Capability Cases

Capability Cases: A Solution Envisioning ApproachAbout the Authors Irene Polikoff, partner and co-founder of TopQuadrant, Inc., has more than 15 years of IT experience. Her specialties include technology strategy, IT management, system integration, process reengineering, systems assessment, and technology selection. Dr. Robert Coyne, executive partner at TopQuadrant, has more than 20 years of experience in the full lifecycle of business development, product design, software development, production, and delivery. He brings integrated knowledge and expertise from business, consulting, academia, and research to solution development processes, methods, and practice. Ralph Hodgson, partner and co-founder of TopQuadrant, has been a thought leader in the IT industry for some 25 years. He has expertise in enterprise systems design, software engineering, IT consulting, object and ontology modeling, Semantic Technology, logic programming, and methodology development. © Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

About the Authors.

Foreword.

Preface.

Acknowledgments.

Preamble.

Introduction.

    Trailhead-Why This Book?

    What is the Solution Envisioning Process?

    What are Capability Cases?

    Preview of Important Terms for Modeling the Business Situation

    Highlighting the Main Ideas and Threads of the Book

    A Trail Map for the Book: The Journey Ahead

I. SOLUTION ENVISIONING: WHAT? AND WHY?

1. Technology Innovation and the Changing Business Landscape.

    Chapter Preview

    Understanding Business Challenges and IT Requirements

      Informing Business Strategy with Views of Technology Possibilities

    The Changing Role of IT

      IT Imperatives and Governance

      Coupling Business Vision to Technology Enablers

      Supporting the New Role of IT

    An Illustrative Story of Solution Envisioning

      Backdrop-Consequences of Communication Failures

      Story: "A Quest for Self-Service"

    Trail Marker I: Appreciation of the Problem and Trail Ahead

2. Bridging the Gap with Solution Envisioning.

    Chapter Preview

    Solution Envisioning with Capability Cases

      A Timely Intervention-in the Quest for a Business Transformation

      The Goal: Matching Business Challenges to Proven Solutions

    Process Overview: From Vision to Plan in Three Phases

      Business Capability Exploration

      Solution Capability Envisioning

      Software Capability Design

    The Role and Value of Capability Cases

      Harnessing the Power of Stories and Tangible Examples

      Capability Cases-A Summary View

      Capability Cases in Action

      Capability Cases-An Extended View

    A Vocabulary That Integrates Envisioning and Capability Cases

      Forces

      Results and Measures

      Anchoring Capability Cases in the Business Context

      A Brief Illustration of Selecting Capability Cases

    When Can Solution Envisioning Be Used?

    How Long Does It Take?

    Trail Marker II: Envisioning Solutions with Capability Cases

3. Illustrative Applications and Galleries.

    Chapter Preview

    Capability Case Galleries

    Case Study I: Search Technology Workshop for the State Government

      A Search for Self-Service

      Business Capability Exploration

      Solution Capability Envisioning

      Envisioning Workshop Gallery I: State Government Self-Service

        Capability Case I.1: Concept-Based Search

        Capability Case I.2: National Search

        Capability Case I.3: Visual Navigator

        Capability Case I.4: Retrieval Assistant

        Capability Case I.5: Personalized FAQ Agent

        Capability Case I.6: Instant Helper

        Capability Case I.7: Browse with a Buddy

        Capability Case I.8: Virtual Time Machine

      Workshop Results

    Case Study II: Solution Envisioning at NASA

      The Starting Point

      Business Capability Exploration

      Capability Envisioning

      Envisioning Workshop Gallery II: NASA Digital Shuttle

        Capability Case II.1: Product Design Assistant

        Capability Case II.2: Generative Documentation

        Capability Case II.3: Content Annotator

        Capability Case II.4: Expert Locator

        Capability Case II.5: Concept-Based Search

        Capability Case II.6: Automated Content Tagger

        Capability Case II.7: Interest-Based Information Delivery

      Workshop Results

    Capability Cases as Solution Design Assets

    Trail Marker III: Exploring Capability Case Galleries

4. Positioning Within the Solution Delivery Cycle.

    Chapter Preview

    What Makes Solution Envisioning Different?

    Where Does It Fit in the Solution Delivery Process?

    Envisioning, Capability Cases, and the Iterative Nature of Design

      Solution Envisioning is an Iterative Process

      Capability Cases-Initially Solution Sketches and Later Blueprints

    Trail Marker IV: Rationale for Solution Envisioning Outlined

II. SOLUTION ENVISIONING PROCESS-DETAILED LOOK.

5. Business Capability Exploration-Phase I of Solution Envisioning.

    Chapter Preview

    To Begin Envisioning-Business Capability Exploration (BCE)

      The Work of Business Capability Exploration

      Where Does Solution Envisioning Start?

