FAQ & Template

Application Rationalization Questionnaire

An application rationalization questionnaire is used to evaluate the suitability of each application in an organization's portfolio.

Introduction

Application rationalization is a critical process that helps organizations streamline their application portfolio to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and align technology with business goals.

To achieve this, an application rationalization questionnaire is used to evaluate the suitability of each application in an organization's portfolio.

Smaller organizations can still collect this data manually, while mid-to-enterprise size organizations migrate to enterprise architecture tools.

Before we move to the key questions included in the questionnaire, let's understand what it is, its purpose, and how it can be used.

 

What is an application rationalization questionnaire?

An application rationalization questionnaire is a set of questions used to evaluate an organization's applications, determine their relevance and value, and identify rationalization opportunities.

The questionnaire typically covers a range of topics, including application functionality, usage, cost, and compatibility with other systems.

It is a standardized and structured approach to collecting information on an organization's application portfolio.

Until the organization's application inventory is small, these questionnaires can be created and collected manually within legacy tools, such as Excel.

Once the application portfolio increases, this data should be collected within enterprise architecture tools, such as LeanIX EAM.

📚 Related: Collect information without the hassle of sending out individual emails in LeanIX EAM

How is an application rationalization questionnaire used?

An application rationalization questionnaire is used as part of a larger application rationalization process.

The process begins with an inventory of an organization's applications, followed by an assessment of each application's usage, functionality, and cost.

No matter the chosen medium, the application rationalization questionnaire is used to collect this information and identify potential opportunities for rationalization.

Once the questionnaire or fact sheets have been completed, the data is analyzed, and recommendations are made for streamlining the application portfolio.

This may involve consolidating applications, replacing outdated or redundant applications, or eliminating applications that are not essential.

📚 Related: Application Rationalization Playbook

What are the benefits of an application rationalization questionnaire?

Using an application rationalization questionnaire can provide a number of benefits to an organization, including:

  • Cost savings: By identifying redundant or unnecessary applications, organizations can reduce their licensing, maintenance, and support costs.
  • Improved efficiency: Rationalizing the application portfolio can help streamline business processes and improve productivity.
  • Enhanced security: A smaller application portfolio can be more secure than a larger one, as there are fewer systems to manage and protect.
  • Better alignment with business goals: Rationalizing the application portfolio can help ensure that the applications being used are aligned with the organization's strategic objectives.
  • Increased agility: By streamlining the application portfolio, organizations can become more agile and responsive to changing business needs.

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Main questionnaire sections

Understanding the application

The first step in an application rationalization process is to understand the apps in an organization's portfolio. The following questions can help to gain a better understanding:

  • What is the application used for?
  • Who uses the application and how frequently?
  • What business processes does the application support?

Result: Identify the primary purpose of the application, its level of usage, and its role in supporting business processes.

Evaluating costs

One of the key objectives of application rationalization is to reduce costs associated with an organization's application portfolio. Add the following questions to evaluate the costs of each application:

  • What are the application's licensing and maintenance costs?
  • What is the application's total cost of ownership (TCO)?

Result: Identify the costs associated with licensing, maintenance, and other expenses related to the application over its lifecycle.

📚 Related: SaaS Spend Optimization

Assessing integration and complexity

Another important aspect of application rationalization is understanding the integration and complexity of an application portfolio. Ask these questions to assess integration and complexity:

  • How does the application integrate with other systems?
  • How complex is the application's architecture?

Result: Identify any integration requirements or complexities associated with the application.

Determining criticality and risks

To prioritize which applications should be the first to act on, it's important to assess each application's criticality and risks. Questions to determine criticality and risks:

  • How critical is the application to the business? (Application criticality labels can be defined as; mission-critical applications, business-critical applications, business operational applications, and administrative service applications)
  • What are the security risks associated with the application?

Result: Identify the application's criticality to the business, and its potential impact on revenue, customers, and other key business metrics. It also helps uncover any potential security risks associated with the application.

