ENTERPRISE-LEVEL PACKAGED SOFTWARE ACQUISITION: A STRUCTURED LITERATURE REVIEW THROUGH THE LENS OF IT GOVERNANCE

Enterprise-level packaged software is gaining in importance across organizations. Increasingly, organizations decide to purchase packaged software solutions. However, the acquisition of these software packages is carried out in risky and complex acquisition projects. Implementing the right governance structures and procedures can help to avoid errors and problems in this phase, which could severely impact implementation and usage of the procured systems in the future. The current body of knowledge on software acquisition governance is scarce, scattered, and in need of integration. Therefore, this study endeavors to perform a structured literature review which assesses the current state-of-the-art in software acquisition, focusing on IT governance-related aspects. Three main topics are identified and elaborated: the selection of software, the software acquisition process, and influncing factors. Based on these extant findings, this study integrates and synthesizes the separate research streams through the conceptual lens of IT governance. This literature review can help decision makers in organizations with optimizing their software procurement processes, governance, and behaviors and builds a foundation for further research on this increasingly relevant topic