Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design

Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design 78 Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Module Overview Module 3: A Services-Based Approach to Solution Design Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Module 5: Business Solution Logical Design Module 6: Beginning Physical Design Module 1: Course Overview Module 2: Solution Design Using the MSF Module 7: Selecting Solution Technologies Module 8: Solution Design and the Component Object Model Module 9: Designing Solutions with Micros oft Techno logies Module 1 0: Completing the Physical Design Module 11: Designing the Presentation Layer Module 12: Introduction to Functional Specifications Designing Business Solutions Conceptual Design Basics Activity 4.2:Inputs to Conceptual Design Conceptual Design Analysis Review Activity 4.1: Risks of Skipping Conceptual Design Conceptual Design Process Conceptual Design Research Activity 4.3: Value of Information Models Conceptual Design Optimization Activity 4.4: Creating a Future- State Usage Scenario Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design 79 Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design 79 ! !! ! Overview " Conceptual Design Basics " Activity 4.1: Risks of Skipping Conceptual Design " Conceptual Design Process " Conceptual Design Research " Activity 4.2: Inputs to Conceptual Design " Conceptual Design Analysis " Activity 4.3: Value of Information Models " Conceptual Design Optimization " Activity 4.4: Creating a Future-State Usage Scenario " Review In this module . In this module . You have already learned that there are three phases of design — conceptual, logical, and physical — in the Microsoft ® Solutions Framework (MSF) Process Model. The first phase of the MSF Process Model is conceptual design. Conceptual design starts during the Envisioning Phase of the MSF Process Model, and continues through most of the Planning Phase. Since the MSF Design Process is an evolutionary, as well as iterative, process, conceptual design clearly sets the tone for both logical and physical design. In this module, you will learn about the conceptual design phase of the MSF Process Model. First, you will learn the basics of conceptual design — where it fits into the MSF Process Model, its steps, and the tasks and outputs of the conceptual design phase. Then you will learn about conceptual design in greater detail through the use of examples and activities based on the Ferguson and Bardell, Inc. case study. After completing this module, you will be able to: " Explain the need for conceptual design in the process of designing a business solution. " Describe the role of conceptual design in the MSF Design Process Model. " Describe the steps of conceptual design. " Develop a future-state description of a business solution created through the conceptual design process. " Develop a conceptual design for a business solution from the gathered and analyzed information. Slide Objective To provide an overview of the module topics and objectives. 80 Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design 80 Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design ! !! ! Conceptual Design Basics " Conceptual Design in the Design Process " Conceptual Design: The Search for Meaning " Goals of Conceptual Design " Perspective of Conceptual Design " Perspective Captured in Usage Scenarios " Clarifying Conceptual Design " Value of Conceptual Design In this section . In this section . Although conceptual design is crucial to the solution design process, often it is not performed, or performed improperly. Learning the basics of the process of conceptual design will help you understand why it is a necessary part of the design process. In this section, you will learn the basic concepts and terminology of conceptual design including its purpose and value during solution design. Slide Objective To provide an overview of this section. Lead-in In this section, you will learn about the basics of conceptual design process at a high level with the following sections providing more detail. Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design 81 Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design 81 Conceptual Design in the Design Process Conceptual Design Logical Design Physical Design Components, User Interface, and Physical Database Services and Objects, User Interface, and Logical Database Scenarios Conceptual design is the first phase of the MSF Design Process Model. Much of conceptual design involves researching and analyzing information; however, it also starts the design process. During conceptual design, you will determine which business processes and activities are required and will be included in the solution you are designing. Slide Objective To reinforce conceptual design’s position in the solution design process. Lead-in As you learned in Module 2, conceptual design is the first phase in the MSF Design Process 82 Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design 82 Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Conceptual Design: The Search for Meaning " Definition The process of acquiring, documenting, validating, and optimizing business and user perspectives of the problem and the solution " Purpose To capture, understand, and prioritize business and user requirements in their proper context " Output A set of information models and usage scenarios that document current and future states of the system Conceptual Design Scenarios Conceptual design requires that an effective method of understanding and communicating with the users be established. This is accomplished by generating scenarios. Consider how an architect determines the needs of a client. When designing a house, an architect will ask the client how the house will be used. In answering this question, the client will consider the various day-to-day activities as well as special events, such as hosting a house full of relatives. Each of the activities the client describes might generate a scenario. In a similar way, conceptual design is a forum in which the business and the users present their visions and collaborate on the solution. The project team creates scenarios to document and discuss the form of that vision. These scenarios, in turn, verify that the project team, the business, and the users share a common understanding that embodies the functional and informational requirements of the system. Slide Objective Provide an introduction to conceptual design. Lead-in Conceptual design is considered “the search for meaning,” because it is a process to determine what is wrong with the current situation and what is needed in a future solution. Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design 83 Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design 83 Goals of Conceptual Design " Determine the business problem to be solved " Determine the true requirements of the business, the customer, and the users " Describe the desired future state of the business processes and activities " Decide if there is value in developing a solution to enable the redesigned processes and activities Conceptual design is about clearly understanding the problem to be solved and framing a solution to that problem in terms that both management and users can understand. It embodies a process for creating (or acquiring), evaluating, documenting, and then validating what the users and business envision to be the solution. This process embraces a set of principles and activities that provides the basic rationale and motivation for creating (or not creating) a new system. Conceptual design helps determine a project’s needs in context, resulting in a view of the solution that is both process-focused and user-centric. The view is not limited to a list of desirable functions but includes the broader context of business processes and activities as well. Conceptual design also formalizes the desired future state of the business processes and activities. This future state becomes the basis for the next phases of the design process. Keep in mind that conceptual design does not always result in a future state for a new solution. Often, conceptual design leads to the determination that developing a new solution for a specific business problem is not feasible or cost-effective. Slide Objective Identify and describe the goals of the conceptual design phase. Delivery Tip Without a good conceptual design, you may end up with a wonderful solution to the wrong problem. 84 Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design 84 Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Perspective of Conceptual Design The conceptual design perspective is from the point of view of the user Business Solution Conceptual Logical Physical Although application designers and developers agree that time should be spent understanding the users and their tasks, in reality this part of design does not receive the attention it should. On many projects, conceptual design is taken for granted. A true understanding of the users requires a whole new perspective, one that is from the point of view of the user. What the users are really looking for is a solution that does the following: " Addresses their real day-to-day needs " Allows them to perform their tasks and work in a natural way " Contains the key features that they need to get the job done " Keeps simple tasks simple and makes complex tasks possible Being user-centric might sound like a trivial issue, but it is critical in system design and development. It not only means that the project team is able to plan and develop systems that are tuned to the requirements of the users, but it also means having an awareness of how the users view the current environment and what they would like to see in a new system. Whereas gathering requirements has traditionally meant compiling a list of desirable features, in conceptual design the aim is to understand and document the relationships between user, system, and business. Slide Objective To highlight that the conceptual design of the solution is based on the users’ perspective of the solution. Lead-in Each phase in the design process represents a different stage in the evolution of the design. Each phase also represents stakeholders in the project. The stakeholders represented in conceptual design are the users. Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design 85 Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design 85 Perspective Captured in Usage Scenarios " Frames the problem and solution in a user- based textual format " Creates a process-based and user-centric design " Documents current state as well as desired future state " Provides: $ A context for the requirements $ Details about the business and users $ Common views and a common vocabulary $ Design opportunities, independent of the physical implementation One of the methods of understanding and communicating with the users is through usage scenarios. Usage scenarios not only enable you to document the current state of the business process, they are also used to document the desired solution, or future state. The purpose of usage scenarios is to view the solution in the business context in which it will be used and to answer the basic questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how. The conceptual design produces a set of scenarios that describe the necessary requirements for the proposed solution. During later stages of development, when development and testing become entrenched in the details of coding, these scenarios help the development team maintain focus on the real problem to be solved. Usage scenarios also serve to facilitate effective communications. Users, individuals representing business processes, and the project team must develop a shared understanding of the work problems and the impact of possible solutions on that work. Finally, all team members need to reach agreement on both the problem and the solution, and all should be able to understand and communicate the implications for their individual team responsibilities. Conceptual design is independent of development and implementation technologies, and therefore so are usage scenarios. The primary focus is on what the users want to do and what the business requirements do, explained in the context of how they want to do it (but not how it might be implemented — that comes later). Any system-related issues should be addressed from the point of view of the business purpose. Slide Objective To introduce usage scenarios and their use during conceptual design. Lead-in Conceptual design is primarily about information models, such as usage scenarios. These scenarios are used to capture not only how the necessary business processes are being completed now, but also how the business and the users want those processes to be completed in the future. Delivery Tip Usage scenarios are part of course 1585, Gathering and Analyzing Business Requirements. If many students are not familiar with usage scenarios, spend a few minutes explaining the concept and assure them that they will see an example in an activity later in this module. 