The Support of Software Products

The Support of Software Products
An Introduction

Prof. David Bernstein
James Madison University

Computer Science Department

bernstdh@jmu.edu

What Is Support?

A Narrow View:
- Interaction between a stakeholder and another person for the purpose of improving the stakeholder's experience
What About User Documentation?
- Some people include it in support but we will view it as an alternative to support

Types of Support

Professional:
- The person interacting with the stakeholder is employed by (either directly or indirectly) the provider of the software product
Community:
- The person interacting with the stakeholder is another stakeholder (or has appropriate expertise for other reasons)
Hybrid:
- A community system in which the professionals participate

Methods of Providing/Delivering Support

Support Tracking/Management

Support Arrangements/Contracts

Levels/Tiers of Support

The Concept:
- Provide different levels of support services to different stakeholders (usually for different fees)
Defining Tiers:
- Hours of Support (e.g., 24/7, M-F)
- Time to Engage (e.g., within 5 minutes, same-day)
- Priority/Severity of the Request

Designing/Implementing with Support in Mind

Motivation:
- Users often do not have the technical expertise necessary to explain their situation so it can help if the product itself can help
Support-Oriented Features:
- Remote Control
- Logging/Diagnostics