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Product Analysis
Product analysis, which is also the solution analysis because the product is what we’re going to be delivering, is the solution from all the requirements that we’ve gathered from our stakeholders. This is how we analyze and start creating that product and the idea of that product and solution.
What is product analysis?
First of all it can be used to define the products and the services that we’re going to be delivering as part of our project. Being a project manager it includes asking those questions about the product or service and forming answers to describe the use and characteristics and other relevant aspects of what is actually going to be delivered. Keep in mind we’ve already gathered the requirements, or what our customers want. But that doesn’t mean that we actually have a solution or a product in mind. We have to turn those requirements into a solution that ultimately a customer can see, feel and touch.
There are a few different techniques to product analysis techniques, and these might include product breakdown, which is breaking down the idea of the product into smaller pieces.
Requirements analysis which is going into those requirements and really breaking those down and matching those up to key pieces of our solution.
Systems analysis, which are the systems that we’re working with – do we have any limitations there?
Systems engineering, where we’re looking at the architecture behind things, and how we can actually engineer this product.
Value analysis, so are we might be rating from one to five and this is where the key concept of voting comes into it as well. Maybe we’re voting for the value of the particular requirement that we’re wanting to put into this solution.
Value engineering, or how can we engineer the most value out of this particular product with the least amount of effort?
As you can see there is more than one accepted method for translating these high-level product or service descriptions into meaningful deliverables. When we’ve got the idea of our solution, we still actually have to break these down into smaller pieces so that our teams can start working on those smaller pieces, and deliver those smaller pieces bit by bit. Requirements are captured at the higher level and they’re decomposed, which you’ll see is a project management body of knowledge key concept as well. They’re basically broken down into the level of detail that is needed to design and deliver the final product.
And that is the idea of product or solution analysis.
– David McLachlan