market to find products that meet those requirements and th en acceptance testing those products to ensure they do in fact perform as advertised. Recommendations are provided in the area of product ta iloring, if tailoring is deemed a cost effective alternative to unique design. The pitfalls of managing ''off-the-shelf'' vendors as subcont ractors during the tailoring phase is also described. Product procurem ent is defined to include not only those steps required to procure pro duct quantities for deploy ment but also steps to ensure that those pr oducts meet the same requirements as those accepted during the selecti on phase. Three product support strategies are next described. The str ategies range from a traditional ''commercial'' approach with support provided within the vendor's infrastructure to a more traditional ''mi litary'' approach in which vendors are subcontracted to provide longer term support. Selection of the appropriate strategy is based on a bal ance of cost, desired product life and desired level of stability with in the system configuration.