APPLICATION TEMPLATES - FASTER, BETTER, AND CHEAPER SYSTEMS

An organization's ability to develop and change its information system s quickly and often is increasingly important. The two primary approac hes to systems development have been build or buy. The authors' resear ch suggests that a third alternative can enable organizations to both develop and change systems faster - a ''template'' approach. Templates are existing systems, built with the aid of computer-aided software e ngineering (CASE) tools, that are changed at the design level and ther eby customized for a new organization's use. The authors discuss the u se of the template approach at three companies, as well as the rapidly growing template marketplace. All three organizations cited significa nt reductions in the time and cost of delivering their systems, as wel l as improvements in IS-business relationships and the ability to lear n new business methods and technologies.