Trade Studies
A trade study is a multi-criteria decision analysis: you compare candidates against weighted criteria so the team can make — and defend — a choice. Ngenaire trade studies move through a state machine that locks the weights before scoring, records the decision and its rationale, and supports sensitivity analysis.
List:
/system-definition/trade-studies· Detail:/system-definition/trade-studies/:tradeIdSidebar: Define → Trade Studies.
What a trade study contains
- Candidates — the options being compared (for example, three propulsion concepts).
- Criteria — how you judge them (cost, mass, reliability, schedule risk), each with a weight.
- Scores — a matrix of every candidate × every criterion.
- Decision — the selected candidate plus a rationale, recorded once the study is decided.
The lifecycle
Draft → (lock weights) → Scoring → (decide) → Decided
↖ (reopen) ──────────┘
Archived ← (archive, from any state)
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Candidates, criteria, and weights are still being set up. |
| Scoring | Weights are locked; you score candidates against criteria. |
| Decided | A winning candidate and rationale have been recorded. |
| Archived | The study is closed and read-only. |
Walkthrough
1. Create a trade study
From the list, click New trade study. Give it a title and describe the decision being made.
2. Add candidates
Add each option being compared with a short name and description.
3. Add criteria and weights
Add each criterion and give it a weight reflecting its relative importance. You can also link criteria to requirements so it's clear which requirement a criterion is testing.
4. Lock the weights
When the criteria and weights are settled, lock weights. This signs off the weighting and moves the study from Draft into Scoring — at least one criterion must have a positive weight.
5. Score the candidates
In Scoring, score each candidate against each criterion. Use Score with AI for an initial set of scores you can refine. The ranking and each candidate's weighted total update as you score.
6. Decide
When scoring is complete, decide: pick the winning candidate and write the rationale. The study moves to Decided and the decision is recorded. If circumstances change you can reopen a Decided study (back to Scoring), and you can archive a study when it's no longer active.
7. Run sensitivity analysis
Sensitivity analysis tells you how robust the result is — how far a criterion's weight would have to shift before the winner changes. A robust decision survives large weight shifts; a fragile one flips at small adjustments, which is a signal to revisit your criteria or weights.
8. Review history and export
Every state transition and edit is captured in the study's history, so you can see who locked weights, who decided, and when. Use Export to produce the decision record (the matrix, scores, and rationale).
Where the decision surfaces
A decided trade study appears in the Project Brief on the Dashboard — the most recent decision becomes the headline in the Trade Studies card, including the winning candidate's name, so new joiners get the context without opening every study.
Tips
- Justify scores. A rationale on each decision is the audit trail when stakeholders challenge the result.
- Watch sensitivity. If the winner flips when you nudge a single weight, the decision isn't robust — add criteria or revisit the weights.
- Re-run after major events. A vendor repricing, a requirement change, or a retired risk can change the answer; reopen and rescore.