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Creating the Component Committee |
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The task of software development is already a tremendous one. Adding to that the task of choosing effective and appropriate third-party controls makes it even more difficult. When a Visual Basic developer, typically pressed for meeting deadlines, has to evaluate third-party controls, that developer's evaluation will not likely be thorough. It can take days or weeks for developers to evaluate, test, and implement one or more third-party controls. There's a need, then, for a separate committee (either in-house or an independent external organization) composed of one or more developers and testing experts who can dedicate exclusive time to evaluating third-party controls. |
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Evaluating a control by committee doesn't end at the control itself. the committee can test the documentation for accuracy. It can also evaluate the vendor's response to technical support and general questions about the control. Finally, the committee can test the control by creating test applications that incorporate the control. To be even more thorough, the committee can have the quality assurance and testing team test the application to make sure the component can handle a full production environment. A thorough committee might even investigate the financial soundness and commercial health of the third-party vendor when it has decided on a control but is unsure whether the company might be around long. If this latter approach is taken, the committee would look at whether the vendor is constantly in debt, no matter how large or small. |
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For these reasons, it is generally not wise to have project developers evaluate third-party controls while they are also faced with pressing deadlines. If you're involved in a small project in which the financial and productivity stakes of the application aren't great, having a committee might be overkill. However, if you're developing commercial applications for sale on the market or for organizations for whom the application's success or failure can mean millions of dollars either way, it is well worth it to thoroughly investigate the third-party vendor. This is especially important if the control is difficult to replace in the case of failure. |
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Formulating an Evaluation and Selection Criteria |
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Regardless of whether you evaluate a control yourself or use a committee, there are some factors to consider in making a decision to use a third-party control. Briefly, you need to ask questions such as these: |
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How long has the vendor been in business? This question is important only when the stakes on your project are high and the control might not be easily replaced. Many fine vendors on the market are just starting out, so don't necessarily rule them out if the controls they sell can be easily replaced in the case of failure. |
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