COTS software is normally developed prior to an organization selecting that software for its use.

The statement is true by the very definition of Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) software. COTS products are developed by a vendor for a general market, not for a specific client. They are pre-packaged, commercially available solutions that an organization can buy or license. Therefore, the development of the software product is completed and the product is made available on the open market prior to any individual organization making the decision to select and acquire it for their use. This is the fundamental distinction between acquiring COTS software and commissioning custom-developed software, where development begins only after an organization has defined its requirements and contracted a developer.

The "False" option is incorrect because it would contradict the core concept of "off-the-shelf." If the software were developed after or concurrently with an organization's selection, it would be classified as custom or bespoke software, not COTS.

1. QAI Global Institute. (2018). Certified Software Quality Analyst (CSQA) Body of Knowledge. Category 6: Define, Build, Implement, and Improve Work Processes. The CBOK describes software acquisition processes, distinguishing between custom development and the procurement of pre-existing packages (COTS). It implicitly supports that COTS products are developed for a mass market and exist before a specific customer's acquisition process begins.

2. Carney, D., & Oberndorf, P. (2000). A Framework for COTS-Based Systems (CMU/SEI-99-TR-021). Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. In the introduction, the report defines COTS products as those "sold, leased, or licensed to the general public...offered by a vendor in the commercial marketplace," which necessitates their existence prior to selection by a specific program or organization. (p. 1).

3. MIT OpenCourseWare. (2015). 16.842 Fundamentals of Systems Engineering, Lecture 20: Acquisition. The course materials distinguish between developmental items (custom-built) and non-developmental items (NDI), which include COTS. The lecture notes clarify that COTS are existing commercial products selected to fulfill requirements, confirming that their development precedes the selection and acquisition phase by the using organization.