Situation Statement
The concept of "Situation Statement" serves as a foundational framework for identifying and describing either a problem or an opportunity within an organization.
Fundamental Elements
A situation statement is made up of three essential elements:
Statement Itself: This is the core objective assertion that defines what the problem or opportunity is.
Effect on the Organization: This part details how the situation is affecting or could affect the organization. This can relate to processes, resources, market position, and so on.
Resulting Impact: This spells out the consequences of the situation, often in terms of business value, such as costs, benefits, or risks.
Purpose
The situation statement aims to serve as a consolidated, concise presentation of the issue or opportunity at hand. It becomes a touchpoint that the business analysis activities can refer back to. Here are some key purposes it serves:
Alignment: Ensures that all stakeholders and team members have a unified understanding of what is being addressed.
Comparison against Current State: The situation statement becomes a baseline against which the current state of the organization can be assessed to gauge the impact of the situation.
Starting Point for Future State: It establishes the context for what exists today and provides a foundational base from which the future state of the organization can be built.
Flexibility in Format
While a situation statement has these foundational elements, the format can vary depending on organizational preferences. The critical factor is not the template but the discussion and agreement on the situation among the team and stakeholders.
Role in Assessment and Planning
The situation statement is integral for the assessment of the current organizational state and planning for the future state. When assessing the current state, the situation statement helps identify gaps or issues that need to be addressed to transition to a desired future state. This future state is then designed to solve or exploit the defined problem or opportunity.
Situation Statement is a critical tool in business analysis. It crystallizes the problem or opportunity, aligns the team and stakeholders, provides a comparison baseline for assessing the current state, and lays the foundation for planning the future state. It thereby enables more effective and targeted business analysis activities.