Develop Detailed Alternative Solutions and Selection Criteria
Develop detailed alternative solutions and selection criteria..
Detailed alternative solutions are an essential concept of the Technical
Solution process area. They provide more accurate and comprehensive
information about the solution than nondetailed alternatives. For
example, characterization of performance based on design content
rather than on simple estimating enables effective assessment and
understanding of environment and operating concept impacts.
Alternative solutions need to be identified and analyzed to enable the
selection of a balanced solution across the life of the product in terms of
cost, schedule, and technical performance. These solutions are based
on proposed product architectures that address critical product
qualities. Specific practices associated with the Develop the Design
specific goal provide more information on developing potential product
architectures that can be incorporated into alternative solutions for the
product.
Alternative solutions span the acceptable range of cost, schedule, and
performance. The product-component requirements are received and
used along with design issues, constraints, and criteria to develop the
alternative solutions. Selection criteria would typically address costs
(e.g., time, people, money), benefits (e.g., performance, capability,
effectiveness), and risks (e.g., technical, cost, schedule).
Considerations for detailed alternative solutions and selection criteria
include:
- Cost (development, procurement, support, product life cycle)
- Technical performance
- Complexity of the product component and product-related life-cycle processes
- Robustness to product operating and use conditions, operating modes, environments, and variations in product-related life-cycle processes
- Product expansion and growth
- Technology limitations
- Sensitivity to construction methods and materials
- Risk
- Evolution of requirements and technology
- Disposal
- Capabilities and limitations of end users and operators
The considerations listed above are a basic set; organizations should
develop screening criteria to narrow down the list of alternatives that are
consistent with their business objectives. Product life-cycle cost, while
being a desirable parameter to minimize, may be outside the control of
development organizations. A customer may not be willing to pay for
features that cost more in the short term but ultimately decrease cost
over the life of the product. In such cases, customers should at least be
advised of any potential for reducing life-cycle costs. The criteria used
in selections of final solutions should provide a balanced approach to
costs, benefits, and risks.
- Identify screening criteria to select a set of alternative solutions for
consideration.
- Identify technologies currently in use and new product technologies
for competitive advantage.
The project should identify technologies applied to current products and
processes and monitor the progress of currently used technologies throughout the
life of the project. The project should identify, select, evaluate, and invest in new
technologies to achieve competitive advantage. Alternative solutions could include
newly developed technologies, but could also include applying mature
technologies in different applications or to maintain current methods.
- Generate alternative solutions.
- Obtain a complete requirements allocation for each alternative.
- Develop the criteria for selecting the best alternative solution.
Criteria should be included that address design issues for the life of the product,
such as provisions for more easily inserting new technologies or the ability to
better exploit commercial products. Examples include criteria related to open
design or open architecture concepts for the alternatives being evaluated.
- Develop timeline scenarios for product operation and user
interaction for each alternative solution.