1. Factors affecting upgrading or installing systems
“What do I need to think about before doing it?”

2. Learning Objectives:
By the end of this topic you should be able to:
explain the factors which affect decisions about upgrading or installing software and hardware

3. Factors to consider:
Expertise of staff
Costs
Benefits
Current systems 

4. 1. Expertise of Staff: expertise of the current staff
do the existing staff have the necessary skills and knowledge?
need for retraining?
will current staff need training to use new system/upgrade?
what disruption would be caused by retraining
need to employ new staff?

5. 2. Costs: financial cost of the system upgrade
hardware & software
installing the new system
training requirements for the new upgrade
retraining the staff
loss of productive time
whilst the upgrade is taking place
maintenance costs
support issues
new staff required

6. 3. Benefits : what will be improved? useful new features
the advantages that the new system would bring
what will be improved?
useful new features
faster processing
compatibility & interoperability with other systems
online/virtual operation

7. Current systems : compatibility with existing data/hardware?
method of implementation
time-scale of the changeover
testing once changeover has occurred

8. Examination questions: