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Chapter 9 User Needs Analysis and Assessment
IFS410 End User Support Chapter 9 User Needs Analysis and Assessment
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Overview of User Needs Analysis and Assessment
Purpose: determine which computer products or services best meet end-user needs (consider the IT Framework from last week) Strategy: understand a user’s environment and work situation clarify the problem or objectives Trying to Solve? investigate alternative solutions More than one decide on a solution to meet the user’s needs decide whether to purchase or build Interesting Process can be formal or informal Situational
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Examples of Typical Needs Assessment Projects
Select components Choose a computer system Choose a peripheral to add to an existing system Choose an application software package Choose an office network Select services Choose a training program / partner Choose an Internet service provider (ISP) Notice a common theme?
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Three Phases in Needs Analysis Process
Preparation Phase Goal is to understand the problem, goals, decision criteria, stakeholders and information needed for a project Investigation Phase Goal is to understand the present situation and alternatives to it Decision Phase Goal is to develop a model of a proposed system and decide whether to build it or buy it
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Preparation Phase Step One: Understand the Personal or Organizational Goals
What is the environment into which the future system will fit? Purpose of the organization Ethical consideration For-profit or not-for-profit Plans for growth or expansion Critical Attitude about technology (organizational culture) Budget for computer systems and services Staff expertise Knowledge level. Think about the support system at YCP. Would entry level people understand SLA concepts?
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Preparation Phase Step Two: Understand the Decision Criteria and Constraints
What criteria will impact the decision? Grow/Transform/Run Is this project feasible? Given technology, cost etc. (railcar scale) Feasibility investigates the constraints that will impact this project Economic feasibility Budget constraints Operational feasibility Impact on other systems and personnel proper people Technological feasibility State of technology Bleeding/Leading edge Timeline feasibility Time constraints how quickly needed vs. availability
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Preparation Phase Step Three: Define the Problem Clearly
What is the real problem that needs to be solved by this project? Root cause analysis is critical Ask probing questions Not all problems are technical Some problems are organizational Personnel Correct people, correct number of people Workflow Process issues Training Properly trained Politics Unionized labor Management Committed Resources Material, Machinery, Capital, Information Do not assume that a user has correctly analyzed the problem Observe the user in his or her environment Critical for process knowledge Consider solutions other than obvious ones Think outside the box
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Preparation Phase Step Four: Identify the Roles of Stakeholders
Who will be impacted by this project? A stakeholder is a participant in a needs analysis project who has a substantial interest in the successful outcome of the project Four kinds of stakeholders Users Managers Support analysts Information Technology or Technical Support Staff Can vendors be stakeholders in a project? What is their role? Can the government be a stakeholder? Their role? Can customers be a stakeholder? Their role? Can owners be a stakeholder? Their role?
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Preparation Phase Step Five: Identify Sources of Information
What sources of information are needed to analyze user needs? Interviews with end users and managers Surveys or questionnaires sent to end users Procedure manuals that describe the current system (updated?) Direct observation of the existing situation Forms used for input into the existing system Reports output from the existing system Problem reports or help desk logs (Help identify) Reports and recommendations from consultants or auditors continued
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Investigation Phase Step Six: Develop an Understanding of the Existing System
How does the existing system work? How can you recommend a change/improvement if you don’t know how it works? A model is a narrative and/or graphic diagram that describes the current system or situation A model can aid an analyst’s understanding A model can be shared with stakeholders to verify understanding Three key questions in Step Six: 1. Do I understand the existing system well enough to explain the operation to others? 2. Do I understand which features of the existing system users like? 3. Do I under what users think is wrong with existing system?
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Investigation Phase Step Seven: Investigate Alternatives to the Existing System
How can the existing system or situation be fixed? Add resources Technical: additional equipment Organizational: additional personnel, budget, time, priority Change resources Reinstall or reconfigure software Provide different user training Upgrades Improve processing speed, storage capacity, compatibility Offer new features that address identified problems continued
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Investigation Phase Step Seven: Investigate Alternatives to the Existing System (continued)
New hardware Resolve capacity constraints Run software efficiently Operate new software New software Packaged, off-the-shelf software Custom-developed software New software that can be modified
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Decision Phase Step Eight: Develop a Model of the Proposed System
What features would a new system or solution offer? Build a model of the proposed system or solution Includes pros and cons of each alternative considered Answer the questions: Why is proposed solution an improvement to the existing one? Why is this the best available alternative?
