I have been selling software applications for a decade now and it still amazes me how organizations go about acquiring new software systems. Many companies have no process in place for making large software acquisitions and many companies simply purchase based on past experience and minimal research. There is a saying in the industry that no one has ever been fired for purchasing "Big Blue". Requirements Management tools/systems are no different. Companies should spend the time and effort to truly determine the needs of a software system prior to purchase. I have seen too many RFI's where a company included hundreds of requirements/functionality even though they would only use a small portion of those total features requested. Think to yourself what challenges do my company face with respect to Requirements analysis, design, illicitation, management, etc. Hone these challenges down to key needs that will return value to your organization. The only way to sell to top management is to prove that the expenditure will be outweighed by the savings, most commonly in productivity or quality. Continuing this line of thought can you accurately measure today what it costs to create a business requirement? If not, then how is it possible to measure the savings with a new process or tool? Once you have honed your needs down to specific areas then begin the research of acquiring new tools and/or processes. I welcome your commments/thoughts?