Establishing a CASE toolbox

Methodology-intensive technologies such as computer-aided software engineering (CASE) are closely tied to how an organization approaches systems development. After an organization's definition of CASE has been determined, tools must be selected. The tools selected should provide the most cost-effective automated solution for an organization's software development process. Fifteen steps are outlined that ensure the successful selection of tools for an organization's CASE toolbox. They are: 1. assessing the current environment, 2. becoming familiar with the market, 3. determining which phases to automate, 4. developing a set of matrices, 5. using matrices to produce a final document, 6. defining a pilot project, 7. presenting the final document to the vendors, 8. controlling vendor presentations, 9.limiting the number of vendors, 10. having vendors develop a prototype, 11. selecting one vendor and renting the package, 12. producing the pilot project, 13. evaluating the tool's performance, 14. making the final selection, and 15. preparing to assess the quality of the new environment.