📚 Related: Assess Application Criticality Levels

Evaluating functionality and performance

To ensure that an organization's application portfolio is meeting its needs, it's important to evaluate the functionality and performance of each application. The following questions can help to evaluate functionality and performance:

  • Does the application meet business requirements?
  • How reliable and scalable is the application?
  • How responsive is the application?

Result: Identify any gaps in functionality and performance.

📚 Related: Application Portfolio Assessment

Assessing user experience

The user experience is a critical factor in the success of any application. Assess the user experience with these questions:

  • Is the application easy to use and navigate?
  • Does the application have a modern and intuitive interface?
  • Are users satisfied with the application's performance and usability?

Result: Identify any user experience issues that may be impacting the application's effectiveness.

Evaluating vendor support

Vendor support is a critical factor in the ongoing maintenance and support of an application. The following questions can help to evaluate vendor support:

  • Is the vendor providing adequate support and maintenance?
  • What is the vendor's track record for resolving issues?
  • Is the vendor responsive to requests for support and maintenance?

Result: Identify any issues with vendor support.

📚 Related: SaaS Evaluation Template

Determining business alignment

The final step in an application rationalization process is to evaluate how well an application aligns with an organization's overall business strategy. The following questions can help to determine business alignment:

  • Does the application support the organization's business goals and objectives?
  • Is the application aligned with the organization's technology roadmap?
  • Will the application help to drive innovation and growth for the organization?

Result: Identify whether an application is helping to drive the organization's success or if it's holding it back.

Application rationalization questionnaire template

When you use LeanIX EAM, you don't have any use for this template, if not, follow along.

Here is a template you can copy into your medium of preference, and share with application owners, department heads, and other IT architects.


Introduction: The following questionnaire is designed to help us evaluate our application portfolio. Please answer the following questions for each application in your portfolio.

Application Information:

  1. What is the name of the application?
  2. What is the purpose of the application?
  3. Who are the primary users of the application?
  4. What is the current version of the application?
  5. When was the application last updated?

Cost and ROI:

  1. What is the total cost of ownership (TCO) for the application?
  2. What is the return on investment for the application?
  3. What is the total cost of maintaining the application?
  4. What is the cost of supporting the application?

Functionality and Performance:

  1. Does the application meet business requirements?
  2. How reliable and scalable is the application?
  3. How responsive is the application?

User Experience:

  1. Is the application easy to use and navigate?
  2. Does the application have a modern and intuitive interface?
  3. Are users satisfied with the application's performance and usability?

Vendor Support:

  1. Is the vendor providing adequate support and maintenance?
  2. What is the vendor's track record for resolving issues?
  3. Is the vendor responsive to requests for support and maintenance?
Business Alignment:
  1. Does the application support the organization's business goals and objectives?
  2. Is the application aligned with the organization's technology roadmap?
  3. Will the application help to drive innovation and growth for the organization?

Conclusion: By answering these questions, we will be able to optimize our application portfolio.


 

Conclusion

An application rationalization questionnaire is a powerful starting point for smaller organizations looking to streamline their application portfolio.

By evaluating costs, functionality, performance, user experience, vendor support, and business alignment, organizations can optimize their application portfolio and drive greater success.

Once the application inventory size increases, it's essential to automate data collection and reporting, and implement the right EA tool.

Free Template

Application Rationalization Questionnaire

Application rationalization begins with asking the right questions to obtain the right data.

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Enable a structured approach to collecting essential information

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Answers to frequently asked questions on application rationalization questionnaire

What is application rationalization?

Application rationalization is the process of evaluating an organization's application portfolio to identify which applications are essential, which are redundant, and which can be retired.

Why is application rationalization important?

Application rationalization can help organizations reduce costs, improve efficiency, and align technology with business goals.

What are some benefits of application rationalization?

Benefits of application rationalization include cost savings, improved efficiency, better alignment with business goals, and reduced security risks.

Who should be involved in an application rationalization process?

An application rationalization process should involve stakeholders from IT, business, finance, and other relevant departments.

How often should an organization conduct an application rationalization process?

The frequency of an application rationalization process can vary depending on the organization's needs, but it's typically recommended conducting a review at least every 2-3 years.

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Free Template

Application Rationalization Questionnaire

Download now!