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Decision Phase Step Eight: Develop a Model of the Proposed System (continued)
Kinds of solutions An optimal solution is the best one Constraints? A satisficing solution is one that solves the problem, but is not necessarily the best solution A cost-benefit analysis is a comparison between a solution’s expenses and its payoffs to an organization Useful tool to Analyze a solution Compare solutions Remove Emotional Connection
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Decision Phase Step Eight: Step 8 Tips
A cost-benefit analysis is not an exact science with right or wrong answers estimate / guess (example) For a small project, even an informal cost-benefit analysis is useful (example) Users’ needs should drive the specifications for a new system Software specifications are usually more important than hardware specifications, and should be developed first
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Decision Phase Step Nine: Make a Build-versus-Buy Decision
Should the new system or solution be built or purchased? HUGE Build-versus-buy decision a decision to build a new system internally or purchase one off the shelf applies primarily to software (but can also apply to hardware, software, or complete systems) Turnkey SYSTEM is an integrated packaged solution that provides hardware, software, and support from a single vendor (VOIP example)
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Decision Phase Step Nine: Advantages of Build versus Buy (continued)
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Needs Analysis and Assessment Tools
Project charter Cost-benefit analysis Data collection instruments Charts and diagrams Prototyping software Other tools
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Project Charter A project charter is a short narrative statement that describes the objectives, scope, methods, participants, deliverables, and timeline A deliverable is the end result of a needs analysis project Analysis of alternatives Feasibility report Recommendation Build versus buy decision High level overview of a project Promotes a common understanding among all stakeholders
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Example of a Project Charter
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Cost-benefit Analysis
Weighs the benefits of each alternative solution against the costs of each alternative Kinds of benefits Tangible: benefits that are relatively easy to quantify Example: increased worker productivity (output divide by input). Knowledgeable of timeframe (CAD installation) FTE Reduction Intangible benefit is an expected result from a computer acquisition that is difficult to quantify Example: Increased worker morale / engagement Increased productivity Used all the time but how to measure
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Cost-Benefit Analysis Factors
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Data Collection Instruments
Input forms Output forms Procedure documentation Operating or problem logs Interviews with users User questionnaires Direct observation
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Input Forms Input form is a paper document or display screen image used to collect information about a business transaction Also called a source document Examples (any input to conceptual system) Payroll timecards Problem log Membership application Expense account record Sales Order / Work Order / Purchase order EDI
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Output Forms Output forms are documents that contain the results of a business process Examples Grocery store sales receipt Paycheck stub Grade report Income Statement (PnL) Balance Sheet Monthly Scorecard (example)
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Procedure Documentation
Procedure documentation is written instructions about how to perform a business transaction or handle a routine business process Often used to train a new worker or answer frequently asked questions about transaction processing problems Examples Manual on how to process orders in a copy shop Operations manual in a bank or credit union ISO 9000 documentation
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Operating or Problem Logs
A log is a list of events or activities recorded in the sequence the events occur Routine, periodic event information Unusual events, errors, problems, complaints Examples Log of inventory shortages in Shipping and Receiving Log of problems encountered with a new software package
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Interviews and Questionnaires
Used to collect relevant information from users About the work they do (who better to ask) How an existing or proposed computer system might affect their work (careful of emotion) Require care to design so that they: Extract information that is clear and unambiguous Avoid opinion questions. “Just the facts please.” Elicit information needed by an analyst Example Survey on user satisfaction with computer support services On-line surveys work well
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Interviews versus Questionnaires
Interview Advantage Interviewer can probe to learn details of issues that are of special interest Interview Disadvantage Takes more time (costs more?) than a questionnaire Questionnaire Advantage Ability to survey a larger group at a lower cost Questionnaire Disadvantage Difficult to phrase unambiguous questions
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Open-ended Questions An open-ended question is one where the respondents answer using their own words instead of predetermined responses Advantage Responses are not forced into predefined categories Challenges Require care to design questions Take longer to complete More difficult to tabulate results
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Forced-choice Questions
In a forced-choice question, respondents must choose from predetermined response categories Advantage Faster to administer (check boxes) Easier to tabulate results Challenges Difficult to frame questions to match each user’s personal experiences and frame-of-reference Also called closed-choice or fixed-choice or a multiple choice
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Direct Observation when other forms of data collection aren’t possible
Direct observation involves watching users work (done at the service desk today) Direct involvement (hands on experience) Powerful method of data collection when other forms of data collection aren’t possible to supplement other forms of data collection Plan sufficient time Take notes on: What users do Sequence of tasks Tools and strategies they use With whom they interact Where they store information
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Charts and Diagrams Used to show:
Flow of information in an organization Relationships between workers Parts of an information system Workflow among employees Often easier to read and understand than lengthy, technical narrative Common types of charts used in needs analysis Flowcharts I-P-O charts
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Flowchart A flowchart is a schematic diagram that use symbols to represent the parts of a system or the steps in a procedure Rectangular boxes: Departments in a company, nodes on a network, processing steps a worker performs Diamonds: Decision points or questions Lines: Relationship of parts or a sequence of processing steps
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Example of Flowchart
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I-P-O Chart An I-P-O Chart is a diagram that represents Input, Processing, and Output steps required to perform a task Answers three fundamental questions about a procedure Input: Where do I get the information with which to work? Processing: What do I do to transform the information? Output: What do I do with the information when processing is completed?
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Example of I-P-O Chart
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Prototyping Software Prototype is a working model a support analyst builds to let users evaluate how the finished product of an analysis project will actually work Advantage Easy, quick, cost-effective compared with finished product Easy to make changes Limitation Usually operates slowly or has limited capacity for data storage Example Use of Microsoft Access to design a data entry form for help desk problem incidents
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Other Needs Assessment Tools
Benchmarks (see Chapter 8) Weighted point comparisons (see Chapter 8) Project management software helps project leaders organize the tasks in a large project, set priorities, establish project costs, and schedule resources. Appropriate for large-scale needs assessment and development projects that will involve a number of users, analysts, and steps (see Chapter 7)
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