The invention includes a method and apparatus for assessing an available
version of a sourced element. The method includes obtaining a description
of an available version of the sourced element, identifying a plurality
of evaluation items for the sourced element by evaluating the description
using at least one evaluation category including a plurality of
evaluation parameters, and determining an overall assessment of the
available version of the sourced element using the identified evaluation
items for the sourced element. The overall assessment is indicative of a
value associated with the available version of the sourced element. The
method may further include generating overall assessments of other
available versions of a sourced element or generating overall assessments
of available versions of other sourced elements, and prioritizing the
available versions of the sourced elements using the overall assessments
of the available versions of the sourced elements.