Getting successful new products to market has never been more important. As a result, scientists across industries from pharmaceuticals to energy to consumer packaged goods are demanding tools (e.g., software) to work smarter and faster. Meanwhile, management is putting increasing pressure on IT to reduce costs. IT is caught in the middle with no off-the-shelf answers as to what tools are providing the most value to their organizations.
How does one measure the value of a software application? The appropriate metrics are unclear. Data on the software’s impact on users is often limited or non-existent. And, organizations typically rely on their vendors asserting value instead of proving it. With increasingly limited time for analysis, IT managers are forced to fall back on intuition and user perceptions.