Sample Technical Evaluation
Product/Vendor Specifications
Does the product require installation of software on a client machine? (This includes software for administrators.)
Does the product have a web-based client?
What operating system platforms are supported by the product?
What database platforms, if any, are supported by the product?
Does the product support clustering? If so, what type (failover, load-balancing, etc.)?
What are the hardware requirements?
Does the product utilize a scripting language? If so, which one?
Product References
Is there publicly available reference material, other than what has been produced by the manufacturer?
How long has the product been on the market?
What is the current version?
What are the current plans for future releases? Dates?
List key technology and business partners. Describe the relationships with these partners.
List five client references. Include all available contact information.
What is the product's reference platform? (What was it originally developed on?)
Features
Is the product role-based? What is the security scheme?
Describe how the product handles templates. What is the process of creation? How is content associated with the template?
Is there date-based publishing?
Are there features to support workflow? Describe in the following terms:
Security
Approvals
Routing
Publishing
Does the product support static page generation?
Does the product support dynamic page generation?
Is it possible to integrate content from outside the product's repository? If so, how?
Describe the versioning capability of the product.
Does the product have any integration with Microsoft Office, StarOffice, or other office productivity packages? Is so, describe the integration.
Is there XML support?
Is there COM support?
Does the product integrate with a code versioning repository (such as Visual Source Safe)?
Does the product use a specific Integrated Development Environment (IDE)?
Costs, Implementation, Training, and Support
What are the approximate cost breakdowns in the following areas?
Base cost (include license structureby server, processor, clients)
Support costs (800 number, web knowledge base, etc.)
Recurring costs (maintenance, etc.)
Training costs
What are the hardware requirements/costs?
What are the typical implementation timeframes? Is there a sample implementation plan/schedule?
What professional services (if any) are available? Third party?