    BCE Activities I: Establish Business Situation and Resources

      Activity 1  Establish Solution Initiative Shared Space

      Activity 2  Establish Key Stakeholders

      Activity 3  Clarify Solution Initiative Statement

      Activity 4  Establish Inventory of Reference Materials

      Activity 5  Clarify Business Context

      Activity 6  Assess Use of Current IT Capabilities

      Activity 7  Establish a Glossary for the Initiative

    BCE Activities II: Identify Business Needs as Forces and Results

      Activity 8  Elicit Forces, Barriers, Results

      Activity 9  Identify Business Activities in Scope

      Activity 10  Perform Stakeholder Impact Analysis

    BCE Activities III: Explore Possibilities Informed by Technology

      Activity 11  Nominate Capabilities

      Activity 12  Explore Future Business Possibilities

      Activity 13  Explore Technology Options

      Activity 14  Perform Stakeholder Benefit Analysis

      Activity 15  Refine Results

    BCE Activities IV: Consolidate Initial Solution Vision for Sharing

      Activity 16  Map Capabilities to Forces, Barriers, Challenges, and Results

      Activity 17  Create Solution Vision Presentation

    The Results of BCE and Readiness to Move to the Next Phase

    Trail Marker V: Business Situation and Solution Initiative Understood

6. Solution Capability Envisioning-Phase II of Solution Envisioning.

    Chapter Preview

    Solution Capability Envisioning (SCE)-Appraising Solution Ideas

      The Work of Solution Capability Envisioning

      Envisioning and Design as Social Constructions

    SCE Activities I: Prepare for the Solution Envisioning Workshop

      Activity 1  Envisioning Workshop Planning

      Activity 2  Elaborate Capability Cases Portfolio

      Activity 3  Conduct Pre-Envisioning Workshop Walkthroughs

      Activity 4  Preparing the Capability Cases Gallery

    SCE Activities II: Conduct the Solution Envisioning Workshop

      Activity 5  Launch the Solution Envisioning Workshop

      Activity 6  Review Solution Vision

      Activity 7  Tour Capability Cases Gallery

      Activity 8  Conduct Solution Scenario Enactment

      Activity 9  Prioritize Capabilities

    SCE Activities III-Post-Workshop Assessment and Consolidation

      Activity 10  Assess Solution Realization Gap

      Activity 11  Post-Workshop Analysis and Consolidation of Concepts

      The Results of SCE and Moving to the Next Phase

    Trail Marker VI: Solution Concept and Roadmap Established

7. Software Capability Design-Phase III of Solution Envisioning.

    Chapter Preview

    Software Capability Design (SCD)-from Concept to Realization

      SCD for a Web Services and SOA Development Strategy

      The Work of Software Capability Design

    SCD Activities I: Select Implementation Technologies

      Activity 1  Evaluate Technology Options and Decide Development Strategy

      Activity 2  Specify Non-functional Requirements

      Activity 3  Select Potential Technologies and Vendors

      Activity 4  Analyze IT Risks, Dependencies, and Technology Constraints

    SCD Activities II: Develop Software Capability Architecture

      Activity 5  Elaborate Capability Architecture

      Activity 6  Evaluate Capability Architecture

    SCD Activities III-Develop Business Case and Solution Roadmap

      Activity 7  Develop Business Case

      Activity 8  Develop Solution Realization and Adoption Plan

    The Results of Software Capability Design

      Moving from Solution Envisioning to Solution Realization

    Trail Marker VII: Business Case and Roadmap for Implementation

III. CUSTOMIZING AND USING SOLUTION ENVISIONING.

8. Solution Envisioning in Different Situations.

    Chapter Preview

    Solution Envisioning as a Customizable Framework

    Focusing the Solution Envisioning Workshop

    Different Situations-Different Approaches

      A. Formulating a Solution

        A.1 Using Solution Envisioning to Formulate a Concept of Operations

        A.2 Finalizing a Solution Design

      B. Promoting Technology Potential

      C. Gaining Confidence in a Technology

    The Complementary Role of Solution Envisioning

      Incorporating Solution Envisioning into QFD

      Enterprise Architecture and Solution Envisioning

        Solution Envisioning and DoDAF

        Solution Envisioning and ISO RM-ODP

      Solution Envisioning and Development Paradigms

        Solution Envisioning and Rapid Prototyping

        Solution Envisioning and Model-Driven Architecture

    Trail Marker VIII: Solution Envisioning Tailored to Situation

9. Conclusion-Lessons Learned and Looking Ahead with Envisioning.

    Reflections on Solution Envisioning

    Plans for Evolving Solution Envisioning

    Fostering Adoption and Practice of a New Approach

      A Rose by Any Other Name...

      Winning the Right to Do Solution Envisioning

      Making the Business Case to Do Solution Envisioning

      Some Practical Next Steps

      A Community Sandbox-CapabilityCases.org

    End of Trail: Solution Envisioning

Appendix A: History and Design of Solution Envisioning.

    The X-Model and Object-Oriented Development

    Design by Analogy and the Architecture Handbook

    OOPSLA Workshops (1996-2000)

    Other Small Influences

    Solution Envisioning and Creativity

    Why Metaphors are Poweful

    Capability Cases and Patterns

    The Importance of the "Right" Deliverables

Appendix B: Additional Techniques.

    Creativity Techniques

      Using Storytelling for the Creation of Future Scenarios

      Synectics

    Decision Support Techniques

    Conducting Envisioning Workshops as "Theater Play"

      Envisioning as a Five Act Play

Appendix C: Software Capability Design Implementation Alternatives.

    SCD for Custom Applications

      Custom Application Using RUP and MSF

        SCD Activity 5  Elaborate Capability Architecture

        SCD Activity 6  Evaluate Capability Architecture

      SCD in eXtreme Programming (XP) Projects

        SCD Activity 5  Elaborate Capability Architecture

        SCD Activity 6  Evaluate Capability Architecture

    SCD in EDOC-Based Component Development

        SCD Activity 5  Elaborate Capability Architecture

        SCD Activity 6  Evaluate Capability Architecture

    SCD and Package Implementation

        SCD Activity 5  Elaborate Capability Architecture

        SCD Activity 6  Evaluate Capability Architecture

    Conclusion

Appendix D: Solution Envisioning Activities and Workproducts-Summary Table for Each Phase.

    The Activities and Workproducts of Phase I-Business Capability Exploration

    The Activities and Workproducts of Phase II-Solution Capability Envisioning

    The Activities and Workproducts of Phase III-Software Capability Design

List of Figures.

List of Tables.

List of Techniques.

Glossary.

References.

Index.