CHAPTER 1

1. Introduction

Technology has become a front runner in recent times especially within the last two decades. It is
a door opener to new opportunities and chances in the business world. With technology
advancing at the speed of light, leveraging technology in conducting daily business operations, in
any organization can reposition such an organization to becoming a market leader in its industry.

Business environment globally is rapidly changing exhibiting vast flexibility which is as a result
of the constant changing innovation in technology.

Many years ago mobile devices where just a tool for communication but it has since evolved
beyond that as it is now an effective and valuable business instrument. In modern technology, the
use of mobile phones is one of the fastest growing areas getting a lot of disquiet from business
professionals Aldhaban (2012) suggested that “Mobile smart phone technology is swiftly
growing and it is impacting customers’ buying behaviour and business activities.”

The GSM association (2018) stated that “By the end of 2018, 5.1 billion people around the world
subscribed to mobile services, which accounts for 67% of the global population”.

People have become more addicted and attached to their mobile phones and other portable smart
devices. This emerge the birth of mobile applications as the work on a small hand held mobile
phones or other devices which is easily moveable, and available from everywhere and
everyplace. . Mobile application is uncomplicated, low-cost, and can work well on most mobile
device including entry level phone (Islam & Mazumder, 2010).

Mobile Application use, growth and improvement is rapidly growing and this has made it an
integral part in business operations today; changing business interface. Mobile applications have
made it easier for consumers to access business data and information at the tip of their fingers.
Zamfiroie (2015) suggested that in recent times, people spend more of their time on mobile apps
than accessing the internet via desktops
Consequently, this has made mobile apps an integral part in business operations today; it has
changed business interface. Mobile apps have made it easier for consumers to access business
data and information at the tip of their fingers. Zamfiroie (2015) suggested that in recent times,
people spend more of their time on mobile apps than accessing the internet via desktops.

Mobile apps are significant in the dynamicity of technology: it has played a vital role in changing
the way business is run in today’s competitive market environment. In order to help ensure a
competitive level of service the role of mobile application in the advancement of business
through enhanced market access and service efficiency cannot be over emphasised. In this light,
the understanding and utilization of technology is paramount for all business owners as they
stand to gain a lot.

Chau & Turner (2001) suggest that previously wholesale SMEs manually run their business and
that Embracing mobile technology, SMEs are able to work in a different way from how they used
to do.

The client, a small medium enterprise (SME) company with focus on providing food products to
catering companies, understands the progress and importance of technology in ensuring a
competitive level of service and as such, intends to develop and implement a mobile application
for its consumers. However, owing to the lofty intricacy and complexity of such projects, only a
thorough and wide spread research of various project requirements can thwart the project from
definite failure. According to (Mulcahy 2013) the success of a project is subject to the
identification and definition of project requirements. However, the value of the project
requirement is dependent on the methods used to elicit for them (Goel & Kulkarni, 2017). In
order to determine the relevant requirements of this project, this study will aim to provide
important and helpful information on different necessities needed for project.

This process of gathering requirement is known as requirements engineering or requirement

elicitation. Requirement elicitation is seen as a major and primary step in software projects as it
is a process that seeks to understand specific project requirement from relevant stakeholders of
the project (Hickey & Davis, 2004). Therefore, this report can further be comprehended as an
offer to conduct a requirements elicitation study, highlighting all significant and applicable
methods that are important for the peculiar case of the client (Company X).
Objectives

The main intent of this project is to conduct a scoping study that will establish all the appropriate
and significant requirements for developing and implementing a mobile application for the client
Company X. The Company requires a mobile application to help position them as market leaders
in its industry by ensuring good services, customer engagement etc. This will be realised with the
objectives and approach covered in this study:

Objective 1: Identifying and establishing the functional requirements of mobile B2B

applications within the food market for catering companies

 Stakeholder Analysis
 Software Benchmarking

Objective 2: Identifying and establishing the structural requirements to program and put into
practice the application within the actual company structure and strength

 System Environment Analysis

 Personnel Analysis
 Risk Identification and Analysis

Objective 3: Identifying and establishing the resources requirements the client has or needs to
for developing and operating the mobile B2B application

 Project Time Planning

 Life-Cycle Cost Analysis

Methodology

The study will exemplify the proposed applicable methods needed to divulge the requirements of
the main objectives highlighted above. The methods will briefly be described but immense
amount of research and work from industry based materials will illustrate the capability and
sufficiency of the methods. With the aid of a Gantt chat a general idea stating when each sub-
project starts and end based on the time needed to complete the project. To make certain that the
input of the methods used will make clear why the chosen method is the most effective and
useful based on the objectives of the company X, all methods are backed by multiple industry
and market cases. In closing, the main idea will be summarized so as to present assistance and
directions towards making the final decisions.

CHAPTER 2

2. SUPPORTING EVIDENCE

The study analyses and evaluates the requirement of developing and implementing a mobile app.

Pandey, Suman, Ramani. (2010) defines Requirements elicitation as a process of seeks, uncover,
acquire and elaborate requirements for developing a Software project”

Requirements elicitation process is a multifaceted task that considers product demands from a
wide number of viewpoints and objectives (Abdulla, Noraini, 2010).

