How to Get Started
Awaiting source text
This section exists in the source handbook as a heading with seven empty sub-headings beneath it. None has any text. Nothing has been written here in its place.
The seven are: Entry points for different case studies or application types, Conditions required to begin, Key scoping considerations, Levels of application and maturity or complexity, Minimum Viable Application, Intermediate application with its minimum data and module requirements, and Advanced application with its minimum data and module requirements.
Why this is the most consequential gap
Of everything missing from the source handbook, this section is the one a first-time user would reach for first.
The three levels it promises, Minimum Viable Application, Intermediate and Advanced, would answer the question every organisation asks before adopting something: what is the least we need in place to start, and what do we get at each level?
Without it, the handbook describes the destination in detail but not the on-ramp.
What is known so far
Several starting conditions are stated elsewhere and can be assembled into a partial answer.
Modules can be adopted one at a time
The clearest entry point in the handbook is that modules can be used as standalone approaches, to guide users on specific methods or to extend existing workflows.
An organisation does not have to adopt the whole DSP. Taking the Sustainability module alone, to strengthen how carbon enters an existing appraisal, is a legitimate use.
The method scales to the evidence available
Risk Assessment gives the clearest worked example of proportionate application:
| Evidence available | Appropriate approach |
|---|---|
| Limited data | Deterministic scoring or risk-matrix approaches |
| Comprehensive historical datasets | Machine-learning and data-driven models |
Detailed Option Assessment states the same principle: the level of sophistication should reflect the scale of the decision and the quality of available data.
Proportionality is a stated principle throughout
- Scope should be proportionate to the scale, complexity and objectives of the assessment
- Monitoring should be proportionate to the importance, condition, criticality and risk profile of the asset
- Additional data collection should be proportionate to the decision, the significance of the gap, and the value of the information expected
The DSP can start without the IMP
Integration with IMP confirms the DSP can operate without the modelling platform where sufficient evidence already exists.
The foundation is the asset registry
Every other module depends on it. The Asset Registry is described as the foundation information resource on which the wider framework depends, which makes it the most likely first requirement at any level.
What this page should cover
Written out, this section would need to give:
- Entry points, matched to different case study or application types
- Conditions required to begin, meaning the minimum that must exist before a first pass is worthwhile
- Key scoping considerations
- A definition of the three levels, and for each of them the minimum data and module requirements
The three-level structure is the piece with no substitute anywhere else in the handbook. It should be treated as a priority for the authors.