During
the past two decades, the software market has been dominated by
Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) products that offer a myriad of
functionalities at a reasonable price. This is indeed the
primary model of WoodPro Software Inc. The logic is quite simple -
the cost of development of the off-the-shelf product is distributed
over a number of buyers, since the pricing is spread over the number
of licenses that will be sold.
One might think that if the
option of an off-the-shelf software product is available, why would one
go for a customized development?
Though the COTS product is
ready to use, it may not be catered to the exact requirements of your
organization. Usually, some adjustments would be needed in order to implement a typical
off-the-shelf product. But what if the same simple logic of
spreading the costs could be applied to customer specific enhancements?
Those enhancements could be built back into the core COTS
software, thereby, eliminating the risk of program obsolescence that is
inherent with customized software.
This has lead WoodPro Software, Inc. to the development of a
parallel ‘economic’ based development initiative that is based on low
cost software
customization called Customer Prioritized Development (CPD). CPD
refers to the programs we develop in conjunction with our clients to
address their specific requirements, but at the same time enhance our
core product – without the expensive fees imposed by typical COTS
software companies. Why should the customer have to bear all the costs and risks, when the enhancements could be built into the core
product and shared with the existing and potential user base? CPD is
sponsored by both our large and small customers, who want a
competitive advantage, and are comfortable with their enhancements
becoming ‘commodity’ software.