The Four Secrets of Successful Project Management and COTS Implementations

Code-off-the-shelf  (COTS) based solutions are often thought to be a “silver bullet” — a ready-made solution that is intended to be quick and inexpensive to implement. Yet, in reality, a COTS-based solution is rarely an exact fit and the level of effort to customize and integrate is often not realized; the complexity of a “black box solution” is often underestimated.

This document highlights some of the lessons learned from several large scale COTS implementations in the public sector and suggests ways project managers can avoid expensive overruns and sponsor dissatisfaction.

Problem Statement

While the idea of using an “off the shelf” application used in similar industry verticals appears attractive from a work effort and cost perspective, it is recognized that rarely do COTS-based applications meet every business requirement. Some level of modification beyond the development of the “glue code” or “wrapper,” is required to join the “ready-made” solution to existing internal and external interfaces.

At a minimum, databases need to be loaded, security activated, and interfaces designed and developed.

The effort to complete these integration activities requires a significant understanding of how the COTS solution works and this often requires reading user …