Chapter 11. Installation

Most software must be installed in order to run. Unfortunately, many development organizations defer installation and installation issues as long as they can. When they do get around to it, the results are often perplexing and error prone. The economic implications of poorly designed installation is very real, ranging from tens of dollars for each support call to thousands of dollars for professional services fees that could be avoided if the installation process was easier. Indeed, one of my reviewers pointed out that you can lose a sale based on an onerous evaluation installation.

In this chapter I will consider some of the unique challenges associated with designing and implementing a good installation process and the business motivations for doing so. In the next , I will cover upgrades.