1. CSE1204 - Information Systems 1
DATA GATHERING
FOR INFORMATION
SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT

2. Lecture Objectives
to be aware of various methods for data gathering (“fact-finding”) in respect of information system development
to understand the usefulness and suitability of various data gathering methods for particular problem situations

3. Example system
Easy Go Hotel

4. Data gathering in systems development
Data gathering is a major task of systems analysis.
Systems analysis involves:
Understanding and describing how the current system functions
Determining what users would like their new system to do (user requirements)
Necessary for system analysts to collect information about current and future situations, problems,opportunities, constraints

5. What data to gather? The business or organisation:
Data about the nature of the business and its market and business environment
Data about business goals and objectives that dictate what and how work is done
Data about organisational structure: major functions, departments etc
Data about major business subsystems and how they interact
Data about business policies and guidelines

6. What data to gather? Users of the system: Roles and responsibilities
Reporting structures
Job specifications and actual tasks performed
Information needed to do their jobs
Formal and informal communication and workflow channels

7. What data to gather? Users of the system:
Data about roles and responsibilities
Data about reporting structures
Job specifications and data about actual tasks performed
Data about information needed to do their jobs
Data about formal and informal communication and workflow channels

8. What data to gather? The existing system:
Data about tasks and workflow: functions, processes, sequence of processes, methods and procedures, inputs, outputs
Data about the data (definition, volumes, size etc.)
Data about interactions with other systems
Data about work volumes and processing cycles
Data about performance standards and criteria
Data about control mechanisms: e.g security, accuracy
Data about problems: e.g. efficiency, information

9. What data to gather? The new system:
Data about system requirement: a need or desire to be met by a proposed system
Data about both functional requirements (processes and functionality) and
non-functional requirements (security, performance, service etc.)
Data about constraints e.g. existing technology
Data about interactions with other systems
Data about relationship to existing system/s

10. Sources of data Users and other stakeholders
Documents about the system
Documents about the organisation
Documents and data used within the existing system
Transactions within existing system
External sources

11. Sources of data Users External stakeholders: e.g. customers
System sponsor/owner: overall project objectives
Managers: high level, broad view of existing system and requirements
End-users: detailed, operational level view of existing system and requirements
Technical staff: technology capaabilities, limitations etc.
External stakeholders: e.g. customers

12. Sources of data Documents about the system and organisation:
Organisation charts
Policy manuals
Business reports: financial, annual etc.
Jobs, procedure, operations manuals
Training manuals
Existing system documentation
Internal reports relating to the system

13. Sources of data Documents and data used within the existing system:
Files, databases, programs, forms, reports
Informal: Memos, bulletin boards, files
External sources:
Other organisations’ systems
Hardware & software vendors
Business & industry publications

14. What data gathering methods?
Interviews
Questionnaires
Observation
Sampling documents and transactions
Research and site visits

15. Interviews
Generally the most important and widely-used method for data gathering
May be formal/structured (specific questions) or informal/unstructured (general goal or purpose)
Need an interview strategy for the entire interviewing process
Need an interview plan or guide for each interview

16. The interview strategy
Establish general objectives and guidelines for the entire interviewing process:
e.g. information to be obtained, sources, formats, documenting, analysis
Identify the users to interview:
Ensure all key people are included

17. The interview strategy
Determine the sequence of interviews:
Co-ordinate the interviewing process:
Compare results, select follow ups etc.
Need individual interview plans
Need to consider:
Who has the information you need?
Where to conduct the interview?
When is the best time to interview?
How should the interview progress?

18. The individual interview
Before the interview:
Arrange time and place, necessary materials, inform interviewee of interview purpose
Conduct the interview
After the interview:
Write an interview report
Review this with the interviewee at a follow up interview

19. The interview structure
Preliminaries:
Introduction, purpose, environment and procedures e.g. permission to tape
“Body”:
Define what you already believe to be true and confirm this, explore points & issues further, new areas (questions)
Conclusion:
Summarise and confirm your findings
Schedule a follow up interview

20. The interview plan Interview plans:
Decide on interview structure
Determine content of questions
Decide on question types
See Whitten et al (2001),Figure 6.5 pp 233 for a sample interview guide.

21. Interviews: types of questions
Closed: how many transactions per day?
Limits available responses
Open: tell me about …..
Leaves options open for interviewee
Probe: tell me more about the problem with the ….
To clarify and expand
Mirror: From what you said, I understand that….
To confirm what was said etc.

22. Interviews: types of questions
Avoid long, complex, or double-barrelled questions:
what decisions are made during this process and how do you make them?
Avoid leading questions;
you don’t need the customer number on this report, do you?
Avoid loaded questions:
when did you first discover the mistake?
i.e. how long have you known and done nothing?

