8. Comparison and choices 2

Pilot approach

Advantages of a pilot approach

• Minimises risk as the rest of the organisation is unaffected by the pilot
• The performance and merits of the new system can be evaluated before committing to the cost of rolling it out to the whole organisation
• It is a good way of evaluating a system that has questions to be answered as to whether it is worth doing.

Disadvantages of a pilot approach

• The pilot must be designed to be representative of the whole organisation.
• It takes a lot of effort and time to plan a pilot and to evaluate the results. This takes staff away from their normal duties.
• Takes longer to roll out the system to the whole organisation than other methods.
• It is expensive both in money and time

Direct approach

Advantages of a direct approach

• The quickest of the four methods for rolling out a system
• Useful choice for a non-critical system
• May be a good choice if the company is thoroughly confident in handling any technical issues. For example it may be replacing their own bespoke software.

Disadvantages of a direct approach

• High risk approach to rolling out a system as any problem will affect the organisation's day to day operations.
• May be too risky for critical systems. For example the main accounting system of the company.
• Risk of losing or corrupting data if there is problem with the new system