Alternatively, will there be a realistic possibility of getting support and customisation from third parties? In the case of custom software, the software development may be outsourced or done in-house. If it is outsourced, the question is: is the supplier reputable, and do they have a good track record? Time to market: commercial off the shelf software products usually have a quicker time to market Size of implementation: commercial off the shelf software comes with standardization of business processes and reporting. For a global or national organisation, these can bring in gains in cost savings, efficiency and productivity, if the branch offices are all willing and able to use the same commercial off the shelf software without heavy customisations (which is not always a given). Major fields Construction The construction industry uses custom software to manage projects, track changes, and report progress. Depending on the project, the software is modified to suit the particular needs of a project owner, the design team, and the general and trade contractors. Project-specific data is used in other ways to suit the unique requirements of each project. Custom software accommodates a project team's particular preferences and expectations, making it suitable for most construction processes and challenges: design development tender calls document control shop drawing approvals changes management inspections and commissioning way-finding Custom software developers use various platforms, like FileMaker Pro, to design and develop custom software for the construction industry and for other industries. Hospitals Hospitals can keep electronic health records and retrieve them any time. This enables a doctor and his or her assistants to transfer the details of a patient through a network. Keeping patients' blood groups in a hospital database makes the search for suitable blood quicker and easier. Hospitals also use billing software, especially in their dispensaries. Places of education Schools use custom software to keep admission details of students. They produce Transfer Certificates also. Some governments develop special software for all of their schools. Sampoorna is a school management system project implemented by the Education Department of Government of Kerala, India to automate the system and process of over 15,000 schools in the state. These projects brings a uniformity for the schools. Retail Billing is a common use of custom software. Custom software is often used by small shops, supermarkets and wholesale sellers to handle inventory details and to generate bills. Major project overruns and failures Failures and cost