A guideline for evaluating EIS software packages

In the development of executive information systems (EIS) the selection of an appropriate software package as a system building tool is regarded as a key technology. This paper attempts to shed some light on the evolving field of EIS software packages and provides a helpful Guideline for selecting the most suitable product by addressing significant considerations. A framework is presented that includes a six-step evaluation process: need analysis, team building, vendor survey, identification of decision criteria, and building an evaluation model and its verification. The major evaluation criteria of the full-featured software include: special functionality, reporting, graphics. decision support capability user friendliness, general functionality physical requirements, communication linkage, vendor support, cost related factors, performance, and documentation capability. An illustrative model using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method is also discussed to prove the appropriateness of our approach.