Activity 2.3:IdentifyingtheBusiness
Challenge andVisionStatement
The businesschallengeandthevisionstatement provide direction for gathering
and analyzing business requirements. You will develop both thebusiness
challenge andthevisionstatement to help guide you through the remaining
activities in this course.
In this activity, you will participate in small groups to identify thebusiness
challenge for Ferguson and Bardell, Inc. Then the entire class will compare
business challenges and develop a common businesschallenge that all of the
groups will use in class for the rest of the course.
Next, again working in groups, you will create a visionstatement that addresses
the business challenge. Then the entire class will compare vision statements and
develop a common visionstatement that all of the groups will use for the rest of
the course.
Objectives
After completing this activity, you will be able to:
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Identify a business challenge.
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Create a preliminary vision statement.
Before You Begin
This activity consists of small group tasks and class discussion.
Materials
To complete this activity, you will need:
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The Ferguson and Bardell, Inc. case study in Appendix 1.
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Flip-chart paper and markers.
Time to complete this activity: 50 minutes
10 Activity2.3:IdentifyingtheBusinessChallengeandVisionStatement
Exercise 1: IdentifyingtheBusinessChallenge
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State thebusinesschallenge (15 minutes)
1. Participate in small groups as assigned by the instructor.
2. Review the Ferguson and Bardell, Inc. case study in Appendix 1.
3. Write a paragraph that describes thebusiness challenge.
Be concise. Your businesschallenge should identify details from the case
study. Identify specific performance problems, technologies, processes, or
systems.
Think about who your audience will be in preparing the perceived business
challenge. Use terms that are meaningful, understandable, and precise.
4. Write thebusinesschallenge in the space below.
5. Duplicate your businesschallenge on a piece of flip-chart paper.
Activity2.3:IdentifyingtheBusinessChallengeandVisionStatement 11
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Develop a common businesschallenge for the entire class (10 minutes)
1. Choose an individual to present the group’s businesschallenge to the class.
2. Compare each businesschallenge to find similarities and differences.
3. In class discussion, choose a common business challenge.
The class can either choose a businesschallenge developed by one group or
combine business challenges from several groups.
4. Write the final businesschallenge in the space below. You will use this in
the next exercise and future activities.
12 Activity2.3:IdentifyingtheBusinessChallengeandVisionStatement
Exercise 2: Developing theVisionStatement
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Develop thevisionstatement (15 minutes)
1. Participate in small groups as assigned by the instructor.
2. Review thebusinesschallenge developed by the class in Exercise 1.
3. Review the Ferguson and Bardell, Inc. case study.
4. Write a visionstatement in the space below.
Evaluate your visionstatement against the guidelines provided in this
section.
Think about your intended audience when preparing the proposed vision
statement. Use terms that are meaningful, understandable, and precise.
Clearly identify a visionstatement that will address thebusiness challenge.
5. Duplicate your visionstatement on a piece of flip-chart paper.
Activity2.3:IdentifyingtheBusinessChallengeandVisionStatement 13
!
Develop a visionstatement for the entire class (10 minutes)
1. Choose an individual to present the group’s visionstatement to the class.
2. Compare each group's visionstatement to find similarities and differences.
3. In class discussion, choose a common vision statement.
The class can either choose a visionstatement developed by one group or
combine vision statements from several groups.
4. Write the final visionstatement in the space below. You will use this in the
next exercise and future activities.
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Activity 2. 3: Identifying the Business
Challenge and Vision Statement
The business challenge and the vision statement provide direction for gathering. in
the next exercise and future activities.
12 Activity 2. 3: Identifying the Business Challenge and Vision Statement
Exercise 2: Developing the