Draw a large + (plus) sign on a whiteboard and caption each quadrant as you see in the above example. Pass out any documentation you may need to support the discussion and set time limits. To cover all four areas, allow yourself a minimum of two hours, or thirty minutes per quadrant.
Below is a high-level summary of what to cover in each block:
Problem
Your goal is to capture specific problems and any attempts to solve them. You will know you’ve captured/defined the problem correctly if you can tie an adverse financial or qualitative impact to the problem (i.e., downtime or safety risks).
Impact
Capture the types of data and tasks you will need to perform to quantify the economic impact of the problem. More importantly, decide upfront if the economic impact is significant enough that you’re willing to spend money to solve the problem.
Vision
Establish a wish list for a near-perfect solution; using plain language, define what you want the solution to do and how you want users to interact with it. Do not center your discussions around specific products, services, or vendors. Vendor evaluations come later in the process.
Outcome
Define the economic and qualitative benefits you want to derive from implementing the solution and articulate how the solution will make a financial impact.
