Posted: February 26th, 2022

WEEK 8 DISC

2/23/22, 12:35 PM Developing a System Proposal

https://learn.umgc.edu/d2l/le/content/622997/viewContent/25150644/View 1/2

Developing a System Proposal

This course has taken you from analyzing a business strategy to identifying opportunities

for strategic advantages and ways to increase the organization’s competitive position;

identifying process improvement opportunities where a technology solution can increase

efficiency and effectiveness; defining stakeholder system requirements; evaluating

solutions, and steps to effectively implementing an IT solution.

This is a lot of information, and often the role of a business analyst is to create or help

create a proposal or presentation to inform key stakeholders of the findings above and

“sell” the potential solution. Presenting the information in a clear, logical sequence to your

audience is important.

Different organizations use their own formats and components in system proposals, but

there are several common areas that a business analyst will address:

1. Strategic Analysis—What are the key strategic goals and objectives of the

organization, and what is the current business problem or opportunity being

addressed? How might a technology solution help the organization achieve its

strategy and where can a technology solution help?

2. Process Analysis—A process is a series of steps to perform a task. Many

organizational processes can be very complex and include many sub-processes and

steps. It is important to know what work needs to be done, how it is currently being

done, where opportunities for improvements exist, and how technology can support

the improved process.

3. Requirements—The requirements identification is critical to defining exactly what

key stakeholders need the system to do; what tasks they expect the system to

complete or support; what overall performance is required and what processes need

improvement; how a technology solution can help achieve the organizational

strategy and improve processes; and what specific requirements the system needs

to meet based on stakeholder information. Defining these requirements enables

Learning Resource

2/23/22, 12:35 PM Developing a System Proposal

https://learn.umgc.edu/d2l/le/content/622997/viewContent/25150644/View 2/2

potential solutions to be clearly evaluated to ascertain whether they will fulfill the

organization’s needs.

4. Solution Building—A critical part of any proposals is identifying the specific system

that will effectively support and/or improve the business process and clearly meet

the stated user and system performance requirements. This may include “build vs.

buy” analysis to determine whether the best solution should be developed internally

or purchased as a COTS or SaaS solution. An organization’s IT Plan and architecture

may help inform those decisions. Also the degree of specialty of the software is a

factor: Is this a common business process used by multiple companies, such as

Human Resources, Logistics, Accounting and Finance, or something very unique to

the organization that may not be commercially available? Sometimes, alternative

solutions may be presented along with the pros and cons of each option.

5. Implementation Planning—Equally important to identifying the best fit solution is

implementation planning. What has to happen (how and when) to help ensure a

successful installation of the technology solution? What supporting activities are

required to ensure users are prepared to be successful using the new system

including communication, training, and ongoing support? The data to be migrated to

the new system must be identified and any data integrity or compatibility issues

noted. Also it is important to ensure appropriate maintenance and technical support

are in place: Is the IT staff trained to provide Help Desk Support? Do users have a

point of contact for issues? Should a website be established with frequently asked

questions (FAQs) to help users especially in the early days of implementation?

Without getting into the details of writing the proposal, understand it is important to

convey the information clearly and concisely. At this point, significant work has been done

to identify the information above, and you want to present it as effectively as possible.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

Identify if there is a specific format or template that the organization uses.

Is there a preference for a written report, oral presentation, PowerPoint slides, etc.?

Who is your audience and what information do they already know?

What is the key information that you need your audience to pay attention to?

Identify specific next steps to keep the initiative moving forward.

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