Software Project developers experience a great deal of issues like additional cost, overrun of
schedule, stakeholder disappointment and overall project failure with poor requirement Abdulla,
Noraini, (2010) stated that, it is very important to gather correct requirements during the
elicitation process. This section therefore aims to illustrate the processes and approaches chosen
for all relevant requirements for the project. Various information gathering techniques will be
employed to gather all the necessary information for the project. However, it is important and
recommended that a continual communication with the customer or customer’s focal be
maintained throughout the requirement elicitation procedure. Rafiq et al. (2017) suggests that
communication with the business executives is greatly recommended throughout the elicitation
process as many changes occur during and after requirement identification.

This is because different circumstances may come up that may lead to changes in requirement by
a project stakeholder but note that once these changes are discovered it should be integrated
effectively as soon as possible.

Functional Requirement

Companies employ mobile applications to interact and connect with customers. Mobile
applications are typically developed with the intention to fulfil a peculiar need and they also
cover a number of functionalities. Establishing functional requirement is vital as it gives clients
an insight on how the application will work.
The development of any mobile application requires the expertise and technical know-how of
professionals known as software developers. Functional requirement is about the project’s
proposed performance while responding to outside events. It concerns the outcome of
performance that is provided by a function of the project i.e. what a project can do in relation to
operations (usability, reliability, interface etc.) and services.
This section will analyse the functional requirement (stakeholders and software bench marking)
necessary for developing the mobile application.

Stakeholder Analysis
Stakeholders are “individuals and organizations who are actively involved in the project, or
whose interests may be positively or negatively affected as a result of project execution or
successful project completion” (Project Management Institute (PMI®), 1996).

Every project has its own unique stakeholder that might not be very evident and these
stakeholders might have different disagreeing expectations and wants from the project. Hence,
stakeholder analysis is a crucial practice for any projects to be successful. (Mulcahy 2013).

Stakeholder analysis is a key component of project management that is generally recommended

as a tool for gathering information on actors that have the power to influence a project. It is a
technique that entails both identifying stakeholders and analyzing their impact on the project all
through the life of the project. It reflects the increasing awareness of how decision making is
affected by the power of stakeholders.

Stakeholder analysis helps to identify all actors involved and needs to be involved thereby
evaluating how much resources and time should be given to maintain their contribution and
obligation.(bourne, 2015). Gawler, Golder, (2005) argues that although the full involvement of
stakeholders in project design, development and implementation is important, it is not a
guarantee of project success. Bourne (2015) disagrees and argues that a proper understanding of
stakeholders involved will allow you challenge your opinion and thinking in order to structure
the project in such a way that it matches the interest of all stakeholders thereby ensuring success.

Undertaking a stakeholder identification and analysis can be done through data gathering
techniques such as interviewing and/or brain storming. (Mulcahy 2013 ; Gawler, Golder, B.).
The identification focuses on both internal and external stakeholders (users, developers, decision
makers etc.) throughout the project predicted lifecycle. (Mibei, 2018)

After identification of all stakeholders, communication through meetings and/or personal

conversations is necessary in order to determine their needs and requirements. This will help
ensure a thorough understanding and level of involvement of each stakeholder. Once information
gathering and analysis is done, a stakeholder power and interest grid is produced and then it used
to design the desired output and a follow-up communication plan.

In addition to analyzing stakeholders and their potential impact, you need to identify ways to
manage those impacts successfully. Design negotiations and interventions, forecast risks and
thresholds, and predict sources of conflict and cooperation.

Application Benchmarking

Benchmarking is the methodical search for and execution of best practices which lead to greater
performance. It is the process of analysing and measuring the performance of the operations of
an organization, against the performance of other leading organizations in the same industry. In
other words, mobile application benchmarking is the process of measuring the mobile app in
comparison to other leaders in the app industry. It allows for an understanding of the overall idea
of how your app measures up to its competition and best practices (Daneva 1995).

Tardy, Levif & Michel, (2012) suggest that it allows organizations to understand how best
performances were achieved so that they could adapt the best ideas to their own practices.

The first step in carrying out software benchmarking is to have a clear objective and goal. Fice
and Waller (2012) stated that for software benchmarking to be of worth, its objectives must be
plainly defined from the beginning. Once objective have been clearly spelt out the next step is
identifying constraint by establishing the mobile app environment, determining deadlines and
allocating resources (Daneva, 1995). Since constraint has been identified then a leading
competitor to compare against should be identified and selected. Pitarelli and Monnier (2000)
suggest that these steps will allow for development of action plan, validation of the benchmark
and comparing the mobile application against a reputable model.
In other words, data collection is the primary action in mobile app benchmarking. In doing this,
qualitative information gathered from formal report of reputable sources, will enable an objective
and realistic view of the app’s potential against major leaders of choice. However, quantitative
data is essential as it is the only way to compare data objectively and position client on an
advantageous level.

