Requirements Elicitation

(Fact - Finding)
SYSANA1 AY 2012-2013
 WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION
DO I NEED?
The fundamental
question
for investigating
system requirements
 Three Major Themes of Information
that needs to be pursued:
Major Themes of Information Questions to Users

What are the business processes and What do you do?

operations?

How are the business processes How do you do it? What steps do you
performed? follow?

What are the information requirements? What information do you use? What
forms of reports do you use?
 What are the business processes and
operations?
• Understanding exactly what a system must do
for users
• Get a comprehensive list of all business
processes
• Current system is given, so analyst must know
which processes will be adopted in the new
system and which will be left behind
 How are the business processes
performed?
• Users frequently talk about the current
system, but it is critical for the systems analyst
to go beyond the current process
• Should help the user visualize new and more
efficient approaches to performing the
business processes made possible by the new
technology
 What are the information
requirements?
• Defining specific information that the new
system must provide
• Detail – is the watchword
• “As you develop skill in asking questions and building
models, your problem-solving and analytical skills will
increase. Remember, your value as a systems analyst is
not that you know how to build a specific model or how to
program in a specific language. Your value is in your
ability to analyze and solve business information
problems – to gather the correct information.
Fundamental to that skill is not only how effectively but
also how efficiently you can identify and capture these
business rules. Effective requirements are complete,
comprehensive, and correct. An efficient analyst is one
who moves the project ahead rapidly with minimal
intrusion on user’s time and use of other resources, yet
ensures that the information gathered will produce
complete, comprehensive, and correct requirements
specifications.” – page 138
 Seven Fact-Finding Techniques:
1. Review existing reports, forms and procedure
descriptions
2. Conduct interviews and discussions with users
3. Observe and document business processes
4. Build prototypes
5. Distribute and collect questionnaires
6. Conduct JAD sessions
7. Research vendor solutions
 Review existing reports, forms and
procedure descriptions
• -industry journals and magazines report the ‘findings
or best practices’ studies (external source of reports)
• - existing business documents and procedure
descriptions within the organization (internal source of
reports) – get procedural manuals and work
descriptions
• - use forms and reports as visual aids during interviews
as working documents for discussion
• - ask actual contents and their use, time/business
events that initiate the use of the form
• -written procedures help analysts discover
discrepancies and redundancies in the business process
 Conduct interviews and discussions
with users
• List of detailed questions is prepared
• Discussion continues until all processing
requirements are understood and
documented by the project team
• Requires multiple sessions
 CHECKLIST for CONDUCTING AN
INTERVIEW
• Before
– Establish the objective for the interview
– Determine the correct user(s) to be involved
– Determine project team members to participate (at
least 2 project members)
– Build a list of questions and issues to be discussed
(Open-ended and Closed-ended questions)
– Review related documents and materials
– Set the time and location
– Inform all participants of objective, time, and location
 CHECKLIST for CONDUCTING AN
INTERVIEW
• During
– Dress appropriately
– Arrive on time ( 1 hour and a half duration of
interview – ideal (plus or minus))
– Look for exception and error conditions (What ifs?)
– Probe for details (get specifics not generalizations)
– Take thorough notes (handwritten better – recorded
makes participants nervous)
– Identify and document unanswered items or open
questions (follow-up especially policy questions
unanswered by the users)
 CHECKLIST for CONDUCTING AN
INTERVIEW
• After
– Review notes for accuracy, completeness, and
understanding
– Transfer information to appropriate models and
documents
– Identify areas needing further clarifications
– Send thank you notes, if appropriate
 DISCUSSION and INTERVIEW
AGENDA:
• Setting:
• Objective of Interview: Determine processing rules for sales commission rates
• Date, Time and Location: April 21, 2011, at 9:00am in Mc Dougal’s office
• User Participants: William Mc Dougal, VP marketing and sales, several of his staff
• Project Team Participants: Mary Ellen Green and Jim Williams
• Interview/Discussion
– Who is eligible for a sales commission?
– What is the basis for commissions? What rates are paid?
– How is commission for returns handled?
– Are there special incentives? Contests? Programs based on time?
– Is there a variable scale for commissions? Are there quotas?
– What are the exceptions?
• Follow-Up
– Important decisions or answers to questions (see attached write-up on policies)
– Open items not resolved with assignments for solution (open items 2 and 3)
– Date and time of next meeting or follow-up session ( April 28, 2011, at 9:00am)
 Observe and document business
processes
• Has an appointment
• Active – can ask questions and be given the
opportunity to do the work itself
• Passive – observing several persons doing the
process (unobtrusive)
• Workflow –a sequence of steps to process a
business transaction
• Flowchart or activity diagram is used (Flowchart =
current processes (As is); Activity = proposed
processes (To be))
 Build prototypes
• PROTOTYPE – an initial, working model of a larger,
more complex entity.
• Purpose: To have a working model that will test a
concept or verify an approach
• Types of Prototypes:
• Discovery prototypes – built to define requirements
but are then usually discarded or at least not used for
the final programming
