1. Fact Finding (Capturing Requirements) Systems Development

2. Overview  Approaches to Fact Finding  Sampling  Investigating Documents  Interviewing  Questionnaires  Observation  Summary

3. Approaches to Fact Finding Main approaches used are:  Investigating Documents  Interviewing  Questionnaires  Observation Analyst must decide:  What data should be gathered  What approach should be used ?

4. Sampling  Systematic selection of representative elements of a project goal.  Typical decisions  Many reports, forms, documents, memos in an organization relating to a system  Which should be used, which ignored ?  Many employees affected by planned system  which are interviewed, receive questionnaires are observed ?

5. Sampling Design Four Steps:  Determine the data to be collected or described  Determine the products / services to be sampled  Choose the type of sample  Decide on the sample criteria

6. Choosing Sample Type Not based on probability  Selection without restrictions: Convenience  Selection according to specific criteria: Purposive Based on probability  Selection without restrictions: Simple Random  Selection according to specific criteria: Complex random

7. Investigating Documents (Hard Data) Type of data found: quantitative and qualitative Quantitative  Reports made for decision making  Performance reports  Records  Data capture forms

8. Investigating Documents Qualitative  Memos  Notices on boards  Procedure manuals  Policy handbooks

9. Interviewing  Interviews reveal  Feelings,  Opinions,  Informal procedures,  Goals of interviewee  Can help interviewer to “sell the system”

10. Interviewing  Six steps in interviewing  Read background material and establish interviewing objectives  Decide who to interview  Prepare the interview  Carry out interview  Prepare written report  Review with interviewee

11. Questionnaires  Questionnaires reveal  Attitudes,  Beliefs,  Behavior,  Characteristics of respondents  Use when lots of people involved with system, or people are difficult to visit.

12. Questionnaires  Can be used in conjunction with interviews  Can be used to focus in on problem areas to consider in interviews  Can be used to test out opinions uncovered in interviews  Written format, should consider  logical presentation, ordering of questions  consistent style  use of “white space”

13. Questionnaires  Based on written questions and responses  Use mixture of open and closed questions  choice of words important, avoid use of jargon  should be free of bias  Effort should be made to use scales - even when open questions are posed  allow quantification of results  Questions must be valid and reliable  Valid: measures what was intended  Reliable: results are consistent

14. Observation  Observation reveals  Activities,  Information Sharing,  Task Interaction,  Social Characteristics of Organization

15. Observation  Need to decide  which activities to observe  when to observe  whether to use time or event sampling  whether to be neutral observer or active participant  how to record information revealed

16. Summary  There are four main approaches for gathering information  analyzing hard data, interviewing, using questionnaires and observation  These are all time consuming if done properly  The four main approaches can be used in a complementary fashion

17. Summary  To maximize the benefit that can be gained from data gathering it is advisable to explicitly construct the sample sets that will be used for any one approach.  Gathering relevant data is crucial to any analysis activity whether it is as part of a systems development project or a research project.