Business Performance Problem and Complete IMAT637 Activity 1 Using Template 1
What makes a performance problem valid for IT acquisition, how to apply the performance gap concept, what the commodity purchase distinction means in practice, and how to complete Template 1 in a way that holds up through the rest of the course.
Activity 1 is the foundation of your entire individual project. Every template you complete over the next several weeks builds on the problem statement you write here. Get it right now and the rest of the course flows logically. Get it wrong — pick a commodity purchase, a fictional organization, or a problem that management could fix without IT — and you will be rebuilding it later on top of a shaky base. This guide walks through exactly what the activity requires, what disqualifies a problem, and how to frame your Template 1 in a way that works.
What This Guide Covers
What Activity 1 Is Actually Asking
Strip away the template language and here is the core task: find a real organizational problem that is serious enough, complex enough, and persistent enough that fixing it requires hiring an outside IT contractor through a competitive bidding process. Then document that problem using Template 1 from IT Economics Corporation.
Identify the Problem
A real performance shortfall in a real organization — something measurable, something that matters, something that has not been fixed by other means.
Justify IT as the Solution
Show that the problem cannot be solved by better management, a commodity purchase, or existing staff. IT acquisition is the only viable path.
Document It in Template 1
Fill out the template clearly enough that your instructor — and classmates — can evaluate whether the problem is valid and whether IT acquisition is the right response.
Every activity you complete in IMAT637 builds on Activity 1. You will use this problem to develop acquisition requirements, a risk management plan, a solicitation strategy, and eventually a performance-based work statement. A weak or invalid problem statement in Week 1 becomes a structural problem at Week 10. The feedback loop in Weeks 1–4 exists precisely to give you a chance to strengthen it before it is locked in.
Understanding the Performance Gap
The performance gap is the distance between where your organization is now and where it needs to be. It is not the same as “we need better software.” It is a measurable shortfall in organizational performance against a stated goal or standard.
Think of the performance gap in three layers. Where are we now — the current state, with specific metrics if possible. Where do we need to be — the target state defined by the organization’s strategic goals, KPIs, or performance standards. And what is blocking us from getting there — the root cause analysis that points toward IT as a necessary part of the solution.
Commodity Purchase vs. IT Services Acquisition — The Distinction That Disqualifies Most First Drafts
This is the most common reason Activity 1 gets sent back for revision. The course templates are designed for IT services acquisitions — not commodity buys. Here is the clearest way to think about it.
IT Services Acquisition (Valid for Activity 1)
The solution requires professional judgment, design work, and implementation by a contractor. The “what” is not fully known in advance — the contractor helps define and deliver it.
- Hiring a contractor to design, build, and implement a custom workflow system
- Contracting a firm to evaluate, select, configure, and deploy a CRM platform
- Engaging an IT services vendor to migrate legacy data systems and train staff
- Contracting for managed IT security services including threat monitoring and incident response
- Hiring a contractor to assess and redesign the organization’s network architecture
Commodity Purchase (Not Valid for Activity 1)
The solution is already known. You are buying a standardized product with standardized terms. No competitive RFP process is required for this type of transaction.
- Buying 20 new laptops from a vendor’s catalog
- Renewing a software license for Microsoft 365
- Purchasing a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) application with no customization
- Adding a new server to the data center
- Subscribing to a cloud storage service with standard terms
Your problem can include commodity products as part of the solution — but the contractor’s services must be the primary acquisition. For example, a contractor hired to design and implement a new data management system might procure server hardware and software licenses as part of that project. The hardware and software are commodities, but selecting, integrating, and implementing them is what the contractor does. That is an IT services acquisition. The test: if the solution can be fully delivered by walking into a store and buying something off the shelf, it is a commodity. If it requires a contractor to figure out what to build and then build it, it is a service.
What Not to Select — and Why Each Disqualifier Matters
The lecture notes and Activity 1 document both list explicit disqualifiers. These are not bureaucratic restrictions — each one exists because the course templates genuinely do not fit those scenarios.
Problems Solvable by Better Internal Management
If the real root cause is poor management — unclear accountability, missing policies, inadequate supervision — then IT will not fix it. The lecture is direct on this: acquiring IT to solve a management problem is one of the most common and costly mistakes in IT acquisition. Template 1 asks you to identify the root cause. If that root cause is managerial, you need a different problem.
Common example: “Reports are always late because staff don’t follow the process.” That is a management enforcement problem, not an IT problem. A new reporting system does not make people follow processes.Problems Solvable by Adding to a Current Contractor’s Scope
Activity 1 requires a problem that would result in a competitive RFP process — multiple contractors evaluated, best one selected. If your solution is simply expanding the scope of an existing contract with an existing vendor, there is no competitive selection, no RFP, and the course templates do not apply. You need a problem that would start a new procurement from scratch.
Common example: “We need additional modules added to the system our current vendor manages.” That is a contract modification, not a new acquisition.Problems Solvable by an Internal Commodity Purchase
If your organization can solve the problem by purchasing a standardized product — a server, a SaaS subscription, a COTS software package — without needing a contractor selected through an open competitive process, the problem does not qualify. The decision to buy a commodity means the solution is already known. The course templates are for situations where a contractor must help define and deliver the solution.