• Evolving prototypes – a working model that grows and
changes and may become part of a system
• Mock-up – an example of a final product that is for
viewing only, and not executable
 CHARACTERISTICS of EFFECTIVE
Prototypes:
– Operative – a working model , mock-up (electronic
screen) but not capable of executing an activity
– Focused – tests a specific concept or verify an
approach – has a single objective
– Quick – use of tools for quick testing and
verification
• Remember to have a consistent focus across
all the prototypes that are built
Distribute and collect questionnaires
• 3 types of questions used:
• Closed-ended – to determine quantitative
information
• Opinion questions – respondents are asked
whether they agree or disagree with the
statement
• Open-ended – needs discussion but is also
limited to a few questions
 Conduct JAD sessions
• Joint Application Design (JAD) – a technique
used to expedite the investigation of system
requirements by holding several marathon
sessions with all the critical participants.
• Result: Immediate Requirements definition
and policy decisions, without the delays of
interviewing separate groups and trying to
reconcile differences.
 People Involved in a JAD session:
– JAD Leader – understands group dynamics and
facilitates group discussions; someone who is trained
to lead group decision-making
– Users – managers who make policy decisions;
– Technical Staff – persons who knows network
configurations, operating environments and security
issues
– Project Team Members – analysts and user experts
• Group Support System (GSS) – a computer system
that enables multiple people to participate with
comments as the same time, each user on his or
her own computer
 Research vendor solutions
• solutions – consulting firms usually have packaged solutions
• Advantages:
– Help users generate new ideas of how to better perform their
business functions
– Some of the solutions are excellent and state of the art (up-to-
date)
– It is often cheaper and less risky to buy a solution rather than
build it
• Danger:
Users, even analysts want to buy one of the alternatives
immediately – leading to unused software package and company
loss
Usual Vendors: Oracle, IBM, Microsoft , and Computer Associates have
specific solution systems
 Useful techniques for ready-made
solution evaluation:
• Read technical specifications
• Watch or use a demo or trial system
• References of existing clients who would let
you observe their system
• An on-site visit
• A print-out of screens and reports
VALIDATING REQUIREMENTS
 Tools and Techniques:
• Unified Process: designing, building, and testing
software is the most common method of validating
requirements.
• Structured Walkthrough – review of findings from your
investigation and of the models built based on those
findings
– Objective: review and improve a requirements or design
model NOT a performance review. (usually done with a co-
analyst … cause if managers will be included then
– Best Practice during a walkthrough : Have a nonparticipant
act as librarian to record all errors, comments and
suggestions
 Walkthrough Control Sheet
• Project Information
• Project: Online Catalog System, Customer Support Subsystem
• Segment of the project being reviewed: Review of business rules for sales commission rates
• Team Leader: Mary Ellen Green
• Author of work: Jim Williams
•
• Walkthrough details
• Date, time and location
• April 10, 2011, 10:00am, MIS conference room
• Description of materials being reviewed:
• This is a review of the business rules before they are integrated into the diagrams and models
• There is a short flowchart attached showing the flow of the commission process. There is another flowchart showing
commissions as rates. We will also review outstanding issues to ensure that all understand the policy decisions that must be
made.
• Participating reviewers:
• William McDougal, Genny Monson, Robert Schneider
•
• Results of walkthrough
• _______XX__Accept. Sign-offs: _____________________________________________
• ___________Minor revisions. Description of revisions:
•
•
• ___________Rework and schedule new walkthrough. Description of required rework:
• Excellent and thorough. No rework required.
Dilemmas of Business Analysts:
Dilemmas of Business Analysts:
 System / Process Flowchart
• a tool for analyzing processes
• allows you to break any process down into
individual events or activities and to display
these in shorthand form showing the logical
relationships between them
• promotes better understanding of processes,
and better understanding of processes is a
pre-requisite for improvement.
 Examples of processes:
• "Receiving orders and entering them into the
computer system"
• "Converting dry-mix powder into tablet form"
• "Following-up sales enquiries"
 Symbols Used:
• Rectangle or box - use it to represent an event which is controlled within
the process. Typically this will be a step or action which is taken. In most
flowcharts this will be the most frequently used symbol.
• Diamond - use it to represent a decision point in the process. Typically, the
statement in the symbol will require a `yes' or `no' response and branch to
different parts of the flowchart accordingly.
• Circle - use it to represent a point at which the flowchart connects with
another process on the same page. The name or reference for the other
process should appear within the symbol.
• Pentagon - use it to represent a point at which the flowchart connects
with another process found on another page. The name or reference for
the other process should appear within the symbol.
• Document – use it to represent data involved in the process. Can also be
represented in multiple forms
• Flowlines – straight lines that connect symbols
• Arrow heads – shows the direction of the flow
• Swimlanes – show segregation of processes done by different units
REFERENCE: International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), ISO 5807 Information processing --
Documentation symbols and conventions; program and system flowcharts ...