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116 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What does the "Solution Assessment & Validation" knowledge area describe? |
The tasks that are performed to ensure that solutions meet the business need and to facilities their successful implementation. |
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What are some things that might be assessed in "Solution Assessment & Validation"?
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- Business Processes - Organizational structures - Outsourcing agreements - Software applications - Any other solution component |
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The BA play a vital role in ensuring that maximum ___ is delivered to stakeholders?
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Value |
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The performance of all "Solution Assessment & Validation" activities is governed by what?
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Business Analysis Plan(s) and BA Performance Metrics
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What are all of the inputs into "Solution Assessment & Validation"?
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- Assumptions and Constraints - Enterprise Architecture - Requirements - Solution (constructed, deployed, or designed) - Solution Option(s) - Solution Performance Metrics - Solution Scope - Stakeholder Concerns |
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What is the purpose of the "Assess Proposed Solution" task?
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To assess proposed solutions in order to determine how closely they meet stakeholders and solution requirements.
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Assessing a proposed solution will most often be used when a ___ ___ has been created to meet a particular business need.
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Custom Solution
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When assessing multiple proposed solution, the BA must determine what?
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Which solution delivers the greatest business value
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What are the inputs into the task "Assess Proposed Solution"?
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- Assumptions and Constraints - Requirements (prioritized, approved) - Solution Option(s) |
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True or False: Constraints may lead to certain solutions being favored
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False. It is Assumptions that lead to solutions being favored.
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True or False: Assumptions may limit available solution options.
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False. It is Constraints that limit available solution options.
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____ may lead to certain solutions being favored.
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Assumptions
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___ may limit available solution options.
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Constraints
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What are the elements of the "Assess Proposed Solution" task?
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- Ranking of Solution Options - Identification of Additional Potential Capabilities |
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When assessing proposed solutions, when it is easiest to focus on criteria with substantive differences?
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When there are relatively few criteria involved |
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Which techniques are used in the task "Assess Proposed Solution"?
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- Acceptance and Evaluation Criteria - Decision Analysis - Vendor Assessment |
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Which SMEs are involved in the task "Assess Proposed Solution"?
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Domain SME, Implementation SME, Operational Support, Project Manager, Supplier, Sponsor
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What is the output of the task "Assess Proposed Solution"?
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Assessment of Proposed Solution
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What should be included in the Assessment of Proposed Solutions?
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- Value delivered by each proposed solution - If multiple options, a recommendation of the best solution - A termination recommendation if there is not sufficient value |
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What is the purposed of the "Allocate Requirements" task?
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To allocate stakeholder requirements among solution components and releases in order to maximize business value |
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What does it mean to "Allocate Requirements"?
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To assign solution and stakeholder requirements to solution components and to releases.
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___ is supported by assessing trade offs between alternatives to maximize benefits and minimize costs.
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Allocation
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How may requirements be allocated?
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- Organizational units - Job functions - People - Software - Software application components - Releases |
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When does requirements allocation typically begin?
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Early in the project lifecycle (as soon as the solution approach can be determined), and until all valid requirements are allocated.
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Allocation typically continues through ___ and ___ of a solution.
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Design and construction
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What are the inputs to the task "Allocate Requirements"?
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- Requirements (prioritized and approved) - Solution (designed - Solution Scope |
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What state must requirements be in, in order to be allocated?
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They may be in any state, but must be approved |
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What are the elements of the task "Allocate Requirements"?
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- Solution Components - Release Planning |
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Each component implements a __ of requirements.
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Subset
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What are some examples of solution components?
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- Business Policies and Rules - Business processes to be performed and managed - People who operate and maintain the solution - Software application and application components - Organizational structure |
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When analyzing the tradeoffs between delivery options in allocating requirements, what should be considered?
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- Available resources - Constraints on the solution - Dependencies between requirements |
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What factors will guide decision-making in release planning?
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- Overall project budget - Need to implement by a certain date - Resource constraints - Training schedule - Ability of the business to absorb changes |
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What does release planning facilitate?
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The decisions about which requirements will be included in which release/phase/iteration of the project.
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What techniques are used in the task "Allocate Requirements"?
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- Acceptance and Evaluation Criteria - Business Rules Analysis - Decision Analysis - Functional Decomposition - Process Modeling - Scenarios and Use Cases |
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Which stakeholders are involved in allocating requirements?
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Customers and suppliers, Domain SME, End User, Implementation SME, Operational Support, Project Manager, Tester, Sponsor
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What is the output of the task "Allocate Requirements"?
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Requirements, allocated
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What is the purpose of the task "Assess Organizational Readiness"?
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To assess whether the organization if ready to make effective use of a new solution
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What is organizational readiness?
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It describes the effect a new solution will have on an organization, and whether it is prepared for the organizational change that implementation will cause.
