Project Selection Process S610

S610 - Prepare, issue and agree Selection Validation Report

DEFINITION

The findings from the selection confirmation process are discussed, agreed and published in the Selection Validation Report.

SUMMARY

Discuss and agree the findings with the project sponsor and any other key decision makers within the client organisation.  Prepare and agree the Selection Validation Report containing the approach, key requirements, issues, options and recommendations.  If the chosen solution appears unable to meet the client's knockout mandatory requirements, implementation should not commence and there should be a review of the project.

PATH PLANNING GUIDANCE

This process is normal practice in “Selection - Confirm”.

DEPENDENCIES

Prerequisites (Finish-Finish):

• Check business critical requirements against package (S600)

Dependent procedures (Finish-Finish):

• Optionally - Prepare contracts  (S310)
• Optionally - Prepare Implementation Strategy (S710)
• Optionally - Feasibility Prototype (S400)

Dependent procedures (Finish-Start):

• Delivery Segment processes

RECEIVABLES

• Knockout mandatory and business critical requirements
• Evaluation of package’s capabilities against requirements (see Process S600)

DELIVERABLES

• Selection Validation Report

TOOLS

• Skeleton Deliverables: Selection Validation Report

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF TASKS

Fact finding and evaluation

The knockout mandatory and business critical requirements will have been identified (see Processes S040 and S070).  In Process S600, the package’s capabilities were investigated and analysed to establish how well they could meet the client organisation’s key requirements.

Reviewing the findings

The project team should now consider these findings and present them to the project’s sponsor and any other key decision makers within the client organisation.  This may be done in the form of a meeting or workshop depending on the numbers involved.

The facts and findings should be presented paying particular attention to:

• what were the key requirements - ie knockout mandatory requirements and business critical requirements,
• in which areas (if any) the package failed to meet these requirements fully,
• results from any other investigative processes if conducted, eg benchmarking or package fit study,
• the potential impact of any shortfalls identified,
• options to circumvent the problem, eg
• changes to procedures or business processes,
• custom add-on developments,
• vendor modifications to the package.

To facilitate this process, background information and broad estimates concerning the options should be prepared in advance.

The issues and options should be debated with the representatives from the client organisation.  The resulting recommendations should reflect their wishes and decisions.

Recommendations may include the need to perform more detailed evaluations prior to accepting the pre-selected solution.  For example, it may be appropriate to set up a feasibility prototype before commencing the Delivery Segment work (see Process S400).

Any effect on the proposed Path Plan or approach to the Delivery Segment should be considered and the implications reviewed.  Changes may be made to the planned approach as appropriate.

It is normally appropriate to prepare an Implementation Strategy before proceeding with the Delivery Segment - see Process S710.  If the project is a major undertaking, it might, alternatively, be appropriate to develop a full conceptual design and implementation strategy in the form of a Delivery Approach Definition - see Process S700.

Selection Validation Report

The results from the fact finding, analysis, review and recommendation work will normally be reported in the Selection Validation Report (although note that the client organisation might be willing to accept the results from the workshop without the production of a formal report).

This report might typically contain:

• Introduction
• Background
• Scope, objectives and terms of reference of the project
• Approach to the Selection Confirmation
• Key requirements
• Knockout Mandatory Requirements
• Business Critical Requirements
• Evaluation
• Shortfalls against requirements
• Benchmark results (if appropriate)
• Other issues identified
• Options
• Recommendations

If the requirements identified are extensive, it may be appropriate to summarise them in the report and to attach the full matrix as an appendix to the report.

The report should be formally agreed and signed off by the project sponsor and any other relevant key decision makers within the client organisation.