Common example: “Our storage capacity is running out and we need to buy more cloud storage.” That is a commodity subscription — no RFP, no services acquisition.The Real Organization Requirement — Why It Matters Practically
The assignment is explicit: use a real organization you are with now or have direct knowledge of. You do not need to name it. You do not need to share confidential data. But the organization should be real.
Why Real Organizations Work Better
Real organizations have real constraints — budget cycles, stakeholder politics, legacy systems, regulatory requirements, existing contracts. Those constraints shape every template you fill out. A real performance gap in a real organization gives you specific numbers, specific context, and specific barriers that make your problem statement credible and your later activities realistic.
Why Fictitious Organizations Fall Apart
A fictional organization has no real constraints. You can make the budget whatever you want, the stakeholders as cooperative as you like, the legacy systems as simple as convenient. That means the templates become an exercise in creative writing rather than acquisition planning. The learning objective — applying CMMI-ACQ practices to a real-world problem — is lost entirely.
Your current employer, a previous employer, a nonprofit you volunteer with, a government agency you work in or have worked in, a family-owned business you know well enough to describe its operations accurately. Reasonable estimates are acceptable for data you cannot access — the course says so explicitly. If you work in a large organization, a department-level problem is fine. You do not need organization-wide scope. The test is whether the constraints you describe would actually exist in the real world.
Linking Your Problem to the Enterprise Strategic Plan
Template 1 asks you to connect your performance problem to the organization’s strategic goals. This is not optional flavor — it is a core concept from the week’s lecture. IT acquisition that is not aligned with strategic goals wastes resources. The connection you make here is also the foundation for the KPI alignment work in later templates.
Identify the Relevant Strategic Goal
Most organizations have a strategic plan with stated goals — improve customer satisfaction, reduce operational costs, increase processing speed, expand service capacity. Find the one or two goals your performance problem is directly blocking. If your organization uses a Balanced Scorecard, the relevant goals and their KPIs are already mapped. If not, look at annual reports, department objectives, or leadership communications.
Name the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) at Stake
KPIs are what the organization uses to measure progress toward its strategic goals. Your performance gap is the difference between where the KPI sits now and where it needs to be. The IT acquisition you are proposing should improve that KPI measurably. Be specific: cycle time, error rate, cost per transaction, customer satisfaction score, reporting accuracy — whatever the organization actually tracks.
Show the Alignment Chain
Strategic goal → KPI → performance gap → IT acquisition → expected KPI improvement. That chain should be traceable in your problem statement. If a reader cannot follow the logic from the strategic goal down to why this specific IT acquisition is justified, the alignment is missing. The lecture’s Figure 2 — aligning IT goals and objectives with enterprise goals through shared KPIs and performance targets — is exactly this chain visualized.
How to Complete Template 1 — What Each Section Needs
Template 1 from IT Economics Corporation has a specific structure. Here is what each section is looking for, based on the course requirements.
| Template 1 Section | What to Include | Common Mistakes |
|---|---|---|
| Organization / Business Activity | Brief description of the organization and the specific business function or department where the problem exists. No need to name the organization — describe its type, size, and relevant function. | Being too vague (“a large company”) or too narrow (“one team of three people”). Give enough context that the scale and stakes of the problem are clear. |
| Description of the Performance Problem | The current state — what is happening now, with specific metrics or observable evidence. The problem should be described in terms of its impact on business performance, not in terms of the technology that is missing. | Describing the solution (“we need a new system”) instead of the problem (“current processing takes 47 days and should take 15”). Start with the problem, not the technology. |
| Current Performance Level | Measurable data about how the function is currently performing. Numbers are better than adjectives. If exact data is unavailable, reasonable estimates with a note that they are estimates are acceptable. | Using vague descriptors like “slow,” “error-prone,” or “difficult” without any supporting measurement. “Reports take an average of 14 days” is useful. “Reports are often late” is not. |
| Required Performance Level | The target state — what performance level is needed, and why. Link this to the strategic goal or KPI it supports. This is the other end of your performance gap. | Setting a target without explaining where it comes from. “We need 3-day turnaround” means nothing unless you explain why — regulatory requirement, customer SLA, competitive standard, or strategic plan target. |
| Root Cause of the Gap | Why is there a gap between current and required performance? The root cause analysis is what justifies IT acquisition. If root cause is management, the acquisition is not justified. If root cause is process or capability limitation that IT can address, it is. | Skipping the root cause or making it circular (“the problem is that we don’t have a system to fix it”). Identify why the gap exists, then connect that to why IT is the appropriate solution. |
| Strategic Alignment | Which strategic goal does this problem affect, and which KPI measures that goal? Show the chain from the problem to the strategic objective the organization cares about. | Listing a goal that is only loosely related to the problem. The connection should be direct — fixing this problem measurably moves the needle on this KPI, which is how this strategic goal is tracked. |
The Three-Month Rule — Why Project Scope Matters
The course requires a problem whose solution would span at least three months. This is not arbitrary.