The next phase after gathering of data is an analysis of the data. Analyzing the result of the
benchmark will put the app into viewpoint for each area (performance, ease of use, design,
creativity, price, UI etc.) that was studied. This will enable you make out the gaps in your app’s
working ability and incorporate the new improvements in your app (Fice and Waller (2012)

Structural Requirement

Structural requirement examines the overall interface a mobile application has. This part will
illustrate the structural requirements the client, company X will have to meet to develop and
implement a successful mobile application in today's competitive market environment. It will
concentrate on the questions; does the client have the organizational environment to fulfill the
structural requirement to develop the mobile application? Do they have the personnel skills
required as it relates to developing and implementing mobile apps and any other capability to
curb risks by itself or with the help of external stakeholders?

Market, personnel, and Risk Identification analysis will be analysed and evaluated to determine
the structural requirements for developing and implementing the mobile application.
System Environment Analysis
System environment analysis is the hub for the structural requirement; it is an important
requirement in the elicitation process since the mobile application is going to be fixed in the
client’s already existing system environment. The system environment analysis will examine
how the functions in the IT system environment will be programmed and implemented.

The analysis has to identify the interface, modules, services, security and support system of the
existing system and the system needed for the mobile application (Liu et al., 2016). The first
phase of the system analysis is to get an understanding of the related existing systems and this
can be achieved in an interview process with the person or persons responsible for the client’s IT
process. This will help reveal what existing module could be adopted into the new system and
also understand which existing module and interface is impacted by the new application and
what tools are needed to enable proper usage of the application (Pries and Quigley, 2008).

Personnel Analysis

Generally a mobile app project will involve significant contributors who play significant role in
the development and execution of the project. These are individuals who contribute to the
execution or the scientific development of the mobile app. Their contribution should be
measurable in a substantive way. It goes to say that no project can survive without key personnel.
One question should be asked; does the client have the necessary personnel with relevant skill set
to run the functions? Because, only with the appropriate personnel can a mobile app project be
fully developed and implemented.

Personnel analysis shows what is available and what will be needed to actualize the project
goals. It compares the project requirements and tasks with the current personnel strength of the
client.

The first step in this analysis is defining, planning and assigning project roles based on the
functional requirement and results from the application benchmarking. This project role has to be
rooted within the client’s organizational structure (Mibei 2018).

The second phase in the analysis is working with the HR or top management to get personnel job
description and taking the information gathered in the project role planning and matching it to
the client organizational talents.

Risk Identification and Analysis

Risk identification and analysis is the final step in the structural requirement of the client. Risk
management is a crucial step in any project preparation. Mulcahy (2013) stated “risk
management working to increase the probability and impact of opportunities on the project,
while decreasing the probability and impact of threats to project”. Risk identification should
involve all stakeholders and non-stakeholders, literature reviews and research. Risk identification
usually occurs during project planning stage but keep in mind risk identification should be done
throughout the project life.
Risk identification can be done using some tools and techniques like documentation reviews
containing experiences from previous client projects. Identification can also be done by using
information gathering technique like brainstorming where one idea helps to spawn another.

Once risk identification has been done, what should be done to all the risks identified has to be
determined. An analysis of the risks and its potential impact on the project to determine which
risk or risks needs a response is carried out using a probability and impact matrix (likelihood and
risk impact). This is because not all risk can be dealt with as it will have an effect on project
resource (time, cost, personnel etc.).

Resource Requirement

After identifying the structural requirements necessary for the developing and implementing of
the mobile application, the resources required for the application project should be examined.

Resource requirements include financial (cost) resources and the total amount of time required to
manage, develop and implement the mobile application. In general this analysis will reveal how
long the process of developing and implementing of the mobile application will take and the
financing required in handling it including cost for follow-up.
Project Time Planning
Project time planning is a crucial step in every project as it is essential to organize and plan the
time spent on all project activities. In other to get a general view of the time the company has to
spend on the mobile app project, project time planning is necessary. Time planning has been
known to be one of the most important steps in IT projects due to the complication and
complexity it has (Sangwa 2018)

Just like each project, the client’s mobile application project consists of individual steps which
have to be undertaken. In order to get an overview of the time the company has to spend for the
project, project time planning is an important step to reveal temporal requirements. Especially
for software engineering projects, time estimates depict a special challenge due to the high
complexity and dependency on uncertain proceedings (Lock, 2013). A breakdown of the
network-based task is the first step in IT time planning. Once this is done, the next step is to
organize them in accordance to their logical sequences and dependencies that estimates each
activity and the total time needed.
Life-Cycle Cost Analysis
Life cycle cost is the total cost (programming and implantation costs as well as operating,
maintenance and disposal cost) the client will spend throughout the lifecycle of the app project.
The lifecycle cost evaluates direct and indirect costs and also external costs. An analysis of this
cost is essential because it will help bring to light some hidden costs. Lifecycle cost can be
defined at the planning stage of the project and collection of relevant data and information is
done using a bottom up approach (Vlachý, 2014). However results from the analysis should be
seen as a guide and not as a final say because costs can vary over time.

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