Definition:
Concept Number: *259
English Master: Rationale
Synonyms, Variations & Acronyms: Justification Reason
Detailing
“Rationale” is a Parameter for declaring information that justifies a specification.
Illustrations
none
Type
Parameter, Risk-Analysis
Examples
The purposes of a rationale are:
• to answer questions that readers would ask of a specification
• to motivate and convince readers about a specification
• to set up information for Risk analysis (is the given rationale true, and will it be later?)
Example:
PGB: Goal [UK]: 99.9% <- Annual Plan.
Authority: Board of Directors, Jan 25th.
Rationale [PGB]: Competition in UK prior to new EU Laws about competition.
Basis: Our long-range plan to be the <biggest> in all European countries.
''In the example above, the PGB tag is inserted to show how to tie any Rationale statement to another specific statement or statements. This format can be used irrespective of where you specify the Rationale statement. It does not have to be just below or in the immediate vicinity. The Authority and Basis statements are implied to be related, because they are just below the PGB statement.
Note “Basis” is quite different from Rationale. Rationale is a set of Conditions leading to a desire to make a specification. It explains how we got to that specification. Basis is a specified set of Assumptions that underlie a specification. If the Basis Conditions are changed, then the specification may no longer be valid.''
Notes
The information can concern the logic, the politics, the economics or whatever is of interest to declare in order to explain and justify another specification.
Keyed-Icons
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Drawn-Icons
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Related-Concepts
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History-of-Concept
“Rationale” is a term I found used by Synopsys, CA USA 1996.---
This Concept entered by Diane O'Brien.