methodEnglish

CBA Decision Setup

Define the decision question, owner, stakeholders, constraints, must-have requirements, and status before comparing alternatives.

EnglishEspaƱolFranƧais

Documentation follows the current system language. Missing translations fall back to the page's canonical language.

CBA Decision Setup

The decision setup defines the boundary of the CBA model. A reviewer should understand the decision before reading attributes, advantages, or costs.

Required fields

  • Decision title: short name used in menus and reports.
  • Decision question: the specific choice being made.
  • Decision type: vendor selection, strategy selection, project prioritization, policy choice, technology choice, site selection, hiring or partner choice, or other.
  • Description/context: why the decision exists and what background matters.
  • Decision owner: person or role responsible for the decision.
  • Stakeholders: people or groups whose input, approval, or acceptance matters.
  • Constraints: budget, policy, schedule, legal, technical, operational, or governance boundaries.
  • Must-have requirements: conditions that an alternative must satisfy before it is considered feasible.
  • Status: draft, in review, decided, or archived.

Good decision questions

A strong question names the decision and the intended outcome. Weak questions such as "Which tool is best?" tend to produce generic factors. Stronger questions say what is being selected, for whom, under what conditions, and for what purpose.

Readiness impact

Missing owner, stakeholders, constraints, or must-have requirements does not prevent draft work, but it weakens the final recommendation. CBA is a comparative method; unclear boundaries make comparisons unstable.