Packaging and distribution of experiment-specific software becomes a complicated task when the number of versions and external dependencies increases. With the advent of Grid computing, the distribution and update process must become a simple, robust and transparent step. Furthermore, one must take into account that running a particular application requires setup of the appropriate environment. In addition, the possibility to monitor the status of the experiment software on Grid sites is an important requirement. In this paper we describe the strategy used by CMS to create, distribute, install and monitor the status of the package bundle needed to run production and analysis application on remote sites, with particular emphasis on the approach to Grid computing. We discuss the further steps that are required to make the procedure more robust.