I did not discover the concept of trade studies until I was employed as an engineer. A systems engineer, so it was not the engineering I studied in school^[1].

I have always, at least in my memory, been a comparative shopper. I like to think about delta to quality versus delta to price. When I learned about trade studies, it became a lot clearer. You could use numbers to evaluate qualities. You could compare qualities and their importance to better understand your own needs. 

Here are My rules for Trade Studies:

1. Define your requirements.
2. Rank your requirements.
3. Evaluate options against requirements.
4. Calculate the value of the different options.
5. Decide if you have selected the right one^[2],^[3].

One interesting disagreement I have with my current BOSS is that he thinks you never consider price in a trade study. I think you do if it is one of your requirements^[4]. One of the most interesting things about the list is that you have to put numbers against both your requirements (what is most important) and then against how well an option meets that requirement (50%? 75?).

And that, folks, is how engineers make everything about the numbers.

Step 5 is probably the most important step in the entire process. Let’s say you are doing a trade study on who to marry between two options^[5]. If you get to the end of the process, and the choice doesn’t match your “gut feeling” it is really important to reevaluate how you got here.

Maybe you didn’t capture the right requirements. Maybe you didn’t rank the requirements correctly. The simple idea that even when you get to the end of the analysis, you can go back and do it over is very hard from some engineers I know to grasp. Or execute.

As we have already discussed – things change. Words change meaning. Values change as you move through stages of life and figure out what is the most important requirement.

LfZ Challenge – Compose an email which describes the very most important thing you need. What is your most important requirement today? Time? Money? Freedom? Space? Safety? Security? Send to a friend to send back to you in 12 months^[6] or set a delay so the email doesn’t send of 12 months. Include this question: “Did I get what I needed? Is it still the most important thing I need?”

It might be. It might still be the most important requirement for you. On the other hand, maybe you got it in the last 12 months, so getting it again might provide diminishing returns.

Have I convinced you that the first time you write them down, they may not be the right requirements? Even if you believe they are?

Let me tell you a story – I need a new pair of shoes for work^[7]. I have two requirements for work shoes, besides price, that matter to me:

1. Comfortable.
2. Looks right with work outfits.

I currently have three pairs of shoes for work. You would think those two requirements would be easy to fill^[8]. You would think I would never value #2 over #1^[9]. On days when I am feeling like my outfit is put together, then comfort is definitely the most important requirement. However, on days when I look down at my comfortable sensible shoes and they make my outfit look ridiculous, I stare at the other two pairs of shoes in my closet.

One is a pair of Naot Mary Janes with a 1.5” heel. They should be comfortable^[10].

One is a pair of running shoes that are comfortable, but I go through athletic shoes very quickly. They look shabby. I never notice my feet when I am wearing them, so I suppose that is my definition of comfortable shoes.

When I go to look at shoes, I WANT to have no interest in #2. I WANT to not be willing to change my shoes while I am “in the office” to look nice^[11]. Or I always WANT the comfortable shoes to work with every outfit.

I always fail in those wants.

I admit sometimes I wear the running shoes to work and pretend I am showing my self-confidence on my feet. I often wear my sensible flat black leather shoes even if they don’t look right with my pants^[12]. I haven’t worn the very expensive Naot Mary Jane’s out of my house since 2019 when I went on a business trip to Arizona.

So, my advice? Iterate through the Trade Study Algorithm. You may be amazed at what you discover about your requirements and what you are really looking for.

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^[1] That was Electrical Engineering.

^[2] If no, you probably need to re-do the trade study.

^[3] While I was typing these steps, they were so familiar to me that I honestly just had to check if I had already written a LfZ on this. If I did, I didn’t post it. 

^[4] I cannot imagine a world where price wouldn’t be one of my requirements.

^[5] I know someone who proposed to two women and then decided which one to marry. That trade study didn’t include price. I hope.

^[6] If using this option, be sure it is someone you will still be friends with in 12 months.

^[7] Assuming I really go back to having in-person meetings.

^[8] You would be wrong.

^[9] I wish I could claim that, but I am aware of my vanity. It does matter to me, but not really when my feet hurt.

^[10] They are not.

^[11] This was a common way to solve the problem in the 80s.

^[12] Or skirt. But I rarely wear a skirt.