The purpose of Technical Solution (TS) is to design, develop, and implement solutions to requirements. Solutions, designs, and implementations encompass products, product components, and product-related lifecycle processes either singly or in combination as appropriate.

The Technical Solution process area is applicable at any level of the product architecture and to every product, product component, and product-related lifecycle process. Throughout the process areas, where we use the terms product and product component, their intended meanings also encompass services and their components.

The process area focuses on the following:

·   Evaluating and selecting solutions (sometimes referred to as “design approaches,” “design concepts,” or “preliminary designs”) that potentially satisfy an appropriate set of allocated requirements

·   Developing detailed designs for the selected solutions (detailed in the context of containing all the information needed to manufacture, code, or otherwise implement the design as a product or product component)

·   Implementing the designs as a product or product component

Typically, these activities interactively support each other. Some level of design, at times fairly detailed, may be needed to select solutions. Prototypes or pilots may be used as a means of gaining sufficient knowledge to develop a technical data package or a complete set of requirements.

Technical Solution specific practices apply not only to the product and product components but also to product-related lifecycle processes. The product-related lifecycle processes are developed in concert with the product or product component. Such development may include selecting and adapting existing processes (including standard processes) for use as well as developing new processes.

Processes associated with the Technical Solution process area receive the product and product component requirements from the requirements management processes. The requirements management processes place the requirements, which originate in requirements development processes, under appropriate configuration management and maintain their traceability to previous requirements.

For a maintenance or sustainment project, the requirements in need of maintenance actions or redesign may be driven by user needs or latent defects in the product components. New requirements may arise from changes in the operating environment. Such requirements can be uncovered during verification of the product(s) where actual performance can be compared against the specified performance and unacceptable degradation can be identified. Processes associated with the Technical Solution process area should be used to perform the maintenance or sustainment design efforts.

Refer to the Requirements Development process area for more information about requirements allocations, establishing an operational concept, and interface requirements definition.

Refer to the Verification process area for more information about conducting peer reviews and verifying that the product and product components meet requirements.

Refer to the Decision Analysis and Resolution process area for more information about formal evaluation.

Refer to the Requirements Management process area for more information about managing requirements. The specific practices in the Requirements Management process area are performed interactively with those in the Technical Solution process area.

Refer to the Organizational Innovation and Deployment process area for more information about improving the organization’s technology.

Specific Goal and Practice Summary

SG 1 Select Product Component Solutions

SP 1.1       Develop Alternative Solutions and Selection Criteria

SP 1.2       Select Product Component Solutions

SG 2 Develop the Design

SP 2.1       Design the Product or Product Component

SP 2.2       Establish a Technical Data Package

SP 2.3       Design Interfaces Using Criteria

SP 2.4       Perform Make, Buy, or Reuse Analyses

SG 3 Implement the Product Design

SP 3.1       Implement the Design

SP 3.2       Develop Product Support Documentation