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What should a BA understand in order to identify impacts of changes when assessing organizational readiness?
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Technical infrastructure or processes, and how they affect other business units or operations.
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What are the inputs to the task "Assess Organizational Readiness"?
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- Enterprise Architecture - Solution (designed) - Solution Scope - Stakeholder Concerns |
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What is the output of the task "Assess Organizational Readiness"?
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Organizational Readiness Assessment
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What other tasks use the Organizational Readiness Assessment?
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Define Transition Requirements
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What other tasks use the Assessment of Proposed Solution?
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Solution Selection or Design
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What other tasks use the allocated requirements as an input?
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- Requirements management & Communication - Solution Selection or Design |
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What are the elements of the task "Assess Organizational Readiness"?
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- Cultural Assessment - Operational or Technical Assessment - Stakeholder Impact Analysis |
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When assessing organizational readiness, the BA must assess the __, __ and ___ of key stakeholders groups
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Beliefs, attitudes, and feelings |
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BAs must understand whether or not the stakeholders understand what about a new solution?
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- The reasons why a new solution is required - Their views on the benefits of the new solution |
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What do BAs need to determine when assessing operational or technical readiness for a solution?
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- If training has been performed - Whether new policies and procedures have been defined - Whether IT systems required to support it are in place - Whether the solution is capable of performance at a required level |
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When doing a stakeholder impact analysis, what may be considered?
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Functions, location, tasks, concerns
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Which techniques are used in the task "Assess Organizational Readiness"?
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General Techniques: - Acceptance and Evaluation Criteria - Data Flow Diagrams & Process Models - Focus Groups & Interviews - Organizational Modeling - Problem Tracking - Risk Analysis - SWOT Analysis Special Technique: - Force Field Analysis |
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What is "Force Field Analysis"
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A graphical method for depicting the forces that support and oppose a change.
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Why would force field analysis be used when assessing organizational readiness?
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To look for ways to strengthen the forces that support the desired outcome or generate new forces
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Which stakeholders are involved in assessing organizational readiness?
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Domain SME, Implementation SME, Operational Support, Project Manager, Sponsor
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Which specific types of implementation SMEs are involved in assessing organizational readiness?
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- Organizational change management - Usability - Training |
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What areas of consideration should be assessed by doing stakeholder impact analysis?
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Functions, Location, Tasks, Concerns
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What is the purpose of the task "Define Transition Requirements"?
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To define requirements for capabilities needed to transition from an existing solution to a new solution |
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Why are solutions typically implemented?
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In order to enhance or replace an existing solution
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What is a transition period?
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The time when both the old and new solutions are operational
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True or false: transition requirements can be defined before a solution has been defined.
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False. Transition requirements cannot be defined until a solution has been defined.
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True or false: transition requirements may remain relevant after the solution has been implemented.
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False. These types of requirements are only relevant during the transition period between solutions. |
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How are transition requirements elicited, analyzed, managed and communicated?
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By performing the same tasks as for any other type of requirements.
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True or False: When a system is new, and is not replacing an existing system, transition requirements are not needed.
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TRUE
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What is the output of the task "Define Transition Requirements"?
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Transition Requirements
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What are the inputs into the task: "Define Transition Requirements"?
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- Organizational Readiness Assessment - Requirements (stated) - Solution (deployed) - Solution (designed) |
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What other tasks use transition requirements as an input?
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- Prioritize Requirements - Verify Requirements - Requirements Mgt & Comm. |
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What are the elements of the task "Define Transition Requirements"?
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- Data - Ongoing Work - Organizational Change |
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What type of conversion is almost always needed when converting to or implementing a new solution?
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Data Conversion
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What techniques are used in the task "Define Transition Requirements"?
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- Business Rules Analysis - Data Flow Diagrams, Process Modeling, Organizational Modeling - Data Modeling |
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Which stakeholders are involved in the task "Define Transition Requirements"?
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Customer, Domain SME, End User, Implementation SME, Operational Support, Project Manager, Regulator, Tester, Sponsor
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What is the purpose of the task "Validate Solution"?
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To validate that it meets the business need and determine the most appropriate response to identified defects. |
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Why is solution validation required?
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To ensure that a delivered solution meets the business needs on an ongoing basis.
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What are the inputs to the task "Validate Solution"?
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- Solution (constructed) - Requirements (prioritized and validated) |
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True or False: when performing solution validation, the solution must be in actual use by the enterprise
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False. The solution may or may not be in actual use.
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What is the output of the task "Validate Solution"?
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- Identified Defects - Mitigating Actions - Solution Validation Assessment |
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What other task uses Identified Defects as an input?
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Evaluate Solution Performance
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What other activity uses Mitigating Actions and Solution Validation Assessment as inputs?
