Business Analysis Session 8. Understanding and Defining

Solution ScopeRAM N SANGWAN

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Agenda

• Defining Solution Scope

• Project scope vs. product scope

• Defining a problem statement

• Techniques for defining Solution scope

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Defining Solution Scope

"The set of capabilities a solution must deliver in order to meet a

business need.“ –IIBA

• A Business Analyst should model and define scope in a way that it

provides enough details to address the business need and

capabilities.

• This will help stakeholders to visualize the solution and understand

how the solution will deliver the required capabilities.

• This also becomes the guidelines for requirement elicitation when

the BA actually works on capturing the detailed or low level

requirements.

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Defining Solution Scope

• Imagine a BA entering a large dimly lit building at mid night with a

torch to capture information about doors, windows, furniture, wall

hangings and even nuts and bolts.

• He needs to also come out from the building before the sunrise.

Without knowing which floors and which rooms to enter, the BA

may get lost wondering where to focus the torch and what to

capture.

• It’s a bit scary but that’s exactly how difficult an elicitation exercise

can become if the solution scope is defined without much clarity

and details.

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Product Scope

“features or characteristics of a product itself”

• Whether considering design, function or component parts, the key point is that

product scope refers to the actual tangible product.

• Questions of product scope would address how it works, how it is physicallymade and how it can be improved in future iterations.

• Product scope does not have to refer to goods.

• Services or other forms of output can also be products as long as their

production is the end goal of a process.

• In the case of a service, product scope focuses on the actual tasks and

responsibilities of the personnel delivering the service. For example, it often

suggests the ways that the service can be measured and improved for futurecustomers or clients

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Example:

• If the product is a bridge, the product scope might be its

length, width, load strength, etc.

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Project Scope

• In contrast to product scope, project scope focuses on the various steps taken to

deliver a product or service. Project scope can include, assembly lines, budgets,

staff training, supply chains and personnel allocations. Basically, it refers to

anything that is needed in order to arrange the production or implementation of

a good or service.

• Think of project scope as the work required to get to a final product.

• It does not include how the actual product functions, but rather what tools,

equipment or processes will be necessary for managers to deliver the product. In

this sense, project scope and product scope are tied to each other:

• You can’t consider product deliverables (product scope) without considering the

various tasks or steps needed to get to that point (project scope).

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Example:

• If you have been given a project to build a bridge, in this case the project

scope will tell you how you are going to build the bridge. It gives you all the

required information to construct the bridge

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Difference between Product Scope and Project Scope

• Lets understand by an example.

A manager is given a task of providing a new data center

for an organization.

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Difference between Product Scope and Project Scope

• In this case, product scope would include the tangible details of the

final deliverable: the computers, servers, office space, network

connectivity and requisite software.

• The overall product is the data center itself, and the product scope

consists of the component parts that together make up the new

data center.

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Difference between Product Scope and Project Scope

• Project scope, however, would focus more on the process of

getting from empty space to a fully functioning data center.

• It would include corresponding with contractors and designers,

acquiring each of the physical parts, providing project documents

to managers and team members and setting overall budgets and

timeframes for final delivery.

• Project scope is every step taken to get from start to finish, and while

it does include considerations of how to get the product’s parts, it

does not address what those parts should be or how they should

work together.

• Where product scope tells us what we need for the finished data

center, project scope tells us how to get there.

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Problem statement

• A problem statement is a brief description of the issues that need to be addressed

by a problem solving team and should be presented to them (or created by

them) before they try to solve the problem.

• On the other hand, a statement of the problem is a claim of one or two sentencesin length that outlines the problem addressed by the study. The statement of theproblem should briefly address the question: What is the problem that the

research will address?

• When bringing together a team to achieve a particular purpose, provide them

with a problem statement.

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Problem statement

• A good problem statement should answer these questions:

• What is the problem? This should explain why the team is needed.

• Who has the problem or who is the client/customer? This should explain who

needs the solution and who will decide the problem has been solved.

• What form can the resolution be?

• What is the scope and limitations (in time, money, resources, technologies)

that can be used to solve the problem? Does the client want a white paper?

A web-tool? A new feature for a product? A brainstorming on a topic?

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Defining a Problem Statement

1. Describe the "ideal" state of affairs.

2. Explain your problem

3. Explain your problem's financial costs

4. Back up your assertions

5. Propose a solution

6. Explain the benefits of the solution

7. Conclude by summarizing the problem and solution.

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Describe the "ideal" state of affairs. 1 of 7

• Start by describing how things should work.

• For instance, let's say that we work at a major airline and that we've noticed that

the way passengers board our planes is an inefficient use of time and resources.

• In this case, we might begin our problem statement by describing an ideal

situation where the boarding system isn't inefficient that the company should

shoot for, like this:

"The boarding protocols used by XYZ Airlines should aim to get each flight's

passengers aboard the plane quickly and efficiently so that the plane can take

off as soon as possible . The process of boarding should be optimized for time-

efficiency but also should be straightforward enough that it can be easily

understood by all passengers."

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Explain your problem 2 of 7

• In the words of the inventor Charles Kettering, "A problem well-stated is a problem

half-solved." One of the most important goals of any problem statement is to

articulate the problem being addressed to the reader in a way that's clear,

straightforward, and easy to understand.

