Jaron CollisCore ConceptIt would be nice if all consultancy problems came preprocessed, with all facts, figures and analyses packaged like supermarket ready meals into bite-sized mental chunks. Instead, the pertinent issues in the real world are often obscure, ambiguous, buried away or not even known. Time to hunt and gather.researchquestionsresultsresearchLearn where the berry bushes are: Who are the domain experts? Find relevant reports, books, articles on the subject Consult the online oracles (in-house knowledge management system if there is one, Usenet if there isn't)questionsThe questions to ask are derived from your domain knowledgecosttimeriskscapabilitycomplexityconstraintsneedscostThe financial constraints. The project budget. The shopping list - how much things cost.timeThe project timescale. When should it be implemented? Lifespan: how long is it intended to last?risksThe risk of change versus the risk of maintaining the status quodisturbancescapabilityWhat resources are available? Human, technical assets, infrastructure etc. Is what is in-house sufficient or will you have to buy it in?compatibilitycomplexityAnalyse the system, do you understand every part of the system? Find out the level of knowledge within organisation. Poorly understood systems may require refactoring. disturbancesWhat will be effect of potential technological evolution (and revolution) Beware of new products, releases, fluctuations of demand.constraintsRecord legal, social, technical boundariesresultsA hunt and gather expedition should hopefully result in a basket of: Quantitative Data - facts and figures Qualitative Data - opinions and assumptions, with degrees of confidence Constraints - the problem scope (limits set by available knowledge)compatibilityWhat will the solution need to work alongside?needsWhat are the business needs, now and later? Identify areas where benefits are possible.falseconsultancy12002-09-28T22:29:18.770+01:002002-09-28T23:30:26.054+01:00outside context problem