Case 6 Strategy Matrix

Strategy Matrix

Funicular Access Control System

1. Problem

A city authority needs a passenger access control system for a funicular — a compact system with a single route, limited number of stations, and specialized equipment. Requirements are well-defined. No technical unknowns. The system fits a standard engineering profile.

The customer faces a choice between four implementation strategies — and is not sure which one is optimal for their context. Some scenarios require full regulatory documentation. Others prioritize speed. One asks whether the prototype stage adds value here at all.

The question: how do the four available lifecycle configurations compare — in labor, duration, documentation completeness, and control horizons?

2. Choice

All four available configurations are calculated with the same team and the same project parameters.

TA→PP→TP→WP→IM
Choice #1 — Full cycle
TA→TP→WP→IM
Choice #2 — Without PP
TA→PP→TWP→IM
Choice #3 — TWP replaces TP+WP
TA→TWP→IM
Choice #4 — Minimum stages

3. Target Stage

Production Release Horizon H4 — all four choices

4. Mapping Note

For this project, 4 functions were selected via the Function Mapping Procedure (FMP). Full function composition is available inside the calculator.

Technical Complexity Hard Real-Time Constraints
Hardware Adaptation Proprietary Hardware Adaptation
Architectural Complexity Real-Time Interactive Experience
Innovation Evolutionary Innovation
Standard Software Reuse 20–40% — New module on existing platform

5. Report View — Strategy Matrix

Uniform team configuration across all choices: TA=2, PP=2, TP=2, WP/TWP=6, IM=2  |  Fund: 235 days/year per FTE  |  Delivery model: Full Turnkey

Choice #1
TA→PP→TP→WP→IM
Choice #2
TA→TP→WP→IM
Choice #3
TA→PP→TWP→IM
Choice #4
TA→TWP→IM
Total Labor 3 160 pd 3 160 pd 3 122 pd 3 084 pd
Total Duration 4.23 yrs 4.23 yrs 3.85 yrs 3.46 yrs
Saving vs C1 0 pd / 0 yrs −38 pd / −0.38 yrs −76 pd / −0.77 yrs
Horizons available H0 H1 H2 H3 H4 H0 H2 H3 H4 H0 H1 H3 H4 H0 H3 H4
Documentation Full No PP No TP/WP separately Minimal
Risk level Low Medium Medium Medium-High
Key observation on Choice #1 vs #2: identical Total Labor and Duration — PP does not add labor in this project profile. The choice between them is purely about whether a Prototype artifact is required as a deliverable. If yes — Choice #1. If not — Choice #2 with the same cost.

Horizon detail by choice

Horizon Product Stage C1 C2 C3 C4 Time (C1)
H0 Requirements Baseline 0.69 yrs
H1 Prototype 1.23 yrs
H2 MVP 1.76 yrs
H3 Release Candidate 3.01 yrs
H4 Production Release 4.23 yrs

6. Decision

Context Recommended Choice Reason
Full documentation required (regulator, state contract) Choice #1 All artifacts, all horizons, lowest risk
PP not required, otherwise same as #1 Choice #2 Same cost as #1, no Prototype artifact
Speed priority, experienced team, RC target Choice #3 Best balance of speed and scope
Maximum speed, minimal artifacts acceptable Choice #4 Fastest path, fewest control horizons

The difference between the most complete (Choice #1) and the fastest (Choice #4) route is 76 pd and 0.77 years. This is the measurable cost of full documentation. The investor decides whether that cost is justified by the regulatory context — not by intuition, but by comparing calculated numbers.

7. VC Interpretation

Strategy Matrix

This case demonstrates the sixth and most important capability of Digital Polygraph: the calculator does not prescribe a single path — it compares all available paths and makes the cost of each visible.

The strategic choice — full documentation vs. speed, PP vs. no PP, TWP vs. separate TP+WP — is no longer a matter of judgment or negotiation. Each option has a number: labor, duration, horizons, artifacts.

For the investor, the matrix answers the question that usually stays implicit: "What exactly are we paying for when we choose the longer route?" The answer here is: 76 pd and 0.77 years. That is the price of full regulatory documentation for this project. The investor decides whether it is worth it.

This is what the transition from a labor calculator to a strategy selection instrument looks like in practice.

Delivery model: Full Turnkey  |  Patent Pending — Ukraine