According to the BABOK® v3 guide, the purpose of analyzing the potential value and recommending a solution is as follows:
It is easy to understand, from the preceding quote, that this task is about working out the potential value of each design option. It is also about considering which option will be most appropriate for meeting the organization's requirements.
Let's use a practical everyday example to explain this further.
You are at point A and want to find a way to travel to point B. These points are all land-based, so you choose to travel by road.
You have different transportation options available, such as the following:
- You can travel by bicycle.
- You can travel by motorcycle.
- You can travel by motor vehicle.
These options are all recommended solutions to get from point A to point B; however, the value you will gain by using each possible solution option is very different. Let's now consider each option and what the potential of each could be:
- Option 1: If you choose to travel by bicycle, it will be the most cost-efficient but it will take a long time to reach point B.
- Option 2: If you choose to travel by motorcycle, you can see that it would be very time-efficient; however, you will not be able to take all your luggage or any of your family members along.
- Option 3: If you choose to go by motor vehicle, you know it might not be as time-efficient as option 2 and a bit less cost-effective than both option 1 and option 2, but it brings additional value to you in the form of being able to carry all your luggage and you are able to take your family along with you. If being able to carry your luggage and bring your family is part of your requirements, then option 3 will meet all of your requirements without any additional costs for sending luggage or family separately from you.
Even with this simple example, you can see that there are many factors that need to be considered when you assess the potential value that a design option will bring to the organization.
Different types of value can be identified and considered and typically include the value that is described in terms of finance, reputation, or even impacts on the marketplace.
In some cases, you need to build a proof of concept first to determine the best design option. It may also be that the best decision is to not implement the change at all.
Lets now discuss the key elements to consider when analyzing the potential value and recommending a solution.