23. Interviews: advantages
obtain extensive, complex detailed information
get insights and opinions
discover informal procedures
flexible e.g. explore issues further or new issues
establish rapport with interviewee and understand their attitudes
reveal the ‘politics’ of the system environment
information is revealed both by the spoken word and by the interviewee’s body language
guaranteed response

24. Interviews: Disadvantages
Time-consuming
Costly
Danger of bias
More difficult to tabulate and analyse results e.g. to obtain an overall picture
Success in interviewing depends on the inter- personal skills of the interviewer

25. Questionnaires
A structured method of data gathering in which written questions/comments are provided for the participants to respond to in written form
The questionnaire can take many forms - write comments/ select from a list of possible responses/ mark on a scale
May permit either quantitative or qualitative data (mark out of 10/grade from good to bad)
Usually involves no direct contact between data gatherer and respondents

26. Questionnaires
Useful when small amounts of data are required from a large number of people
For geographically dispersed respondents
Types of questions:
Open-ended (free format)
Fill-in-the-blank
Multiple choice
Rating
Ranking

27. Designing questionnaires
What facts and opinions to be collected
Who to sample and sample size
Types of questions and wording (precise, accurate, unambiguous)
How to administer e.g. paper, online, mail out etc.
Format and layout (grouping, crosschecks etc.)
Test on small sample of respondents
How completed questionnaires will be returned and collated
How analysis of the data will be carried out

28. Questionnaires Useful for:
Obtaining simple opinions, facts
Quantifying what was found in interviews
Identifying issues before interviewing
Determining extent of problems
Not useful for detailed or complex information or exploring issues in depth
Can supplement other methods

29. Questionnaires: advantages
most economical method for gathering data from large numbers of people
quick and easy to administer
results can be tabulated rapidly and analysed readily
allow respondents to be anonymous
gives respondents time to reflect on answers
respondents complete in their own time

30. Questionnaires: disadvantages
difficult to construct effective questionnaires
specific and limited amounts of information
possible low return rates
possible bias and misinterpretation
cannot probe issues further (inflexible)
cannot clarify vague or incomplete answers
lack non-verbal communication

31. Observation observing the actual processes of a system
need to prepare beforehand, and report on data collected
gain first hand knowledge of current system’s operations
clarify other information collected
understand complex procedures
inexpensive
behaviour distortions may affect reliability
unrepresentative samples affect reliability

32. Sampling of documents and transactions
Sampling: collecting a representative sample of documents, forms, transactions
Useful for specific information e.g. transaction volumes and types, file sizes
Useful where large volumes exist
Information about existing system operations
Representative samples must be selected:
determine sample size, appropriate range, avoid bias

33. Research and site visits
Most problems not unique: learn from experiences of other organisations
Professional societies can provide contacts for site visits
Computer trade journals and magazines and the internet can be sources for research into the problem/s e.g. do appropriate software packages exist?

34. Other data gathering methods
Other “modern” methods used:
Discovery prototyping
JAD (Joint Application Development) sessions
Focus groups

35. A data gathering strategy
Data gathering must be carefully planned in order to make the most of the time and resources available:
Information sources
Data gathering methods
Recording and documentation methods
Data analysis methods
Procedures for reviewing results with management and users

36. A data gathering strategy
E.g. a “top down” approach:
Initial interviews with management to determine major system activities and data
Document and verify this
Expand major system component descriptions into detailed descriptions:
Interview operational users, sampling, questionnaires, observation etc
Repeat these last two steps as necessary
Review findings with management

37. A data gathering strategy
Consider costs: allow for time and resources required for initial and ongoing information gathering
Use the least expensive methods first
Plan how to check the validity of data:
Cross checking between groups, methods
Evaluate data for inconsistencies
Ask further questions
Plan documentation of data e.g. records of interviews etc. data dictionary, system models

38. Data gathering in practice
Completeness?
Accuracy?
Objectivity?
Biases?
Stability?
Representative?
Finished?

39. References
WHITTEN, J.L., BENTLEY, L.D. and DITTMAN, K.C. (2001) 5th ed., Systems Analysis and Design Methods, Irwin/McGraw-HilI, New York, NY. Chapter 6
HOFFER, J.A., GEORGE, J.F. and VALACICH (1999) 2nd ed., Modern Systems Analysis and Design, Benjamin/Cummings, Massachusetts. Chapter 7
DWYER, J. (1997) The Business Communication Handbook (4th edition) Prentice-Hall, New York, N.Y. Chapter 5