Analyzing Interactions › Using Interaction Clustering to Refine Project Scope › Performing Interaction Clustering

Performing Interaction Clustering

Guidelines for performing interaction clustering:

• Start clustering as early as possible during analysis. Do not wait until all the details are available and agreed. The interim results will help to clarify ideas and to direct follow-up actions to improve the processes and entity types.
• Scope repeatedly. Scoping is not a one-time procedure.
• Use the results of initial scoping to narrow down the scope of analysis.
• Use details of the scope of the systems to selectively complete analysis only for those processes that form part of the priority business system. Subsequent projects will fill in the details for other systems. CA Gen will help to ensure coordination and consistency between these subsequent projects.

The following steps are for performing interaction clustering:

Step 1 Cluster the Elementary Processes

This simply involves executing the cluster command while accessing the Entity Type Used By Elementary Process Matrix.

The following illustration shows the matrix before the clustering operation, with expected effects included.

For clarity, only C and U expected effects are shown, but the matrices can contain R and D as well. You should complete any missing expected effects before clustering.

Following clustering, expect to see a matrix more like the one in the illustration which shows one specific R to illustrate an example issue.

Step 2 Adjust the Clusters if Necessary

Sometimes the clusters automatically calculated by CA Gen are not as tidy as those in the following illustration.

You may need to investigate the definitions of processes and expected effects where processes appear in unexpected clusters and to intervene to allocate dense or unclustered processes or entity types. If this is the case, use rhw Matrix Processor facilities to move rows and columns around until the appearance of the clusters is improved.

Step 3 Determine Business System Boundaries

Finally, the results of clustering are used to identify business systems. Consider the following illustration.

The results of interaction clustering in the illustration show that the analysis model includes eight design clusters:

• Purchasing
• ???
• Pricing
• Advertising
• Competitive analysis
• Market Research
• Targeting
• Project Support

At least four issues need to be resolved:

• If the member activities of the design area cluster 2 are not normally associated, then possibly there has been an analysis fault, or a typing/documentation error. Should the activity Implement Product create the entity type customer survey? Discussion must be held with end users of the member activities to verify the expected effects (CRUD), and perhaps name the cluster Product Development.
• There is some doubt about whether the entity type geographic zone is relevant to the project scope (or analysis model for which the matrix is drawn) because it has no Create activity. Again, consult end users.
• Questions arise about the activity Assess Credit being part of the scope. Consult end users.
• There needs to be an investigation of implementation priorities, coupled with a review of the Read interaction dependencies between clusters. For example, the Pricing cluster reads the entity type product created and updated by the newly named Product Development cluster.

It would be technically simpler to implement the second design area cluster Product Development before the Pricing design area. However business priorities may require Pricing to be implemented first. If so, then an existing file of products will have to be accessed through bridging software until the second cluster is resolved and the fully defined product is implemented.

Before assuming that the cluster analysis is complete, consider comparing the results of this analysis with any existing Business Systems Architecture developed during Planning. Although the business systems just derived are much more detailed than those predicted during Planning, their shapes should be roughly the same. If not, reconcile the two views, either by revising the Business Systems Architecture or by changing the grouping of processes.

Since a business system is the basis for a development project, it must be sized appropriately for that project. Combine clusters to produce an appropriate development scope that:

• Covers business requirements
• Is of manageable size for the skills and experience available within the development team
• Delivers worthwhile business benefits when implemented; these benefits must therefore be identified and quantified