Six BACCM concepts as a connected model

The previous lesson separated a need from a proposed app. We now need a way to avoid dropping a crucial element when analyzing a situation quickly. The Business Analysis Core Concept Model, or BACCM, connects six concepts: change, need, solution, stakeholder, value, and context. They are not six rigid sequential steps, and no one concept outranks the others. What each means in a case can change as we learn how it relates to the other five. An app may work technically while failing to address the user's actual need. It may address that need while adding burdens for a clerk and reducing value. Use the six questions as connected lenses, then revise your initial description.

Change is a transformation of work in response to a need. A need is a problem or opportunity worth addressing. A solution is a specific way of satisfying a need in a particular context; it may involve a manual procedure, technology, or both. A stakeholder is a person or group related to the need, change, or solution, not merely the budget owner. Value is usefulness or importance to a particular stakeholder in a particular context. It may show up as shorter time, fewer errors, or a more trustworthy experience. Context is the set of circumstances that influences and is influenced by the change, such as peak season, staff capability, available tools, and work rules. ‘The system is faster’ is an incomplete value statement. Faster for whom, at what step, and with what side effects?

To use the model, write one case-specific, revisable statement for each concept and draw at least two links between concepts. Ask whether the observed need applies to every customer or a particular group. Is the proposed solution viable in this setting? Does the change create a new need for clerks? What measure would show value to customers and to the organization? Where an answer is unknown, write ‘unknown’ and name evidence to gather instead of guessing. A contextual fact may force you to revise your need statement. If some visitors cannot access a digital channel, an exclusively digital solution could shorten the wait for its users while shifting delays to others. This observation does not rule out digitization; it identifies a test that should precede the decision.