L4M2- Chapter 3- Use of Specifications Flashcards
What is the purpose of a specification?
It is often also termed a statement of needs. It should present suppliers with a clear, accurate and full description of the organisations needs, so those needs can be met by a solution.
What are the factors to consider when building a business case? (Hint- RAQSCI)
Regulations
Assurance of supply
Quality
Service
Cost
Innovation
These are used to define the needs
What is a BRD?
Business requirement definition- Sets out what the product or service needs to achieve if all stakeholders are to be satisfied
Star burst method can be used here. In the middle of the star you write why the BRD is being developed e.g. service and then asnwer each point.
Which sources of information should be used to create specifications?
S- Standards- eg. ISO
K- Internal knowledge/expertise- e.g. internal design teams. External can also help if you speak to suppliers (market sounding)
O- Other specifications - adapting an existing spec
S- Sustainability considerations- Triple bottom line- embracing future sustainability can give a competitive advantage
D- Directories- standard products can be found in these
I- Internet- lots of info, just need to be careful of SAMOA (sources, audience, methodology of data collection, objectivity of information and accuracy)
What is ESI?
Early Supplier Involvement
Involving the supplier in the product development process from a very early stage in order to use the suppliers experience and expertise. Can help reduce risk, improve processes and understand life cycles
Can have negatives in that it could tie you to a specific suppliers standards/styles
What is a design specification?
A detailed document that outlines the precise way in which a product or service will be delivered. Includes drawings and standards that need to be met
Conformance is the ability of a product or service to meet its design spec
Does limit innovation
What is a technical specification?
A technical specification is a type of conformance specification and details the standards that a product or service must meet. Standards are often produced by governing bodies such as ISO or the British Standards Institute.
Set out the quality of materials that should be used, the quality of work needed, critical dimensions, chemical composition and allowable tolerances.
What is a performance specification?
Provides the supplier with the required performance but not the method of achieving that performance. So suppliers are free to choose materials and processes.
What are the types of performance specification?
Outcome spec- Describes the functions or performance that a product must fulfil. The spec should identify what needs to be achieved and the capabilities required, and then the process of inputs is left to the supplier.
Output spec- Defines specific deliverables that can be measured in terms of time to deliver, their quality and their cost. Outputs are directly measurable, whereas outcome is more holistic/ long term and not quantifiable directly. Outcomes are delivered by outputs (which in turn are delivered by inputs and then capabilities). An example outcome is a call center needs customers to feel satisfied with a service, the output would be that calls are answered within 3 rings.
Functional spec- This is a type of outcome specification and outlines exactly what it is that the end product or service should do, or how it should be provided. Commonly used in software and focussed on user experience.
SOW spec- Statement of work support both outcome and output specs, it is a detailed description of the specific tasks or services a contractor must perform under the terms of a contract. Can include the purpose of a project, the scope of work involved, where it will be carried out, key tasks, milestones, outputs, testing, success criteria, stakeholders, payment terms and final approval
What is a through life contract?
This is a commonly used purchase and supply arrangement that gives a contractor sole accountability for the design, acquisition, operations, maintenance and disposal of an asset. E.g. IT equipment.
Key parts are:
- Customer support
- Design
- Manufacture
- Installation
- In service support
- Decommission/ disposal
A major advantage is that it can cover both the physical product and the required services to support/operate
What areas should be included in a specifcation?
Scope- cover relevant activities required
Definition- defining user requirements, explore the functions expected to be accomplished, quickly access information accurately
Description of requirement- Focus on the key needs for clarity to the stakeholder around expectations, when expected and why
Testing- acceptance testing (does the product meet the spec), designed to replicate how the end user will interact. e.g. AB testing
Change control- Describe the change, review the change, look at options/timelines and approve the change
ESG- economic, environmental risks, social requirements, stakeholder approval
What is the risk of under specified needs?
Not all requirements of the user have been identified, often because not all users have been identified.
May be unsuitable to meet needs
Money is wasted in rectification
What is the risk of an over specified need?
Should cover the essentials otherwise:
It can lead to greater expense on additional features
Poor competition in the supply base because of the overly specific need
More difficult to evaluate the best bid, especially if suppliers can only meet some of the requirements
What is the risk of a misinterpreted need?
Even if the right users have been identified and the right level of detail has been provided for the requirement, the need may be misinterpreted when incorporating into the finished product.
Problems include:
Not meeting the need of the end user
Adaptation requirements could mean the process takes longer
Increased cost to rework
What is a risk register?
Live document that identifies the risks, impacts and controls to reduce probability and impact. Often one individual is responsible for monitoring and tracking.
There are four phases for managing risk, what are they?
Identify the risks- should be dynamic and added to where appropriate
Assess the risks- rank each risk, often done by likelihood of identifying the risk vs likelihood of eliminating the risk
Control the risks- tolerate, treat, transfer, terminate
Monitor the risks- often through a risk register which tracks the risk, date it was identified, key stakeholder, description, potential impact, mitigation and next review dates
When controlling risk you need to identify mitigating actions, these are often termed the 4 T’s- what are they?
Tolerate- low risk, monitor for change in impact but no action
Treat- take action to reduce the risk in the event they should occur
Transfer- move risk to another party e.g. the supplier or insurance
Terminate- adopt a different path to remove risk completely
What is a project initiation document/PID?
A project Initiation document is an important document that should precede any specification writing. it will outline the scope of the project and it is the teams mandate from senior management.
It should include:
background
constraintes
assumptions
benefits
roles and responsibilities
comms plan
Acceptance criteria
project plan
There are 2 main ways to review and enhance a specification, what are they?
1) Mandating the use of standard parts/products/services
2) Using techniques such as value analysis/engineering to ensure that users have the highest level of value
