Systems Integrator [ Partner, though sometimes played by an End user ]
May be internal or external to the company who will use the final integrated system.
Faces enormous pressure to make two (or more) disparate software systems work together; or even to make systems that should work together, work together in a specific way that supports the company's processes.
If able to influence purchases, has a strong preference to selecting systems that integrate “out of the box”, or those with a well-defined and proven integration strategy/method.
Tool Vendor [ Insider ]
Has one or more offerings in the market.
Faces competition from other vendors, including open source software.
Primary value to customers is in making them more efficient, more accurate, more productive, etc.; i.e. they need to demonstrate that they reduce costs for their customers – they don't drive revenue for their customers.
In sum, lowering costs is a challenge faced by both the vendor and its clients.
Even if they do everything right within their own product(s), many sales opportunities are stillborn by the prohibitive cost of migrating and integrating the product into a prospective client's existing system.
Tool Buyer [ Principal ]
Already has software being used to facilitate its current processes.
Cannot throw current software solution away and start from scratch.
External pressures (from its competitors, for example) may cause them to consider more drastic changes to its system, but incremental improvements are more common.
Often stuck waiting for vendors of its current software to “catch-up” with another product available in the market because the cost of migrating to the other product and integrating it into the existing solution is prohibitive.
Value-producing Worker (Tool User) [ End user ]
Has experience with some existing technologies, some are used by his employer, other used through previously experience.
Measured on results – adverse to change that puts ability to deliver in jeopardy. (May actively resist initiatives to adopt an unknown software, may actively promote initiatives to adopt a previously used software.)
Often has a more short-term perspective and is a resistant recipient of change coming from management's attempts to address broader business challenges.
As a Systems Integrator,
I want to know that I can augment an existing system of software tools with a new tool that addresses a new business need, with minimal disruption to the operation of the existing system, before I begin the project,
so that I can accurately estimate the effort and cost of integrating the new tool into the system and avoid unpleasant interactions with any stakeholders of the existing system.