86 Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design 86 Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Clarifying Conceptual Design Conceptual design is NOT The complete functional specification Details of the user interface A definition of system components A technology solution But it enables you to Develop part of the functional specification Design an effective user interface See how things should work together Design a solution that solves the business problem In conceptual design, the project team attempts to understand the entire scope of the project by identifying the proposed solution and the context in which it will operate. The conceptual design process alone does not create the entire functional specification, but it does provide a tremendous advantage in constructing the functional specification by affording an opportunity to fully understand the context of the problem to be solved. Slide Objective To clarify what conceptual design really is and to dismiss some possible assumptions. Lead-in The following table should help clarify what conceptual design is and what it is not. [...]... of conceptual design and the risks of not completing conceptual design Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design ! Conceptual Design Process Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Slide Objective To provide an overview of this section Lead-in In this section, you will learn about the conceptual design process and how it relates to the MSF Process Model for Application Development " Conceptual. . .Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design 87 87 Value of Conceptual Design Slide Objective To explain the benefits of a good conceptual design and how it helps the overall success of the project Lead-in A good conceptual design is important to the success of the project The following are some of the benefits gained by having a good conceptual design. .. consensus that the conceptual design is sufficiently developed to be baselined The baseline is an interim milestone and serves as a reference point for change management Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Conceptual Design Steps Slide Objective To introduce the three activities that make up conceptual design Lead-in Research Conceptual Design There... sources) that feed into the conceptual design process Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design ! Conceptual Design Analysis 101 101 Slide Objective To provide an overview of this section Lead-in In this section, you will learn about the analysis activity of conceptual design " Deliverables of the Analysis Baseline " Synthesizing Business and User Information... analysis step of conceptual design and the value of using those models Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design ! Conceptual Design Optimization 111 111 Slide Objective To introduce this section Lead-in In this section, you will learn about the optimization activity of conceptual design " Deliverables of the Optimization Baseline " Designing the Desired... and business research • Creating scenarios to depict context, workflow, task sequence, and environmental relationships " Optimization • Improving the business process • Validating and testing the work redesign The optimization baseline leads to the baseline of the conceptual design 91 91 92 92 Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Deliverables of Conceptual. .. remainder of this module Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design ! Conceptual Design Research 93 93 Slide Objective To provide an overview of this section Lead-in In this section, you will learn about the research activity portion of conceptual design " Deliverables of the Research Baseline " Researching the Enterprise Architecture " Researching Business. .. is key in developing a good solution with which everyone agrees 88 88 Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Activity 4.1: Risks of Skipping Conceptual Design Slide Objective To introduce the activity In this activity, you will take part in a class discussion to identify the possible risks of not completing a conceptual design After completing this... conflicts between the requirements and constraints 100 100 Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Activity 4.2: Inputs to Conceptual Design Slide Objective To introduce the activity In this activity, you will participate in a class discussion to identify the various inputs into the conceptual design process After completing this activity, you will be... Course 1585: Gathering and Analyzing Business Requirements 94 94 Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Deliverables of the Research Baseline Slide Objective To introduce the deliverables of the research activity Lead-in Research in conceptual design is all about gathering information Task Deliverable Gather business problemrelated information " . this module. 86 Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design 86 Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Clarifying Conceptual Design Conceptual design. 4 .4: Creating a Future- State Usage Scenario Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design Module 4: Business Solution Conceptual Design 79 Module 4: Business