Approaches for enforcing best practices and policies through computerized processes

A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for assisting a user in selecting a software tool, wherein execution by one or more computers of the one or more sequences of instructions causes:

• identifying, using a processor, for each software tool in a plurality of software tools to be considered for performing a particular task, a plurality of characteristic values, wherein each of the plurality of characteristic values identifies a number that reflects how much said each software tool supports a particular characteristic in a plurality of characteristics;
• wherein the plurality of characteristics comprises:
• a first characteristic on interoperability of said each software tool with software applications from a first vendor;
• a second characteristic on interoperability of said each software tool with software applications from a second vendor;
• and
• a third characteristic on support provided by a company providing said each software tool;
• wherein the particular task is one of performing testing simulations, managing data persistently, or maintaining electronic records;
• computing a score for said each software tool, wherein the score is based on the characteristic values, of the plurality of characteristics;
• transmitting, to a client having a user interface, display data that describes how to render, on the user interface, a pictorial representation of the scores associated with the plurality of software tools, wherein the pictorial representation depicts a relative measure of how appropriate said each software tool is for the particular task;
• wherein a characteristic in the plurality of characteristics is a child characteristic of another characteristic in the plurality of characteristics hereinafter referred to as parent characteristic;
• wherein a weight is associated with the child characteristic;
• in response to receiving input that changes the weight associated with the child characteristic, causing the display of the pictorial representation to be updated dynamically to reflect a change associated with the child characteristic thereby to cause information about the characteristic value associated with the parent characteristic to change.

A system comprising one or more computers and at least one memory, the at least one memory comprising one or more sequences of instructions for assisting a user in selecting a software tool, wherein execution by the one or more computers of the one or more sequences of instructions causes:

• identifying, using a processor in the one or more computers, for each software tool in a plurality of software tools to be considered for performing a particular task, a plurality of characteristic values, wherein each of the plurality of characteristic values identifies a number that reflects how much said each software tool supports a particular characteristic in a plurality of characteristics;
• wherein the plurality of characteristics comprises:
• a first characteristic on interoperability of said each software tool with software applications from a first vendor;
• a second characteristic on interoperability of said each software tool with software applications from a second vendor;
• and
• a third characteristic on support provided by a company providing said each software tool;
• wherein the particular task is one of performing testing simulations, managing data persistently, or maintaining electronic records;
• computing a score for said each software tool, wherein the score is based on the characteristic values, of the plurality of characteristics;
• transmitting, to a client having a user interface, display data that describes how to render, on the user interface, a pictorial representation of the scores associated with the plurality of software tools, wherein the pictorial representation depicts a relative measure of how appropriate said each software tool is for the particular task;
• wherein a characteristic in the plurality of characteristics is a child characteristic of another characteristic in the plurality of characteristics hereinafter referred to as parent characteristic;
• wherein a weight is associated with the child characteristic;
• in response to receiving input that changes the weight associated with the child characteristic, causing the display of the pictorial representation to be updated dynamically to reflect a change associated with the child characteristic thereby to cause information about the characteristic value associated with the parent characteristic to change.