Templates Require Complexity
The 12 templates cover requirements, risk, solicitation, and performance management. A two-week project does not have meaningful risk, does not require a competitive RFP, and does not generate the planning depth the templates need to work.
Scale and Stakes
A project of three months or more implies enough investment, enough complexity, and enough risk that the organization would actually go through a formal competitive acquisition process. That is the scenario the entire course is built around.
No Maximum Duration
There is no ceiling. Multi-year IT acquisition projects are common — ERP implementations, network overhauls, enterprise data system replacements. If your problem is larger in scope, that is fine. You only need to produce activities through source solicitation.
Problem Examples — Qualifying vs. Not Qualifying
The lecture notes list problems from past students. Here is how to think about which types hold up and which ones need rethinking before you commit to them.
Lack of an Effective Activity Reporting System
An organization produces dozens of operational reports manually — spreadsheets compiled by hand, emailed to managers, with no central tracking, version control, or automated data feeds. Reports are frequently inaccurate, late, or inconsistent. The root cause is that there is no integrated reporting infrastructure. Fixing it requires a contractor to design, configure, and implement a reporting platform that pulls live data from operational systems.
Why it qualifies: Real process limitation. Requires contractor design and implementation work. Directly affects organizational visibility into operations — a strategic KPI in most organizations. Plausibly takes 6–12 months to scope, procure, and implement.Problem of Managing Assets Across Multiple Locations
An organization with facilities in multiple locations has no centralized asset tracking system. Equipment is inventoried in local spreadsheets with no standard format. When assets are moved between sites, tracking breaks down. Audits regularly find discrepancies. The root cause is the absence of an integrated, real-time asset management system accessible to all sites. A contractor would be needed to evaluate asset management platforms, configure the chosen system, migrate existing data, and train staff.
Why it qualifies: Clear performance gap with measurable consequences (audit discrepancies, lost equipment). Root cause is a genuine capability gap. Requires contractor services for evaluation, configuration, data migration, and training — not a commodity purchase.Problem of Staff Not Following the Approved IT Request Process
Employees regularly bypass the IT help desk and contact technical staff directly, causing scheduling chaos. The team wants a system to enforce the process.
Why it likely fails: The root cause is behavioral and supervisory — staff ignoring a process that exists. A new ticketing system does not fix a culture of bypassing the process. The problem description needs to determine whether a management or policy solution has already been tried and failed before IT acquisition is justified. As stated, this reads as a management problem.We Need to Upgrade Our Laptops
The organization’s laptop fleet is outdated and slowing productivity. Staff need new machines.
Why it fails: Commodity purchase. The solution is known (buy newer laptops), standardized (vendor catalog pricing), and requires no contractor services in the IMAT637 sense. No RFP, no competitive source selection, no design work. This is exactly the type of acquisition the course templates are not built for.Where Activity 1 Fits in the CMMI-ACQ Framework
Your problem statement directly engages three CMMI-ACQ process areas that the lecture identifies as the Week 1 focus.
Acquisition Requirements Development
Your performance problem — described with current state, target state, and root cause — is the starting point for developing acquisition requirements. Template 1 is not just documentation; it is the foundation from which all requirements will flow. A vague problem statement leads to vague requirements, which leads to an RFP that cannot evaluate bidders effectively.
Requirements Management
The course tracks requirements through 12 templates. Every time a requirement changes, it needs to be traceable back to the original problem. Starting with a well-defined problem in Template 1 means your requirements management chain has a stable anchor — essential for maintaining alignment across all the subsequent templates.
Risk Management
Risk management in CMMI-ACQ begins with understanding the nature of the problem and the acquisition environment. A complex, high-cost IT services acquisition carries more risk than a simple commodity purchase — which is exactly why the course focuses on the former. The risks you will analyze in later templates depend on having a clear picture of the problem, the technology involved, and the organizational context. Template 1 is what gives you that picture.
Frequently Asked Questions — IMAT637 Week 1 Activity 1
Need Help With IMAT637 Activity 1 or Later Course Templates?
Our IT and acquisition management writing team works with students on Template 1 through performance-based work statements. Original, professional work tied to your specific organizational context.
IT Assignment Help Get StartedBefore You Start Writing Template 1
Run your problem through three quick tests. Does it require a contractor selected through an open competitive RFP process — or could it be solved internally, with a commodity purchase, or by modifying an existing contract? Does the root cause point to a genuine IT capability gap — or to a management or policy problem that IT cannot fix? And does the scope suggest at least three months of project work?
If it passes all three, you have a viable problem. If it fails any of them, it is worth spending another hour finding a better one before you build 11 more templates on top of it.
The instructor provides specific feedback precisely because this first template matters. Use that feedback. The revision window before Week 4 is real time to strengthen the foundation.
For help with IMAT637 course activities, IT acquisition planning assignments, or related project management coursework, our IT assignment help, assignment and homework help, and project management writing services cover the full range. You can also review our approach to academic integrity and original writing.
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