Monitoring, Control, and Evaluation
What this domain tests
Monitoring questions ask how a business analyst tracks whether requirements, assumptions, and solution performance stay aligned with business goals. Control questions ask what to do when they drift. Evaluation questions ask how to judge whether the delivered solution actually produced value.
Concepts to master
- Performance measurement: define measures tied to business objectives before or alongside delivery, with baselines and targets. Distinguish output measures (features delivered) from outcome measures (business results).
- Requirement lifecycle tracking: status, ownership, and change history for each requirement.
- Assumption and risk monitoring: assumptions expire; track and revalidate them. Risks need owners and triggers.
- Solution evaluation: compare actual results to expected value, identify causes of shortfall (solution defect, adoption gap, changed context), and recommend action.
- Control loops: detect variance, analyze cause, recommend corrective action, and confirm effect.
Common traps
Questions often substitute activity metrics for outcome metrics; delivering on schedule says nothing about value. Another trap blames the solution when the real cause is low adoption or a shifted business context. Watch for options that measure once and stop.
Rule of thumb
Every measure should name its decision: if a metric would not change anyone's action, it is not worth tracking.
Worked example: A new claims portal launches on time but claim cycle time is unchanged. The analyst checks adoption data, finds low usage among adjusters, and recommends training and workflow fixes rather than rebuilding the portal.