Building group decision support rooms using "off-the-shelf" computing resources: prospects and issue

The concept of a decision support system (GDSS) is appealing to many organizations as ways are sought to improve the productivity of group meetings. Unfortunately, the purchase or development of group decision support systems may be prohibitively expensive. This paper explores an alternative way of acquiring GDSS capabilities. First, the fundamental features of a GDSS are identified based upon a review of literature. These features provide a framework in which to identify GDSS requirements and capabilities. Then, an implemented GDSS composed of off-the-shelf software and readily available hardware is described. A general model is presented for GDSS developers that clarifies choices and options that must be made when assembling a GDSS using off-the-shelf components. The article closes with a discussion of important issues for developers of "off-the-shelf" GDSSs.