How do you evaluate existing software applications to determine if they are still appropriate for the organization's business requirements?
In addition to evaluating new or prospective software applications, one of the responsibilities of an application analyst is to review the organization's existing applications to see if they are still meeting the business requirements. The interviewer will ask you this question to determine if you do this and what systems you use to accomplish it. These processes will differ from the ones you use to analyze a new or prospective application. They should be simpler, faster, and performed more frequently. Your answer should reflect this.
"It is important to continually evaluate the applications an organization currently uses to ensure that they are still doing the job for which they were originally purchased. I do this by creating a schedule for annual reviews of each application the company uses. I use the process to provide the business users with a questionnaire asking them to evaluate the application, describe any issues they've had with it, and comment as to whether they feel it needs to be replaced or upgraded. I also examine the support team's records to see how often they have had to respond to user issues related to the software. Finally, I meet with the application's vendor to understand if there are upgrades available for the application, what benefits these provide, and how long the vendor is planning to support the current version of the application."
