Planning Process GroupPage | 2BUSINESS ANALYSIS GUIDE (FIRST EDITION)Determining an approach for Solution Evaluation involves conducting research, discussions, and analysis to identify howand when to evaluate a product.Determining the solution evaluation approach should include:•Planning when and how often solution evaluation activities should be performed. Solution evaluation may occurduring solution development for some components of a solution, just before a release, soon after a release, orlong after a release;•Planning which evaluation techniques will be used. Not all techniques need to be decided before analysis begins,but by thinking ahead, it is more likely that business analysts will be prepared to use a variety of techniques;•Planning how the evaluation results will be analyzed and reported;•Planning how the progress of solution evaluation and its outputs will be communicated to stakeholders andother interested parties, including what level of formality is appropriate; and•Planning which metrics will be used to evaluate performance and how they tie to the business goals andobjectives.A metric is a set of quantifiable measures used to evaluate a solution or business. When performing solution evaluation,a metric defines how solution performance can be quantified. Many metrics can be used to compare the tangibleproperties of the solution, such as throughput, productivity, or efficiency.There are two common types of metrics defined by the solution evaluation approach:•Metrics that will be used to evaluate the solution or its components for acceptance during or shortly afterdevelopment. Acceptance criteria are defined to set acceptable ranges on these metrics. For information aboutacceptance criteria, see Section 7.4.3.1; and•Metrics likely to be used later to determine if the business value was delivered. Because solution performanceis not evaluated until after a solution is released, the choice of metrics or how they are measured might changeover time.
