Organizations are becoming increasingly data-driven. At SMT, we even believe that companies no longer need to make decisions based on gut feeling; every decision should be based on hard facts and data. The way to prepare an organization for a data-driven approach is by collecting use cases. These small business cases describe the decisions being made, the data required, and how they contribute to the organization's strategic objectives.
Below are the four essential steps to arrive at a good use case.
1. Determine the business goals.
Everything an organization does must contribute to the company's objectives. This should not be confused with achieving the highest possible profit. Making a profit is a consequence of, and often also a prerequisite for, achieving the stated goals. The business objectives are the ' why' of an organization; why do we do what we do?
Mapping the "why" is the most important factor in determining the added value of the use case for the organization. If multiple use cases are considered, the appropriate priority can be determined based on their value to the organization.
For example, a home furnishings store whose vision is to improve the daily lives of its customers. This abstract goal translates into how products are made and which products belong in the product range. It also influences the customer experience in the store, on the website, and with the brand beyond. For an IT department, this means that all services provided serve this experience. Employees must be able to answer customer questions quickly and expertly, using various IT services to do so.
The priority of a use case is therefore largely determined by its impact on this experience. Improving an application used in the store is more important in this example than increasing the response time of an application used by staff behind the scenes.
2. Look at the value chain.
A business process often consists of a series of actions, with stakeholders having diverse needs and desires. A good use case considers this entire chain of actions and meets everyone's needs.
Nowadays, a large part of an organization's supply chain is filled by technical processes. When a furniture manufacturer sells a sofa, cash register, inventory, planning, and logistics systems are involved. In addition, supporting processes such as marketing, the service desk, and an IT team are needed to provide technical and operational support. For a successful use case, it's essential to map the entire supply chain so that everyone's interests become measurable and transparent.
You might discover that a service desk capacity problem has multiple causes. A key factor appears to be HR's difficulty finding sufficient staff with the right skills. Furthermore, it appears that the current testing team hasn't kept pace with the recent growth in the number of software developers. This has resulted in a decline in software quality, placing an increased burden on the service desk to handle user queries.
3. Determine the risks, costs and returns.
A use case can contribute to business objectives in various ways. The most important factors are risk, cost, and revenue. To achieve increased returns in the short term, look for the use case where, with minimal effort, costs can quickly decrease, revenues increase, or risk is reduced.
It's almost impossible to avoid making assumptions or estimates at this stage. These are inherently imprecise, so you must be mindful of uncertainties. A good way to address this is to provide insight into the degree of uncertainty.
4. Ensure a clear scope.
Determining, and especially adhering to, a scope is a challenge in any project. This also applies to developing and defining a use case. Therefore, defining the scope is paramount, from start to finish. Consider the technical systems involved and those not, as well as the associated processes and procedures. Specify what falls within and outside the scope. Consider the interests of the various stakeholders involved in the use case; what is obvious to one person may need to be addressed by another.
