In the PMI Guide to Business Analysis and the PMBOK® Guide, when a solution shows discrepancies (defects) during evaluation, the team must determine if the solution is still viable or if the " problems " found make the current path unsustainable.
Why Choice D is correct:
Determining Viability: Feasibility Analysis is the process of evaluating whether a proposed solution (or a fix for a defect) is technically, financially, and operationally possible.
Go/No-Go Input: Before facilitating a go/no-go decision, the Business Analyst uses feasibility analysis to ask: " Can we actually fix these discrepancies within our current constraints? " and " Does the solution still meet the organizational needs despite these defects? "
Root Cause and Constraint Check: It serves as the starting point because it identifies which problem areas are " showstoppers " (unfeasible to fix) versus which ones are minor hurdles, directly informing the stakeholders whether to proceed to launch.
Analysis of other options:
A (Elicitation): Elicitation is the process of gathering requirements or information. While the BA might elicit information about the defects, elicitation itself is not a technique for analyzing discrepancies or determining the logic behind a go/no-go decision.
B (Opportunity analysis): This technique is used at the very beginning of a project to justify the investment by identifying potential business benefits. By the time you are logging defects and making a go/no-go decision, the opportunity has already been identified and the project is in the evaluation phase.
C (Cost-benefit analysis): This is a subset of feasibility analysis (Economic Feasibility). While crucial, it only looks at the financial aspect. A discrepancy might be " cheap " to fix but " technically impossible " or " operationally risky. " Feasibility analysis is a broader and more appropriate starting point to cover all " problem areas. "
Key Concept: The Project Management Institute (PMI) emphasizes that during Solution Evaluation, the focus shifts from " what we want " to " what we have. " Using Feasibility Analysis (Choice D) as a starting point allows the Business Analyst to provide a grounded, evidence-based recommendation to stakeholders, ensuring that a " Go " decision is only made when the solution is truly ready for the operational environment.
