Justifying Java to the top

Java decision factors

Listed below are some typical decision criteria for evaluating the business value of using Java for strategic, Web-enabled applications.

By Jack Keen May 1998

This list is not intended to be comprehensive, nor exhaustive. Rather its purpose is to provide ideas for further exploration. Actual decision criteria are highly dependent upon the goals, management vision, and culture of the organization considering the use of Java. Email Article Print Article Examples of direct cost reduction factors: Reduce software development costs Reduce application maintenance costs Reduce software portability costs Examples of benefits by interest area: Senior management interests Increase market share Improve earnings per share Reduce costs Operations interests: Reduce time to market Increase number of innovative new products Increase number of market segments served Improve customer support via expanded network-based customer services Information systems interests: Reduce development time Shorten development cycle Easier software customization for different platforms Ease of software modification over time Scope and ease of portability Opportunity for software reuse Availability of third party add-ons Improve programmer morale Examples of risk factors: Limits on scalability Immaturity of development tools Degradation of application performance Scarcity of people trained in Java Fragmented evolution among different vendors Source: The Deciding Factor For further information about evaluating the business value of Java, please contact Jack Keen, founder and president of the The Deciding Factor, a Basking Ridge, N.J.-based international consulting firm specializing in tools, best practices, and workshops for building better business cases faster.

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This article was originally published on May 1, 1998