Solution Evaluation and Validation

Solution Evaluation and Validation: A Comprehensive Guide

Why Solution Evaluation and Validation Is Important

Solution evaluation and validation are crucial components of business analysis that ensure the implemented solution actually meets the business needs and delivers the expected value. The importance of this phase cannot be overstated because:

• It confirms that stakeholder requirements have been met
• It verifies the solution works as intended in the actual business environment
• It identifies any gaps or defects that need resolution before full deployment
• It provides evidence that business objectives will be achieved
• It reduces the risk of project failure
• It helps justify the investment made in the solution

What Solution Evaluation and Validation Is

Solution evaluation and validation represent the assessment activities that determine whether a solution fulfills its intended purpose and meets the requirements specified by stakeholders. While related, these terms have distinct meanings:

Validation: Confirms you built the right solution (Does it fulfill the business need?)
Evaluation: Confirms you built the solution right (Does it work as designed?)

According to PMI-PBA framework, solution evaluation includes:

• Measuring solution performance against defined metrics
• Assessing solution alignment with business goals
• Confirming the solution delivers expected benefits
• Determining if the solution resolves the original business problem

How Solution Evaluation and Validation Works

The process typically follows these steps:

1. Define evaluation criteria: Establish clear measures of success based on requirements

2. Design test scenarios: Create realistic tests that exercise the solution under normal and exception conditions

3. Execute validation tests: Run scenarios to confirm the solution meets functional and non-functional requirements

4. Collect performance data: Gather metrics on how the solution performs

5. Analyze results: Compare actual performance against expected outcomes

6. Document findings: Record observations, defects, and recommendations

7. Recommend improvements: Suggest changes to address any gaps or enhance performance

8. Obtain stakeholder acceptance: Secure formal approval that the solution meets needs

Key techniques include:

• User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
• A/B Testing
• Pilot deployments
• Performance testing
• Usability testing
• Business value assessment
• Benefit realization analysis

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Solution Evaluation and Validation

1. Focus on value delivery: Remember that the ultimate purpose is ensuring the solution delivers business value. Questions often revolve around confirming value realization.

2. Know the difference between validation and verification: Validation confirms the right solution was built (meets business needs); verification confirms the solution was built correctly (meets specifications).

3. Understand traceability: Questions may test your knowledge of tracing requirements through to evaluation criteria. Each requirement should have corresponding validation criteria.

4. Recognize stakeholder roles: Be clear on who should be involved in evaluation activities. Business users are typically key for validation, while technical teams focus on verification.

5. Identify appropriate metrics: The exam may ask you to select the best metrics for evaluating particular aspects of a solution.

6. Consider the timing: Solution evaluation happens throughout the development lifecycle, not just at the end. Look for clues in questions about when evaluation should occur.

7. Pay attention to adaptive approaches: In agile contexts, evaluation happens in iterations. Questions may test your understanding of incremental evaluation versus waterfall approaches.

8. Remember organizational change management: Solution success often depends on user adoption. Questions may address how to evaluate change readiness and adoption.

9. Look for continuous improvement opportunities: Questions might ask how evaluation results should feed into ongoing enhancement of the solution.

10. Focus on business outcomes over technical details: When unsure between answers that emphasize technical perfection versus business results, the PMI-PBA perspective typically prioritizes business outcomes.

When you see a scenario-based question, first identify what phase of the solution lifecycle is being described, then consider what evaluation approach would be most appropriate for that context.