Chapter 6 Determining System Requirements Modern Systems Analysis and Design Third Edition Jeffrey A. Hoffer Joey F. George Joseph S. Valacich Chapter 6 Determining System Requirements

Software Engineering Process A process used to create an information system System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Series of steps used (Standard process followed in an organization) to manage the phases of development for an information system Consists of six phases: Project Identification and Selection Project Initiation and Planning Analysis Design Implementation Maintenance

Project identification and selection Project Initiation and planning Analysis Design Implementation Maintenance Waterfall Model

Key Ideas The goal of the analysis phase is to truly understand the requirements of the new system and develop a system that addresses them. The first challenge is finding the right people to participate. The second challenge is collecting and integrating the information

Requirements Determination Gather information on what system should do from many sources Users Reports Forms Procedures

Traditional Methods for Determining Requirements 1. Interviewing and Listening 2. Administering Questionnaires 3. Interviewing Groups 4. Directly Observing Users 5. Analyzing Procedures and Other Documents 6. Joint Application Design (JAD) 7. Prototyping

1. Interviewing and Listening

1. Interviewing and Listening Gather facts, opinions,… Observe body language and emotions (feeling) Guidelines Plan Checklist Appointment Be neutral Listen

Interviewing (con’t) Interview Questions Additional Guidelines Open-Ended No pre-specified answers Close-Ended Respondent is asked to choose from a set of specified responses Additional Guidelines Do not phrase questions in ways that imply a wrong or right answer Listen very carefully to what is being said Type up notes within 48 hours Do not set expectations about the new system

Interviews -- Five Basic Steps Selecting interviewees Designing interview questions Preparing for the interview Conducting the interview Post-interview follow-up

Selecting Interviewees Based on information needed Often good to get different perspectives Managers Users Ideally, all key stakeholders

Types of Questions Types of Questions Examples Closed-Ended Questions * How many telephone orders are received per day? * How do customers place orders? * What additional information would you like the new system to provide? Open-Ended Questions * What do you think about the current system? * What are some of the problems you face on a daily basis? * How do you decide what types of marketing campaign to run? Probing Questions * Why? * Can you give me an example? * Can you explain that in a bit more detail? For CSU’s IST321 students only Adapted from PowerPoint Presentation for Dennis, Wixom & Tegardem, Systems Analysis and Design, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Designing Interview Questions Unstructured interview Broad, roughly defined information Structured interview More specific information

Interview Preparation Steps Prepare general interview plan List of question Anticipated answers and follow-ups Confirm areas of knowledge Set priorities in case of time shortage Prepare the interviewee Schedule Inform of reason for interview Inform of areas of discussion

Conducting the Interview Appear professional and unbiased Record all information Check on organizational policy regarding tape recording Be sure you understand all issues and terms Separate facts from opinions Give interviewee time to ask questions Be sure to thank the interviewee End on time

Conducting the Interview Practical Tips Don’t worry, be happy Pay attention Summarize key points Be succinct Be honest Watch body language

Post-Interview Follow-Up Prepare interview notes Prepare interview report Look for gaps and new questions

Interview Report INTERVIEW REPORT Interview notes approved by: ____________ Person interviewed ______________ Interviewer _______________ Date _______________ Primary Purpose: Summary of Interview: Open Items: Detailed Notes:

Your Turn You are interviewing the director of the PC lab at your school regarding a new program to support keeping track of students’ borrowing software With a partner, write 5 questions you would ask the PC lab director Take turns having one pair of students posing the questions to another pair of students Be sure to take notes and write up the results when you have finished.

