Consideration 02: Standard vs. Open-Ended Solutions



R.P. Churchill, CBAP, PMP, CSPO, CSM, CSD

Consideration 02: Standard vs. Open-Ended Solutions


The Basics

A standard solution is one using the same approaches or tools. This is more specific than just saying you always use IT in some way. Standardized does not mean always exactly the same. Many customizations can be and are developed and deployed.

This usually has to do with the main business lines of an organization, in terms of both products and services.

It is actually difficult to sell or maintain even credibility in providing wildly divergent types of products or solutions. The list of tools discussed in this group of items support solutions of all types. This may or may not represent a contradiction.

Consideration 02: Standard vs. Open-Ended Solutions


Examples

I worked for vendors and consultants that specialized in:
  • turnkey mechanical pulping systems for the paper industry (and process improvement consulting for same)
  • nuclear power plant simulators (as a division of a larger industrial conglomerate)
  • document imaging systems for business process reengineering efforts
  • reheat furnaces and control systems for the metals industry (and control systems and process improvement consulting for that and related manufacturers)
  • control systems for HVAC and building entry systems
  • operations research simulations (usually for large government customers), and some related general IT solutions

I supported an internal, microservices-based, CI/CD, IT system in only one case.

Organizations that specialize in particular types of solutions will inevitably also address a variety of other random problems.

Consideration 02: Standard vs. Open-Ended Solutions

Next: Consideration 03: Incremental Improvement vs. The Big Kill

Prev: Consideration 01: Internal vs. External Customer

Index
Introduction

    
Approaches

    
Considerations