Prime Option Examples

You can use Prime Option in the number of areas some of which we detailed below.
Decision

Software package selection
Software design

Which architectural design is better?

Contractors grading system

Cleaning up contaminated site

Marketing Decision

Who to promote?

Selecting investment fund
Which shares to buy?

Should we offshore?

NASA - Human Exploration Of Mars

Risk assessment - hacking
Measuring compliance, governance or requirements fit

The decision criteria can be analyzed using hierarchical decomposition and documented in the familiar windows explorer like criteria tree.

Any number of sub-criteria can be added to improve the decision making process.

That criteria tree can then be applied to determine which option best meets the requirements.

Prime Option will document the decision.

Prime Option will help you select the best option.

The complex process of software selection can be analyzed using hierarchical decomposition and documented. An example of software package selection problem provided with Prime Option contains over 300 criteria. A subset criteria tree is displayed below.

You can use Prime Option to decide which software design option is best to meet your customer needs. For example criteria may look like (partial display) :

You can use Prime Option in architectural design assessment. For example very simple architectural criteria may look like:

This Excel based performance grading system is used in the tender evaluation and other assessments of contactors by a nameless government department located north of Mexico. With billions of dollars at stake is this grading system effective?

You guessed it right � it�s not very effective. There are a number of issues hidden within this system:

• It assumes that all rating factors are equal for example �Work Quality� is the same weight as �Cooperation�
  
• It is macro simplistic for example �Management� is a very large criterion
  
• Some rating factors overlap for example �Accuracy� is part of 'Work Quality'
  

You may start improving this performance grading system with Prime Option:

You can use Prime Option in deciding which it the best alternative in contaminated site clean up. You may use the following model:

For example your top level criteria may look like:

You can use Prime Option in products assessment. For example your criteria may look like:

You can use Prime Option in personnel assessment. For example your criteria may look like:

You can use Prime Option to select an investment fund. For example your criteria (partial display) may look like:

You can use Prime Option to select shares. For example your criteria (partial display) may look like:

You can use Prime Option to decide for the right reasons whether you offshore or keep IT in-house. For example your criteria (partial display) may look like:

Pity that NASA didn�t use Prime Option (was not available at the time of the study) to assess Human Exploration of Mars it would have made the task easier.

�The primary driver for developing missions to send humans to other planets is to generate significant scientific return.

NASA plans human planetary explorations with an acceptable level of risk consistent with other manned operations.

Space exploration risks can not be completely eliminated. Therefore, an acceptable level of cost, technical, safety, schedule, and political risks and benefits must be established for exploratory missions.

This study uses a three-dimensional multi-criteria decision making model to identify the risks and benefits associated with three alternative mission architecture operations concepts for the human exploration of Mars identified by the Mission Operations Directorate at Johnson Space Center.

The three alternatives considered in this study include split, combo lander, and dual scenarios.

The model considers the seven phases of the mission including:

(1) Earth Vicinity/Departure;

(2) Mars Transfer;

(3) Mars Arrival;

(4) Planetary Surface;

(5) Mars Vicinity/Departure;

(6) Earth Transfer; and

(7) Earth Arrival.

Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and subjective probability estimation are used to captures the experts belief concerning the risks and benefits of the three alternative scenarios through a series of sequential, rational, and analytical processes.�

You can use Prime Option to measure risk. For example your risk assessment (partial display) may look like:

You can use Prime Option to measure compliance , governance or requirements fit. In these cases you would use two options Yes and No. You can specify Yes in the range 0% - 100% by assigning scores to either Yes, No or both.

Without prejudice (this stops us from being sued in Australia) and for some fun a male chauvinist may consider criteria (partial display):

Prime Option is a flexible and easy to use tool that gives you the capability to improve your decisions.