Functional Design IV

Since it can’t be predicted what constraints will come with the problem, and since different decisions challenge different parts of a process model, functional design does not specify a design order. Instead, it follows next critical decision order. Gibbons (2009) defined several factors that may individually or jointly determine the next critical decision for a given project and moment within the design process:

• The decision most constrained by the latest previous decision.
• The decision most constrained by external factors, such as skill availability, infrastructure, resources, etc.
• The decision that best advances the central discipline of the primary generator.
• The decision that best takes advantage of an opportunity afforded by the latest previous decision.
• The decision that creates the most options for later decisions.
• The decision for which there is the most supporting data from the analyses of the target population and of the instructional context.
• The decision that represents the next highest quality priority.
• The decision that most directly addresses a major client criterion or desired feature.
• The decision that best leads to the satisfaction of an innovation goal.
• The decision that is most necessary to the implementation of a chosen theoretical position.
• The decision that responds to the latest prior decisions in other layers of the design.