Confirming Analysis › Checking for Completeness › Comparison Checking

Comparison Checking

Comparison checking involves comparing the new business model with current systems models. This activity helps to find further analysis objects, particularly attributes and low-level processes.

The following table shows some likely model objects for comparison.

The chapter titled "Analyzing Current Systems" describes comparison of entity types with current data stores. One example of a comparison, used for confirming the analysis model and planning for transition, is that of elementary processes in the activity model compared with current system procedures.

Comparison checking uses the matrix shown in part in the following illustration.

Comparison checking can reveal the following situations:

• Procedure supports no process in the analysis model.
• The activity model may need to be amended, or the procedure may support a process that is outside the scope of the current development project, in which case the project should not plan to replace the current system in its entirety.
• No procedure supports this process.
• The current system does not support the process, but it may be worth checking other current systems.
• A procedure supports this process.
• It may still be worth checking the process definition for omissions suggested by the procedure documentation.
• Several procedures support this process.
• There may be genuine overlap in current systems, but it is still worth checking the process definition to see if the process is really elementary, or whether it represents several business processes.
• A procedure supports several processes.
• It is worth checking the process definitions to see if the business processes really are separate.