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Solution Implementation
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What are the elements of the task "Validate Solution"?
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- Investigate Defection Solution Outputs - Assess Defects and Issues |
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What technique should be used if a solution is consistently producing defective outputs?
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Root Cause Analysis |
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Why are defects reviewed?
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To assess the effect they have on operation of the organization
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Which attributes of defects should be determined?
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Probability, Severity, Capacity to Absorb the impact |
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What are some reasons that a defect may not be resolved in an acceptable timeframe (from a business perspective)?
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Complexity, root cause not identified, low priority, any other reason
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What are some mitigating responses to a defect that cannot be accepted by the business?
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Additional quality control checks, new manual processes, removal of support for exception cases |
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Which techniques are used in the task "Validate Solution"?
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- Acceptance and Evaluation Criteria - Problem Tracking - Root Cause Analysis |
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What is the role of the Implementation SME during solution validation?
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Supporting the validation process, investigating defects, correcting identified defects, and participating in the prioritization and resolution of defects
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What are mitigating actions?
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Steps that can be taken, or processes that can be followed, to reduce or eliminate the effect of a defect
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What is the purpose of the task "Evaluate Solution Performance"?
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To evaluate functioning solutions to understand the value they deliver and identify opportunities for improvement
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What is the another name for "Evaluate Solution Performance"?
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Post-implementation Assessment
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What does solution evaluation involved?
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Investigating how a solution is actually used after deployment, and the effect it has had, both positive and negative
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What are the inputs to "Evaluate Solution Performance"?
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- Business Requirements - Identified Defects - Solution Performance Metrics - Solution (deployed) |
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True or False: Solution validation cannot be performed until the solution is in use.
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TRUE
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Solution performance metrics may be __ or __.
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Qualitative or Quantitative
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What are some examples of qualitative solution performance metrics?
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Customer satisfaction, recommendations
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What are some examples of quantitative solution performance metrics?
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Measures of time, volume, revenue, errors found |
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What are the elements of the task "Evaluate Solution Performance"?
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- Understand Value Delivered by Solution - Validate Solution Metrics - Solution Replacement or Elimination |
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What is the output of the task "Evaluate Solution Performance"?
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Solution Performance Assessment |
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Which other tasks use Solution Performance Assessment as an input?
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Assess Capability Gaps
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When evaluating value delivered by a solution against defined metrics, ___ or __-performance against targets may be investigated to identify the root cause
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Over- or Under- |
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Over-performance of a solution may indicate what?
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- Resources devoted to the solution may be used elsewhere - Value of the solution was underestimated |
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Why might an IT system or technology need to be replaced?
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- It has reached the end of its useful life - Services are being in- or outsourced - It is not fulfilling the set business goals |
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What issues may influence the replacement or elimination decision?
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- Ongoing cost versus Initial Investment - Opportunity Cost - Necessity - Sunk Cost |
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What is "Opportunity Cost"?
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The potential value that could be realized by pursuing alternative courses of action
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What is "Sunk Cost"?
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The money and effort already committed to an initiative
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Sunk cost is effectively ___ when considering future action.
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Irrelevant
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Decisions for recommendations should be based on what?
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The future investment required and the future benefits that can be gained
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What techniques are used in the task "Evaluate Solution Performance"?
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Decision Analysis, Focus Groups, Observation, Survey/Questionnaire
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Which stakeholders are involved in the task "Evaluate Solution Performance"?
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- Customer, Domain SME and Supplier - End User - Operational Support - Regulator - Sponsor |
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What is the mnemonic for the tasks of the "Solution Assessment & Validation" Knowledge Area?
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PARTVP
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What are the tasks of the "Solution Assessment & Validation" Knowledge Area?
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- Assess Proposed Solution - Allocate Requirements - Assess Organizational Readiness - Define Transition Requirements - Validate Solution - Evaluate Solution Performance |
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What is a solution "component"?
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A segment or part of a solution, including technology and non-technology portions.
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What is a "defect"?
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A flaw in a deliverable that either lessens its quality, or causes it to vary from its preferred characteristics.
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What kinds of defects may be identified during solution validation?
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Requirements or Solution
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What are some examples of requirements defects?
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Excessive changes, excessive numbers of questions from developers, rejection after initial approval
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What are some examples of implemented solution defects?
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Excess calls to help desk, data and reporting errors, performance deficiencies
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Which technique is primarily used in Solution Assessment and Validation?
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Vendor Assessment
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How is the Vendor Assessment technique used in Solution Assessment and Validation?
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When an option is being provided in whole or part by a third party, the assessment of the solution should be coupled with a vendor assessment.
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Why would a vendor assessment be used in Assessing a Proposed Solution? |
To ensure that all parties will be able to develop and maintain a healthy working relationships |
