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Representative POMs are described for Solutions Design at each level of maturity.

2Basic

• Practice

  Define a number of design principles (e.g. scalability).

  Outcome

  The quality of designs shows some consistency.

  Metric

  # of design principles defined.

• Practice

  Integrate basic stakeholder needs into the design, as well as time and cost constraints.

  Outcome

  The solution meets minimum user needs, although a rigid approach to adhering to time and cost constraints and/or established approaches may inhibit the full integration of stakeholder needs.

  Metrics

  • User acceptance rate (%).
  • % constraints addressed in design.

• Practice

  Design for functional requirements, using automation where possible.

  Outcomes

  • Non-functional requirements may be overlooked in the design process.
  • Automation may not be implemented consistently.
  • Reuse and third-party solutions may not be systematically considered.

  Metrics

  • # of NFRs in design.
  • Solution release failure rate.

• Practice

  Implement criteria for evaluating options and making build or buy decisions.

  Outcome

  There is an approach to making build or buy decisions in the organization; however, this may be applied inconsistently.

  Metric

  # of evaluation criteria in use.

3Intermediate

• Practice

  Ensure there is a set of clearly articulated design principles which are consistently applied to solution design.

  Outcome

  The quality of IT solutions designed is good.

  Metric

  Change in cost/time spent in maintaining the solution over time.

• Practice

  Establish a consistent organizational approach to integrating stakeholder needs into design, while also addressing all known constraints.

  Outcomes

  • There is a good acceptance rate for solutions.
  • Design considers all relevant challenges and constraints (e.g. data, storage, performance, cost, automation).

  Metrics

  • User acceptance rate (%).
  • % constraints addressed in design.
  • Customer satisfaction rates (1–5).

• Practices

  • Include functional and non-functional requirements in the solutions design, such as security, feature flags, and backward compatibility.
  • Ensure that automation is an explicit element of design.
  • Include consideration of third-party solutions.

  Outcomes

  • Designs include functional and non-functional requirements and consideration of reuse and third party solutions.
  • Ease of use and effectiveness are enhanced through effective use of automation.

  Metrics

  • # of NFRs in design.
  • Solution release failure rate.

• Practice

  Implement a well-defined and applied process to determine decision criteria, and to identify and evaluate alternative options to build or buy a solution.

  Outcome

  The organization takes a systematic approach to evaluating alternative options to build or buy a solution.

  Metrics

  • Process to determine decision criteria exists.
  • # of evaluation criteria implemented.

4Advanced

• Practice

  Ensure that design principles, such as maintainability, testability, and compliance requirements, are designed into solutions from the outset.

  Outcome

  The quality of designs is improved.

  Metric

  Change in cost/time spent in maintaining the solution over time.

• Practice

  Establish an advanced holistic organizational approach to integrating stakeholder needs that allows the design to respond in a flexible way to a variety of challenges and constraints.

  Outcomes

  • Solutions consistently meet stakeholder needs.
  • Where conflicts arise between needs and constraints, the resolution is transparent and clearly communicated to the stakeholder.
  • The holistic approach includes evaluating the impact to existing services and building resilience over the anticipated solution life cycle.

  Metrics

  • User acceptance rate (%).
  • % constraints addressed in design.
  • Customer satisfaction rates (1–5).

• Practice

  Ensure designs are infrastructure agnostic and define the characteristics of the environment in the implemented solution.

  Outcome

  Designs are flexible and robust so that they can easily adapt to infrastructure and environments.

  Metric

  % cost of rework (or retooling) per new project.

• Practice

  Include a broad range of criteria, and long-term and strategic considerations, when evaluating build or buy options.

  Outcome

  The organization has greater success since it uses an advanced capability for evaluating alternative options to build or buy a solution.

  Metrics

  • Process to determine decision criteria exists.
  • % of build or buy evaluation criteria that include long-term and strategic considerations.

5Optimized

• Practice

  Ensure that design decisions are made both in light of design principles (e.g. modularity, scalability, reuse, robustness), and the business and user needs to be satisfied.

  Outcome

  The quality of designs is excellent, expertly balancing design principles and ongoing business, user, and customer needs.

  Metric

  Change in cost/time spent in maintaining the solution over time.

• Practice

  Continually review and update the design approach, as appropriate, to incorporate new industry and market trends.

  Outcomes

  • The organization leverages the integration of stakeholders needs for solutions design to strategic organizational advantage.
  • Reviews of the design approach ensures stakeholder business value.
  • Design seamlessly responds to emerging challenges.

  Metrics

  • User acceptance rate (%).
  • % constraints addressed in design.
  • Customer satisfaction rates (1–5).

• Practice

  Ensure design architectures are modular with interfaces that are well-defined and controlled, but loosely coupled.

  Outcome

  Designs are flexible and robust so that they can easily adapt to new and evolving requirements as well as to infrastructure and environments.

  Metric

  % cost of rework (or retooling) per new project.

• Practice

  Ensure that there is a highly developed strategic approach to making decisions on whether to build or buy solutions within the organization.

  Outcome

  The organization has an advanced capability for evaluating alternative options to build or buy a solution that actively seeks to enable innovation, strategic opportunities, and the optimum way to satisfy needs.

  Metrics

  • Process to determine decision criteria exists.
  • % of build or buy evaluation criteria that include long-term and strategic considerations.