Methodology for deriving a business complexity index through the application of the complexity framework for SaaS

Previous work by the authors has highlighted how the complexity of a business and the IT systems required to support it are a key consideration in the take-up of the Software as a Service (SaaS) model as a feasible business solution. This can be measured using a metric developed to calculate a complexity index for business. The use of the Spiteri complexity framework could be a key element for any business system deployment model, since complexity impacts cost, time and success, common to both a traditional deployment and a SaaS. In this paper we discuss the methodology for deriving the complexity framework including the revisions required to achieve a more comprehensive and inclusive baseline index. The authors also present extracts of the data analysis used to derive the unified model for the framework and the application of business cases to validate the model.