The Design Template

Lets not start from scratch every time

This is the template that I use to help me design solutions. It’s a working document that is meant to be updated by contributors. This template has a few purposes: 

1. It makes it a little easier to get started.

2. It provides a checklist to ensure we aren’t forgetting something.

3. It might help others think about implementing solutions in the future.

Overview

This paragraph is an intro to the problem and solution. It also includes a sentence about why this design matters, and another about its impact if implemented well. Mention the most important metric of the problem/solution, and the estimated cost and timeline of implementing the solution.

Table of Contents

• Overview

  • Table of Contents

• Problem Identification

• Solution

  • Design Specification

  • Deployment

  • Costs

  • Funding

  • Risks

• Action Items

• Appendix: Assumptions, Metrics, Definitions, Alternative Solutions, Stakeholder Feedback, FAQ, Past Document Versions, Sources, Document Authors

Problem Identification

• What has changed recently to make this problem more pressing or more visible?

• What is the scope of the problem?

  • How can we measure the problem?

  • Who is impacted?

  • What is the time frame of the problem?

  • What is the monetary cost associated with the problem?

• What are the current solutions?

  • Who is trying to solve this problem?

  • Why aren’t their solutions sufficient?

• What are the possible long term effects if the problem isn’t solved?

Solution

Title should be a spiffy same for the solution. Describe the solution at a high level in a few sentences. Provide images of the solution for increased clarity.

Design Specification

There are many details that may need to be covered, but don’t forget that a simpler solution has a higher probability of actually being implemented and should be favored:

1. What kind of organization(s) will be needed in order to implement a solution?

   1. Will a company need to be formed? (non profit, for profit, corp, llc, etc.)

   2. Will a governing or regulatory body need to approve some part of the solution?

   3. Who are potential partners or collaborators?

2. What kind of new IP will need to be created?

   1. Software, wikis, policies, cultural artifacts, etc.

3. What kind of existing technologies should be used?

   1. Hardware requirements?

   2. Software requirements?

   3. Real estate requirements?

4. What kind of people are essential to the solution?

   1. Specialties?

   2. Education Level?

   3. Employment type (contractor, full time, government employee, volunteer)?

   4. Required Experience?

   5. Physical Requirements: size, strength, accessibility restrictions?

   6. Emotional or Personality Requirements: does this solution put a high amount of stress on a group or person? 

5. Is there a feedback mechanism that can help make this solution better?

   1. How will feedback be gathered during the trial or prototype phase? 

   2. How will feedback be addressed?

6. How do we measure the effectiveness of this solution?

   1. Key performance indicators

   2. Are there alarms that could notify the implementers of this solution that it's not working?

Deployment

What are the steps between the current state and the fully implemented solution that is described above?

1. Is there a prototyping, dry run, or trial for the solution?

2. Is there a ramp up to the solution from a few people impacted to many? If so, what ramp up curve makes the most sense?

3. What is the main thing stopping this solution from being implemented?

   1. Funding?

   2. Public buy in?

   3. Risk aversion of stakeholders?

   4. Problem is not fully understood?

   5. Uncertainty of solution effectiveness?

   6. Cultural dysfunction?

4. Who are the minimum viable stakeholders needed to begin implementing the solution?

5. What is the minimum funding needed to begin implementing the solution?

6. Can the steps to deployment be divided into milestones? If so, what are the milestones?

7. How long will each of the steps take (ranges with 50% confidence intervals e.g “3 to 5 months”)?

8. Is there a hard or soft deadline for deployment? If so, what happens if the deployment window is missed? 

9. What is the highest risk step of deployment, why is it risky?

10. If we change this solution at any point in the deployment process, which steps would become throw away work? 

    1. Is there a way to design the solution whereas many steps as possible can be utilized for many other solution paths in order to mitigate this risk?

11. Is there a point of no return in this deployment? Call them out and explain why they are necessary.

12. How will we know the solution is working?

Costs

Describe the financial cost of the solution. Include estimates for labor, materials, external services, and tax. Use ranges with 50% confidence intervals.

1. Include a pie chart describing the breakdown of expenses.

2. Include a chart of expenses over time assuming ideal funding or revenue. If possible, include error bars to show non-ideal expenses / funding situations.

3. Separate one time expenses from recurring if possible

4. If replacing an existing system, highlight the difference in cost or financial impact.

Funding

1. Where will the funds for this solution come from? 

2. Who are the gatekeepers to the funds? 

3. Does the solution need continuous funds, or will it become self-sustaining at some point?

4. ROI (Return on Investment): Over what period will an investment pay off, and what is the expected return?

Risks

Identify weak points and include mitigation strategies: For each risk identified, how might it be reduced or managed?

1. What are the weak points of this system?

2. What is the most likely point of failure in the deployment plan?

3. Are there any people that could be marginalized by this solution?

   1. Are there people who benefit more than others?

   2. Are there groups that would find this solution unethical or unfair?

4. Is there a time period where the system may seem not to be working when it actually is? If so, are there metrics that could indicate the reality?

5. What is the worst case scenario that has greater than a 1% chance of occurring with this solution?

6. It may be helpful to categorize risks as either "Internal" (stemming from within the project) or "External" (outside factors that could affect project success).

Action Items

What are the next steps in this design and implementation?

Appendix

Put stuff that is making the solution document too long here.

Assumptions

What are the assumptions that you have made in this solution? Can you point to why you have these assumptions? Link if possible.

Metrics

If there are other metrics or graphs that help clarify details of this solution include them here. Reference in the main part of the document where relevant.

Definitions

This section has a list of terms that are new or are not in the top 30,000 words most commonly used? If so, define them here, or link to a definition if possible.

Alternative Solutions

What other solutions did you consider? List them here, each one should take up no more than 4 sentences if possible. Why is the main solution favored over the solution here?

Stakeholder Feedback

A section for potential stakeholder commentary.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions and answers.

Past Document Versions

If this document is forked/copied, link to the original(s) here.

Sources

Cite and link sources when feasible.

Document Authors

Christopher Canal

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Your suggestions are appreciated! If a suggestion is accepted, and you are a subscriber, your name will be added to the authors section of this document. Link to document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CrXueSzu-Wax1j4UUkqb1y623YGvLVauo6QtIRzLgLM/edit?usp=sharing