Part F: Introduction

The purpose of the solution delivery practices is to make sure the right solution is developed to the required quality, in a way that can be maintained over time.

The practices in this part of The Teal Book contribute to the quality of the solution. The solution delivery practices should be managed and monitored using the planning and control practices (see Part E: Planning and control).

A portfolio, programme or project manager does not need to be a solution delivery expert. But as the person accountable for managing the work, they need to understand enough to be confident that an appropriate solution is developed within the constraints defined in the business case and that progress can be tracked. See Figure F.1.

Just as the practices needed to plan and control the work need to function together, the components (also called elements) of the resultant solution need to work together. The design, development, integration, operation and disposal of a solution, the environment it operates in and the other solutions it interacts with, all need to be considered. The behaviour of the ‘whole’ is usually different to the sum of the behaviours of the individual parts. This holistic way of looking at a solution is called systems thinking. Systems thinking can be applied to disciplines as diverse as social sciences, engineering and management, often in combination. It focuses on relationships, causality, feedback loops and emergence and is well-suited to complex situations.

A system is an equivalent to a solution and has its own solution or system life cycle, from concept through to disposal.

The Project delivery glossary defines a system as:

Arrangement of parts or components that work together to provide a product, service or outcome.

A solution needs to be designed for all the phases of a system life cycle. Table F.1 shows some examples. The number and naming of the phases should be chosen to emphasise what is important with respect to the solution being delivered. Do not confuse a solution or system life cycle with a programme or project life cycle (see Chapter 14: Programme and project life cycles) nor with a systems development life cycle (which is a development approach for digital solutions).

Different techniques can be used to analyse a solution using a systems approach. One common technique is solution hierarchy (also called a system hierarchy or product breakdown structure). This breaks a solution down into its component parts, grouping smaller parts under larger ones.

The solution hierarchy can be useful for assigning accountability. Each component has a manager who is responsible for everything within it, including all the levels below it, and any gaps or overlaps between components.