2. Administering Questionnaires

2. Administering Questionnaires More cost-effective than interviews Choosing respondents Should be representative of all users

Questionnaires (con’t) Design Mostly closed-ended questions Can be administered over the phone or in person Vs. Interviews Interviews cost more but yield more information Questionnaires are more cost-effective

Questionnaire Steps Selecting participants Using samples of the population Designing the questionnaire Careful question selection Administering the questionnaire Working to get good response rate Questionnaire follow-up Send results to participants

Good Questionnaire Design Begin with non-threatening and interesting questions Group items into logically coherent sections Do not put important items at the very end of the questionnaire Do not crowd a page with too many items Avoid abbreviations Avoid biased or suggestive items or terms Number questions to avoid confusion Pretest the questionnaire to identify confusing questions Provide anonymity to respondents For CSU’s IST321 students only Adapted from PowerPoint Presentation for Dennis, Wixom & Tegardem, Systems Analysis and Design, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

3.Interviewing Groups

3. Interviewing Groups Advantages Disadvantages More effective use of time Enables people to hear opinions of others and to agree or disagree Disadvantages Difficulty in scheduling

4. Directly Observing Users

4. Directly Observing Users Serves as a good method to supplement interviews Often difficult to obtain unbiased data People often work differently when being observed

Observation Users/managers often don’t remember everything they do Checks validity of information gathered other ways Behaviors change when people are watched Careful not to ignore periodic activities Weekly … Monthly … Annual

5. Analyzing Procedures and Other Documents

5. Analyzing Procedures and Other Documents Types of information to be discovered: Problems with existing system Opportunity to meet new need Organizational direction Names of key individuals Values of organization Special information processing circumstances Reasons for current system design Rules for processing data

Document Analysis Provides clues about existing “as-is” system Typical documents Forms Reports Policy manuals Look for user additions to forms Look for unused form elements

Analyzing Procedures and Other Documents (con’t) Four types of useful documents Written work procedures Describes how a job is performed Includes data and information used and created in the process of performing the job or task Business form Explicitly indicate data flow in or out of a system Report Enables the analyst to work backwards from the report to the data that generated it Description of current information system

6. JOINT APPLICATION DESIGN (JAD)

6. Joint Application Design (JAD) Brings together key users, managers and systems analysts Purpose: collect system requirements simultaneously from key people End Result of JAD Documentation detailing existing system Features of proposed system

JAD Key Ideas Allows project managers, users, and developers to work together May reduce scope creep by 50% Avoids requirements being too specific or too vague

Joint Application Design (JAD) Important Roles Facilitator Scribe

Joint Application Design (JAD) Setting U-Shaped seating Away from distractions Whiteboard/flip chart Prototyping tools e-JAD

JAD Meeting Room JPEG Figure 5-5 Goes Here

The JAD Session Tend to last 5 to 10 days over a three week period Prepare questions as with interviews Formal agenda and groundrules Facilitator activities Keep session on track Help with technical terms and jargon Record group input Help resolve issues Post-session follow-up

Managing Problems in JAD Sessions Reducing domination Encouraging non-contributors Side discussions Agenda merry-go-round Violent agreement Unresolved conflict True conflict Use humor

7. Prototyping

7. Prototyping Prototyping Repetitive process version of system is built Replaces or augments SDLC Goal: to develop concrete specifications for ultimate system Quickly converts requirements to working version of system Once the user sees requirements converted to system, will ask for modifications or will generate additional requests Most useful when: User requests are not clear Few users are involved in the system Designs are complex and require concrete form History of communication problems between analysts and users Tools are readily available to build prototype

Prototyping (con’t) Drawbacks Tendency to avoid formal documentation Difficult to adapt to more general user audience Sharing data with other systems is often not considered

Selecting the Appropriate Techniques Interviews JAD Questionnaires Document Observation Analysis Type of As-Is As-Is As-Is As-Is As-Is Information Improve. Improve. Improve. To-Be To-Be Depth of High High Medium Low Low Information Breadth of Low Medium High High Low Integration Low High Low Low Low of Info. User Medium High Low Low Low Involvement Cost Medium Low- Low Low Low- Medium Medium For CSU’s IST321 students only Adapted from PowerPoint Presentation for Dennis, Wixom & Tegardem, Systems Analysis and Design, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Summary There are seven major information gathering techniques that all systems analysts must be able to use: Interviews, JAD, Questionnaires, Document Analysis, and Observation. Systems analysts must also know how and when to use each as well as how to combine methods.

Expanding the Domain Additional resources regarding Joint Application Development can be found at: http://www.carolla.com/wp-jad.htm http://www.utexas.edu/hr/is/pubs/jad.html