You may find it helpful to write your problem down in a
standardized format. Filling the table in for your
application is a simple yet powerful technique to ensure that all
stakeholders on your project are working toward the same goal.
Spending the time it takes to gain agreement on the problem being
solved may seem like a small and insignificant step, and in most
circumstances, it is. But sometimes, it is not. For example, one of
our clients, an equipment manufacturer, was engaged in a major
upgrade to its IS/IT system, which provided invoicing and financial
reporting between the company and its dealers. The theme for the
new program was to "improve dealer communications." As such, the
team had embarked on a significant new system development effort.
An exercise in gaining agreement on the problem being solved was
enlightening. The development team–defined solution envisioned a
powerful new system that provided better financial reporting,
improved invoice and statement formats, online parts ordering, and
electronic mail. And oh, by the way, the team eventually hoped to
provide the capability for electronic funds transfer between the
company and the dealer.
During the problem statement exercise, company management had
the opportunity to provide input. Management's vision was
substantially different: The primary goal of the new system was to
provide electronic funds transfer that would improve the cash flow
of the company. After a raucous discussion, it became clear that the
first-order problem to be addressed by the new system was
electronic funds transfer; e-mail and other dealer communication
features were considered simply "nice to have." Needless to say,
there was a substantial reorientation of the objectives of the new
system, including a new problem definition that identified electronic
funds transfer as the problem being solved. This reorientation also
triggered the development of a different system architecture than
had been envisioned, complete with the security capability
consistent with the risks inherent in electronic banking.
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