Evaluate Potential Solutions

Seminars and Services We Offer to Perform this Process
Other Steps (Activities) We Can Help You With

We can:

		teach you how to do this activity
	with our in-house or public seminars and e-learning

		show you how to do this activity
	with E-Coaching

lead your experts
through this
activity in a Facilitated JAD Session

Evaluating potential design solutions is the process which leads to the selection of the best of several alternatives. It requires that you identify alternatives and determine how to compare them. The selected solution may contain components that can be implemented quickly, changes to business processes, or modifications to your information systems.

Potential solution evaluation
		ensures that options are considered and not rejected out of hand

		creates a paper trail documenting the decision-making process as a natural by-product

		deemphasizes project politics

		focuses the discussion on a specific set of alternate solutions

		improves the quality of the selected solution

		makes advantages of various alternatives visible

		encourages a solution that implements the best of breed features

When should you evaluate potential solutions?

The evaluation of potential solutions requires that you have defined each alternative in sufficient detail to recognize pros and cons. You also have to know what constitutes acceptable solutions to the problems you are trying to solve. When these 2 conditions are met, you can select the solution that best meets your needs.

Who should evaluate potential solutions?

Business analysts, system analysts, IT management, project leaders and managers from impacted business areas need to understand the problems and implications of each potential solution. The decision should be made by consensus.

Core Training for Business Systems Analysts

1-20 : How to Model, Analyze, and Improve Business Processes

Core+ Training for Business Systems Analysts

2-40 : How to Manage Small Projects

Overview Presentations for Management

5-10 : Business System Analysis in the 21st Century

5-30 : Business Analysis and User Acceptance Testing

Supplemental Training for Business Systems Analysts

3-30 : How to Prepare and Facilitate a Successful JAD Session

3-40 : How to Plan, Prepare, and Execute User Acceptance Testing

Other Products and Services

E-Coaching

JAD Facilitation

Tailored Training

Skills Assessment

The Small Project Guide



	Under Time Pressure?

	Learn how to run an efficient, effective JAD session that does this activity faster. How to Prepare and Facilitate a Successful JAD Session

	Our e-Coaching offer is a cost-effective alternative for small groups to learn these and other business systems analysis techniques at their own workplace or for follow-up after a training seminar


	your business analysis skills

	Analyze Business Problems
	Gather Prioritized Requirements
	Model and Analyze Business Processes
	Model Business Data
	Design Business Architecture
	Develop Quick Fixes
	Engineer Business Processes
	Engineer Test Data
	Execute Tests
	Plan Testing Activities

Requirements Solutions Group offers training as well as web-based and on-site consulting services to support a wide range of activities within the system development life cycle all targeted exclusively to the Business Analyst, Requirements Engineer and the Subject Matter Expert.

You can also visit our bookstore for the newest publications in the business systems analysis field

Cost/Benefit Analysis

Cost/Benefit analysis compares the estimated cost of delivering a specific solution to the estimated value of the expected tangible and intangible benefits.

Step 1: List the benefits of each solution.

Solutions and Benefits

Solution	Benefit
SOL1: .......	1.1 Benefit 1 of solution 1 1.2 Benefit 2 of solution 1 1.3 .........
SOL2: .......	2.1 Benefit 1 of solution 2 2.2 .........

Step 2: Estimate the value of the benefit. Try to base the value on the smallest possible unit of measure (dollars per day versus dollars per year, or cents per item versus total manufacturing cost) and then calculate the total.

If you cannot assign a value to the benefit, list it under "intangible benefits".

Benefits and Values

Solution 1

Benefit ID	Value
1.1 Benefit 1 of SOL1	a) $0.30 per case b) $700.00 per week
1.2 ......	a) intangible benefit
Total Estimated Savings	$ ........

Step 3: Estimate the cost of the solution. The estimate should include implementation costs and maintenance costs for a specified time frame.

Cost per Solution

Solution	Cost
SOL1: .......	$250,000.00
SOL2: .......	$120,000.00

Step 4: Determine how long it will take for the savings from all benefits to pay for the solution.

Break-even Point

Solution	Cost	Break-even
SOL1: .......	$250,000.00	5 years
SOL2: .......	$120,000.00	2.4 years

Step 5: Present the alternatives with estimated costs, expected tangible and intangible benefits to the decision makers. Document the decision, qualifying statements, concerns and all assumptions.

Additional Documentation

Requirement Statement / Problem Statement Matrix

This technique compares the impact that meeting requirements will have on identified problems. It can be used to compare which set of requirements best solves the identified problems.

Step 1: List all identified problems as rows in a table.

Problems

Problems
PRB1
PRB2
PRB3

Step 2: List each requirement that this solution satisfies as a column in the table.

Requirements

Requirements	REQ1	REQ2	REQ3
Problems	REQ1	REQ2	REQ3
PRB1
PRB2
PRB3

Step 3: For each requirement and problem, ask, "if this requirement were met, would this problem be solved?" There are only three acceptable answers:

A "yes" response indicates that the problem would be solved in its entirety. In that event, evaluate the requirement to make sure that it is a valid requirement and not simply a rephrasing of the problem.

A "no" response indicates that meeting this requirement would not solve this problem at all.

A "partial" response indicates that meeting this requirement would have a beneficial impact on the problem but would leave remnants of the problem unsolved.

Requirement Addresses Problem

Requirements	REQ1	REQ2	REQ3
Problems	REQ1	REQ2	REQ3
PRB1	Yes	No	No
PRB2	No	No	No
PRB3	Partial	No	Partial
PRB4	Yes	No	No
PRB5	No	No	Partial

Step 4: Evaluate any problem that is not completely solved by the existing set of requirements (No "Yes" response in any column).

If there are no "partial" responses, determine if the problem can be solved within the scope of the project. If yes, add new requirements.

If there is only one "partial" response, formulate a requirement that will solve the remaining aspects of the problem.

If there are multiple "partial" responses, evaluate whether those requirements solve the entire problem. If not, identify one or more requirements that would solve the rest.

Matrix Evaluation Results (Problems)

Problem Evaluation Result

PRB2 is not addressed by any requirement. Is it out of scope or are additional requirements needed?

PRB3 has 2 partial solutions (requirements). Are they sufficient or do we need additional requirements?

PRB5 has only one partial solution. What additional requirements are needed?

Step 5: Evaluate each requirement that does not solve any problems. Determine whether that requirement is needed for other purposes.

Matrix Evaluation Results (Requirements)

Requirements Evaluation Result

REQ2 does not solve any problems. Do we want to implement it anyway?