IIBA ECBA – Requirements Architecture and Design Options (IIBA – ECBA) Part 3

7. Define Design Options: Guidelines and Techniques

Define design options. Guidelines and Techniques After completing this topic, you should be able to recognize how guidelines and techniques are used when defining design options. The following guidelines are considered for design options existing solutions are included as a component of the option. In the case of the doctor’s office, the interfaces with insurance companies in order to process claims would be included. A future state description provides insight into the design options that would be considered. And of course, trace requirements are an essential part of determining design options. A requirement to print prescriptions all the paper based is necessary to meet the goals of the organization.

Solutions cop is also considered to ensure design options have boundaries within which they must comply to keep cost at any time in check. Root cause analyzes is used to understand the causes of a problem and to allow proposed solutions to address them. Benchmarking and market analysis is used to assess existing solutions. The business analyst would research best practices used by other public health organizations to identify design options and analyze market trends by researching possible paperless solutions offered by software vendors and those who have experience in the public space.

So some of the guidelines and tools considered for design options are existing solutions, future State description, trace requirements or the solutions cost. Root cause analysis aims to understand the causes of problems and propose solutions to address them. Benchmarking and market analysis is used to assess solutions, existing solution and analyze market trends. The business Analyst works with stakeholders to elicit improvement opportunities and design ideas.

These should include implementation subject matter experts as they provide information on technical constraints. Group techniques include brainstorming with a group to identify issues and design options. Interviews, surveys and questioners will provide data on the opinions of the stakeholders on current processes and the needs of those stakeholders necessary to address the future. State workshops bring cross functional stakeholder groups together using complementary techniques such as brainstorming, process modeling, storyboards and user stories to define requirements and design options. Vendor assessment has two primary components the proposed solution capability and how they align to the requirements.

One approach is to list primary functions and critical components such as data security in one column metrics and list the vendors in the column each along the top so group techniques are used to gather information opportunities or improvement opportunities and design ideas from others. Group techniques can include brainstorming, interviews, surveys and questionnaires and workshops. The vendor assessment aims to discover whether the solution is viable. This is done by assessing the vendor’s proposed solution and assessing the vendor’s capabilities. Each vendor is given a rating against each functional component.

Requirements within a higher priority may have a weighting assigned to them. The scores are totaled for each vendor and the one where the highest score is chosen, provided the vendor’s capability are of sufficient quality to assign the contract to them. Vendor capabilities that are assessed would include technical and user support. The ability to address specific needs such as multiple languages. Also to be considered is the stability of the organization, how long has it been in business, the number of customers, and the customer satisfaction level with the vendor. Mind mapping is used to explore options and link various design options together.

This helps with the architecture. Document Analyzes could be used by reviewing vendor information and specifications needed to describe the design options. So there are four types of techniques analyzes, group techniques, tools and document reviews. Analyzes includes benchmark and market analysis and root cause analysis. Group techniques include brainstorming, interviews through ways and questionnaires and workshops. Tools include mind mapping and document reviews include document analysis, lesson learned, and vendor assessment.

8. Define Design Options: Stakeholders and Outputs

Define design options, stakeholders and outputs. After completing this topic, you should be able to recognize the roles of stakeholders in defining design options. The stakeholders provide much needed input into assessing design options. The implementation subject matter expert will assess a solution option based on the technical constraints posed by the solution. He or she will consider what is needed to implement the solution. In the case of software solution, the complexity or ability of the vendor to support single sign on would be an asset.

On the other hand, the domain subject matter experts will review options based on how well the solution supports operational functions, how easy the software is to use, and the benefits it provides. The project manager plans for and manages the solution definition part of the project plan, ensuring the right resources are available that solutions, copies, maintain and risk to the project are analyzed. Operational support will assess the solution based on cost associated with integrating the solution into current technical constraints and processes.

The supplier provides solution specifications describing the proposed solution design options describe various ways to satisfy one or more of the business needs. The business analyst facilitates a review of various approaches with previously mentioned subject matter experts to determine which options offer the most benefit, address their needs, and provide the necessary capabilities to improve the current state. Design options could include the solution approach, opportunities for improvement, and the components of the options so the implementation subject expert provides input on constraints and cost of solution alternatives.

The domain subject expert provides input on the potential benefits of solution alternatives. The project manager plans and manages the solution definition process. Operational support assists in evaluating the difficulty and cost of implementation, and the supplier provides information on the functionality of solution alternatives. Design options describe how designs will satisfy needs and may include the solution approach, the solution approach, opportunities for improvement, and option components.

9. Exercise: Defining Design Options

Exercise defining Design Options after completing this topic, you should be able to recognize what’s involved in defining design options. Therefore, in this exercise, you are required to demonstrate your understanding of what involved in developing design options. And this involves several of task recognizing the inputs of the design options task recognizing the characteristics of design options identifying considerations of the design options. Definition recognizing which guidelines and techniques can be used when defining design options, understanding how conducting a root cause analysis helps with developing design options and finally, understanding how stakeholders facilitate the activities of the defined design options. Task. Business analysts need to define a set of designs and analyze those to determine where the best value is for the organization.

