Hype shopping

2 years has passed since the last time I helped a client buy a software application. I expect the process to be very similar this time with the main difference being that there will definitely be discussions about Web 2.0. This time around it is an educational platform that is considered by my client making the new collaborative techniques even more attractive. One might even argue that a lot of the development around new collaborative software has sprung from the needs of the learning community.

I think that the hype the last couple of years has effected how and what the companies buy and especially how they prioritize their requirements. It is always a risk in a project like this that new hyped functionality will get to much attention and be considered as the number one priority feature which of course it's not.

Due to these circumstances the requirements sessions in this project will be especially interesting to facilitate and the questions asked by Oscar Berg in a posting last week will be as relevant as ever before. More postings will follow on the subject throughout the purchasing process.
Oscar BergE-Learning, Strategy