The Applications Handbook.pdf - Nexus Technologies Inc.

PLAN: Building the Right Applications in the Right Way ■ 17
Another benefit is the creation of a system of record with an
audit trail and transaction history that is part of the request
and business case for regulatory compliance.
Compare Apples to Apples
Getting a comprehensive view of demand and automating the
workflow as much as possible is half of the battle. But the discipline
of comparing and prioritizing requests remains.
The first step is to ensure that each request is categorized in a
standard way. Categorizing requests allows the organization to
understand the scope of the request: Is it a defect fix, a minor
enhancement, or an entirely new application? The larger the
request, the greater the justification it requires. Request categories
might capture this information:
• Application class: innovation, growth, efficiency, maintenance,
compliance
• Business objectives: increase revenues, contain costs,
kickstart new business initiatives
• Sponsor and beneficiaries: the business organization
that will sponsor the request and organizations that will
benefit
• Resources required (headcount, perhaps by role)
• Budget: include capital and operational estimates, as
well as labor
• Business value vs. risk: essentially the cost-benefit analysis,
for which many techniques are available (See Sample
Value Criteria on the next page.)