CBAP · Question #254
You are working with Tom, a key stakeholder, in your business analysis duties. Tom is asking you about the desired outcome for current business opportunity. Which one of the following is NOT an…
The correct answer is A. Implement new machinery to complete the work processes faster. Desired outcomes describe the business results or benefits an organization wants to achieve, not the methods or solutions used to achieve them. Implementing new machinery is a proposed solution, which makes it distinct from an outcome.
Question
You are working with Tom, a key stakeholder, in your business analysis duties. Tom is asking you about the desired outcome for current business opportunity. Which one of the following is NOT an example of a desired outcome?
Options
- AImplement new machinery to complete the work processes faster
- BIncrease sales
- CReduce costs
- DReduce time to deliver a product or service
How the community answered
(33 responses)- A82% (27)
- B6% (2)
- C9% (3)
- D3% (1)
Why each option
Desired outcomes describe the business results or benefits an organization wants to achieve, not the methods or solutions used to achieve them. Implementing new machinery is a proposed solution, which makes it distinct from an outcome.
Implementing new machinery is a solution or action - a means to an end - rather than a desired outcome. Desired outcomes articulate what the business wants to achieve (faster throughput, lower costs, higher revenue) without prescribing how to get there. Specifying a solution upfront as an 'outcome' constrains business analysis by presupposing the answer before the problem is fully explored.
Increasing sales is a measurable business result that directly expresses what the organization wants to achieve, making it a valid desired outcome.
Reducing costs is a quantifiable business benefit representing an end state the organization seeks, and is a classic example of a desired outcome.
Reducing time to deliver a product or service is a performance improvement result - an end state, not a prescribed action - and qualifies as a desired outcome.
Concept tested: Distinguishing desired outcomes from proposed solutions
Source: https://www.iiba.org/career-resources/a-business-analysis-professionals-foundation-for-success/babok/
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