What are the inputs of the defined design options task requirements that have been validated and prioritized? The change strategy, the solution scope, the requirements architecture and or the business process model? And here is the answer. Remember, try to answer by yourself first. Now to compare option one that’s correct stakeholders must validate requirements before design options can be considered. Prioritize requirements assist in determining which design options have the most value. Option two that’s correct the change strategy describes the approach that must be implemented to transition to the future state.

Option Three that’s incorrect the solution scope is an input of the defined requirements architecture task, not of the defined design options task. The input for this task are requirements that have been validated and prioritized the requirements architecture and the change strategy. Option four that’s correct the requirements architecture is a set of completed requirements that structured to indicate the requirements relationships. This is one of the inputs of the defined design options task. Option five that’s incorrect the business process model is not an input of the defined design options task.

The inputs are requirements that have been validated and prioritized the requirements architecture and the change strategy. The purpose of the defined design options task is to identify the most appropriate design option to satisfy a set of requirements. What are some of the characteristics of design options? They are always implemented as software solutions. They describe ways in which business needs can be met, they ultimately achieve the desired future state. They don’t need to be validated once they’ve been identified and they are tactical and evolve along with requirements.

Here we have the answers. Option one that’s incorrect although software as a solution is one approach that can be used to provide software functionality and maintain the structure of the software, design options are not limited to software. Option two that’s correct design options describe various ways to satisfy one or more of the business needs. As a business analyst, you facilitate on analyzes of various design approaches with subject matter experts to determine which design offers the most benefits.

Option three that’s correct design options, in order to address the relevant business needs, must provide the necessary capabilities to improve the current state and work toward achieving the desired future state. Option Four that incorrect design options are assessed to ensure that they meet the business objectives and key performance metrics. Each design option is analyzed to ensure it increases the efficiency of the business. Option five that’s correct each design option is tactical and evolves along with the requirement, which is specifically designed to address to ensure that the design options can be allocated across solution components in a way that adds value.

Design options are defined to identify which solution approach should be used to address specific needs, identify considerations that are relevant of the defined design options task. Here, have the options verifying the business process model, giving preference to higher priority requirements, considering whether requirements are valid, considering requirements regardless what state they are in, and finally establishing the approach needed to transition to the future state. Here you have the answer. Option One that’s incorrect business Practices business process models include the input activities that are needed to produce something, a value and an output. The business process model is not a consideration for this task. Option Two that’s correct prioritized requirements assist in determining which design options will add the most value.

Option Three that’s correct stakeholders must validate the requirements before design options can be considered. Option Four that’s incorrect only validated requirements should be considered for the Defined Design Options task, and requirements need to be prioritized as well. Option five and the last one that’s correct the change strategy is one of the inputs of the Defined Design Options task. It determines the approach needed to transition to the future state and may impact options feasibility. Business analysts can use guidelines and tools to perform the defined design option task. Which guidelines and techniques can be used when defining design options? Document analysis, risk analysis, benchmarking, financial audit, or mind mapping.

And here we have the answer. Option One that’s Correct as a business analyst, you can use document analyzes to gain information for describing design options and elements. Option Two that’s incorrect While potential risk may be considered when selecting the most appropriate design options, and risk analysis is not performed during the Defined design options task. Option Three that’s correct business analysts can work with stakeholders to assess options based on existing solutions and market conditions. Option Four that’s incorrect Conducting a financial audit falls outside of the scope of performing the Defined design options task. Option Five that’s correct business analysts can use mind mapping to explore design options and link various design options together. A root cause analysis is one of the techniques that business analysts can use as part of the defined design options task. How does conducting a root cause analysis help with developing design options?

Here you have them it facilitates the prioritization of requirements, it helps to validate requirements, it helps identify the cause of problem to allow a suitable solution to be found. And here have the answer. Option One that’s incorrect requirements are prioritized by stakeholders before they can be considered as part of a design option. Option Two that’s incorrect requirements are validated by stakeholders before they can be considered as part of a design option. Option Three this is the correct option. A root cause analysis is used to understand the cause or root of a problem and to identify proposed solutions to address them.

Stakeholders play a key role in the process of defining design options match stakeholders roles to how they facilitate the activities of the defined design options task. Here have the options. Supplier, implementation, subject matter expert, domain, subject matter expert and operational support. Stakeholder.

And here you have the target provides functionality information on proposed solution, provides constraint and cost information for proposed design solutions, reviews design options based on how well the solution helps achieve desired benefits, and provides information on the cost and level of difficulty to integrate proposed solutions with existing processes and systems. And here has the answer the supplier provides functionality information that describes the proposed solution.

The Implementation Subject Matter Expert provides information related to constraints and costs for a proposed design solution. The domain subject Matter Expert reviews design options based on how well the solution helps to support desired benefits and finally, the Operational Support Stakeholder provides details regarding the cost and level of difficulty to integrate a proposed solution into an existing process or system.