• Let's say that we think we've developed a quicker, more efficient system for gettingpassengers aboard our planes than the typical "back to front" seating system. In this

case, we might continue with a few sentences like:

"However, XYZ Airline's current passenger boarding system is an inefficient use of

the company's time and resources. By wasting employee man hours, the current

boarding protocols make the company less competitive, and by contributing to a

slow boarding process, they create an unfavorable brand image."

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Explain your problem's financial costs 3 of 7

In the business world, money is almost always the bottom line, so you'll want to try to

highlight the financial impact of your problem on the company or organization

you're writing for.

For our airline example, we might proceed to explain the problem's financial cost like

this:

"The inefficiency of the current boarding system represents a significant financial

burden for the company. On average, the current boarding system wastes roughly

four minutes per boarding session, resulting in a total of 20 wasted man-hours per

day across all XYZ flights. This represents a waste of roughly $400 per day, or

$146,000 per year."

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Back up your assertions 4 of 7

• As soon as you start making specific claims about how serious your problem is,

you'll need to start supporting your statements with evidence.

• Let's reexamine the sentences we used in the previous step. They describe the

cost of the problem, but don't explain how this cost was found. A more thorough

explanation might include this:

"...Based on internal performance tracking data, on average, the current

boarding system wastes roughly four minutes per boarding session, resulting in a

total of 20 wasted man-hours per day across all XYZ flights. Terminal personal are

paid an average of $20 per hour, so this represents a waste of roughly $400 per

day, or $146,000 per year." Note the footnote — in an actual problem statement,

this would correspond to a reference or appendix containing the data

mentioned.

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Propose a solution – 5 of 7

• When you've explained what the problem is and why it's so important, proceed to

explain how you propose to deal with it. As with the initial statement of your

problem, your explanation of your solution should be written to be as clear and

concise as possible.

• In our airline example, our solution to the problem of inefficient boarding practicesis this new system we've discovered, so we should briefly explain the broad strokes

of this new system without getting into the minor details. We might say something

like:

"Using a modified boarding system proposed by Dr. Edward Right of the Kowlard

Business Efficiency Institute which has passengers board the plane from the sides

in rather than from the back to the front, XYZ Airlines can eliminate these four

minutes of waste." We might then go on to explain the basic gist of the new system, but we wouldn't use more than a sentence or two to do this, as the "meat"

of our analysis will be in the body of the proposal.

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Explain the benefits of the solution 6 of 7

• Again, now that you've told your readers what should be done about the

problem, it's a very good idea to explain why this solution is a good idea. Since

businesses are always trying to increase their efficiency and earn more money,

you'll want to focus primarily on the financial impact of your solution — which

expenses it will reduce, which new forms of revenue it will generate, and so on.

• In our example, we might briefly describe how our company could conceivably

benefit from the money saved with our solution. A few sentences along these

lines might work:

• "XYZ Airlines stands to benefit substantially from the adoption of this new

boarding program. For instance, the $146,000 in estimated yearly savings can

be re-directed to new sources of revenue, such as expanding its selection of

flights to high-demand markets. In addition, by being the first American airline to adopt this solution, XYZ stands to gain considerable recognition as an industry

trend-setter in the areas of value and convenience."

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Conclude by summarizing the problem and solution. 7 of 7

• After you've presented the ideal vision for your company, identified the

problem and suggested a solution, you're almost done. All that's left to do is

to conclude with a summary of your main arguments that allows you

transition easily into the main body of your proposal.

• In our airline example, we might conclude like this:

• "Optimization of current boarding protocols or adoption of new, more-

effective protocols is crucial for the continued competitiveness of the

company. In this proposal, the alternative boarding protocols developed by

Dr. Right are analyzed for their feasibility and steps for effective

implementation are suggested."

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Techniques for defining Solution scope 22

Techniques for defining Solution scope

Scope Statements

• In-Scope: These statements define what components, capabilities,interfaces, organizational units and processes are included in solution. If a

solution is implemented in phases or iterations, the In-Scope statements

should be described with respect to each phase or iteration.

• Out-Of-Scope: Some Business Analysts are hesitant to define Out-Of-Scope

items as it can be anything under the sun and might not be relevant. At

times it can be annoying to stakeholders as well. However it is very important

that these statements are defined along with the In-Scope statements to

crystallize the scope.

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Techniques for defining Solution scope Contd..

Scope Model

• Scope Models provides a visual model for depicting the scope of a solution.

• It helps to create a single and high level view of the boundaries of the

scope and its associations with external entities.

• Scope Modeling can be done using Context Diagram or Data Flow

Diagrams (DFD).

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Techniques for defining Solution scope Contd..

Checklist for Verifying Solution Scope

• Does the Solution Scope address specific business needs and objectives?

• Are the Solution Capabilities in Scope mapped / aligned with the business

objectives / high level requirements / problem statement?

• Does it define In-Scope and Out-Of-Scope items?

• Does it address Assumption, Constraints, Dependencies and Risks?

• Does it have enough detail for stakeholders to understand and validate the

scope?

• Is the Solution Scope defined in a clear and concise way? Is there any ambiguity

in the scope statements?

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Techniques for defining Solution scope Contd..

Managing Solution Scope

• Change is inevitable!

• The Solution Scope must change if there is a change in business need and

objectives.

• Stakeholders may also add or modify solution capabilities / requirements at

any given of time in the solution implementation lifecycle.

• It is very critical for a BA to manage scope in a way that it has minimum

impact on cost, schedule, quality of the solution and the overall

engagement with the customer.

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