1. Requirements Modeling

2. Phase Description
Systems analysis is the second of five phases in the systems development life cycle (SDLC)
Uses requirements modeling and data and process modeling to represent the new system
Before proceeding to the next phase, systems design, you will consider system development strategies

3. Systems Analysis Phase Overview
The overall objective is to understand the proposed project, ensure that it will support business requirements, and build a solid foundation for system development
You use models and other documentation tools to visualize and describe the proposed system

4. Systems Analysis Phase Overview
Systems Analysis Activities
Requirements modeling
Outputs
Inputs
Processes
Performance
Security
Data and process modeling

5. Systems Analysis Phase Overview
Systems Analysis Activities
Development Strategies
System requirements document

6. Systems Analysis Phase Overview
Systems Analysis Skills
Analytical skills
Interpersonal skills
Team-Oriented Methods and Techniques
Joint application development (JAD)

7. Fact-Finding Fact-Finding Overview
The first step is to identify the information you need
Who, What, Where, When, How, and Why?
Difference between asking what is being done and what could or should be done

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

9. Performing Requirements Determination
Characteristics for gathering requirements
Question everything
Impartiality
Find the best organizational solution
Relaxation of constraints
Attention to detail
Reframing
View the organization in new ways

10. Deliverables and Outcomes
Types of deliverables:
Information collected from users
Existing documents and files
Computer-based information
Understanding of organizational components
Business objective
Information needs
Rules of data processing
Key events

11. Interviews
Systems analysts spend a great deal of time talking with people
Much of that time is spent conducting interviews

12. Traditional Methods for Determining Requirements
Interviewing and Listening
Gather facts, opinions and speculations
Observe body language and emotions
Guidelines
Plan
Checklist
Appointment
Be neutral
Listen
Seek a diverse view

13. Traditional Methods for Determining Requirements
Interviewing (Continued)
Interview Questions
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

14. Interview Step 1: Determine the People to Interview
Informal structure
Step 2: Establish Objectives for the Interview
Determine the general areas to be discussed
List the facts you want to gather

15. Interviews Step 3: Develop Interview Questions
Creating a standard list of interview questions helps to keep you on track and avoid unnecessary tangents
Avoid leading questions
Open-ended questions
Closed-ended questions
Range-of-response questions

16. Interviews Step 4: Prepare for the Interview
Careful preparation is essential because an interview is an important meeting and not just a casual chat
Limit the interview to no more than one hour
Send a list of topics
Ask the interviewee to have samples available

17. Interviews Step 5: Conduct the Interview
Develop a specific plan for the meeting
Begin by introducing yourself, describing the project, and explaining interview objectives
Use engaged listening
Allow the person enough time to think about the question
Summarize main points
After interview, summarize the session and seek a confirmation

18. Interviews Step 6: Document the Interview
During the interview, note taking should be kept to a minimum
After the interview, record the information quickly
After the interview, send memo expressing appreciation, including the main points discussed so the interviewee has a written summary and can offer additions or corrections

19. Interviews Step 7: Evaluate the Interview Unsuccessful Interviews
In addition to recording the facts obtained in an interview, try to identify any possible biases
Unsuccessful Interviews
No matter how well you prepare for interviews, some are not successful

20. CASE IN POINT 3.2: Deep River College
Deep River College is a two-year school in Southern California. Twice a year, the fund-raising office at Deep River mails requests for donations to the alumni. The staff uses a word processing program and a personal information database to create personalized letters., Data on past contributions and other alumni information, however, is stored manually. The dean, Alexandra Ali, recently submitted a systems request asking the college’s IT department to develop a computerized alumni information system. The school does not have a formal systems review committee, and each department has an individual budget for information services.
Eddie Bateman, a systems analyst, performed a preliminary investigation and he concluded that the system met all the feasibility tests. After reading his report, Alexandra asked him to proceed with the systems analysis phase. Eddie has scheduled an interview with her, and he asked you to help him prepare for the meeting. Specifically, he wants you to list all the topics he should cover during the interview. Eddie also wants you to prepare a list of specific questions that he should ask. Be sure to include open-ended, closed-ended, and range-of-response questions.

21. CASE IN POINT 3.3: FastPak Overnight Package System
FastPak, the nation’s fourth-largest overnight package system, is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Jesse Evans is a systems analyst on an IT team that is studying ways to update FastPak’s package tracking system. Jesse prepared well for her interview with Jason Tanya, FastPak’s executive vice president. Mr. Tanya did not ask his assistant to hold his calls during the meeting, however. After several interruptions, Jesse tactfully suggested that she could come back another time, or perhaps that Mr. Tanya might ask his assistant to hold his calls. “No way,” he replied. “I’m a very busy man and we’ll just have to fit this in as we can, even if it takes all day.” Jesse was unprepared for his response. What are her options? Is an analyst always in control of this kind of situation? Why or why not?

22. Traditional Methods for Determining Requirements
Administering Questionnaires
More cost-effective than interviews
Choosing respondents
Should be representative of all users
Types of samples
Convenient
Random sample
Purposeful sample
Stratified sample

23. Traditional Methods for Determining Requirements
Questionnaires
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

24. Traditional Methods for Determining Requirements
Interviewing Groups
Advantages
More effective use of time
Enables people to hear opinions of others and to agree or disagree
Disadvantages
Difficulty in scheduling
Nominal Group Technique
Facilitated process to support idea generation by groups
Individuals work alone to generate ideas which are pooled under guidance of a trained facilitator

25. Traditional Methods for Determining Requirements
Directly Observing Users
Serves as a good method to supplement interviews
Often difficult to obtain unbiased data
Hawthorne Effect
People often work differently when being observed

26. 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

27. Analyzing Procedures and Other Documents
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

28. Modeling Tools and Techniques
CASE Tools
Offer powerful modeling features
Systems analysts use modeling and fact-finding interactively
Functional Decomposition Diagrams
Functional decomposition diagram (FDD)

29. Modeling Tools and Techniques
Unified Modeling Language
Provides various graphical tools
Use case diagrams
Actor
Sequence diagrams

30. What is UML? UML stands for Unified Modeling Language
The UML is the standard language for visualizing, specifying, constructing, and documenting the artifacts of a software-intensive system
It can be used with all processes, throughout the development life cycle, and across different implementation technologies
Core message -- second bullet
UML can be used to communicate system and software design throughout the life cycle 9

31. Modern Methods for Determining Requirements
Joint Application Design (JAD)
Brings together key users, managers and systems analysts
Purpose: collect system requirements simultaneously from key people
Conducted off-site
Prototyping
Repetitive process
Rudimentary version of system is built
Replaces or augments SDLC
Goal: to develop concrete specifications for ultimate system

32. CASE IN POINT 3.1: North Hills Consulting
Suppose you were employed as a summer intern by North Hills Consulting, which offers a wide range of IT services to clients. North Hills has a Web site that describes the firm and the services it offers. The site includes a monthly feature called “Hot Topic,” which reviews current IT trends and developments.
Yesterday, Jane Hall, your supervisor, mentioned that next month’s topic would be JAD and RAD, and she asked you to write a draft of the Hot Topic article. Specifically, she wants you to go online and locate at least three references that would be of interest to readers who want to learn more about JAD or RAD. When you have completed your research, she wants you to write a summary of your findings.

33. Joint Application Design (JAD)
Participants
Session Leader
Users
Managers
Sponsor
Systems Analysts
Scribe
IS Staff

34. Joint Application Design (JAD)
End Result
Documentation detailing existing system
Features of proposed system
CASE Tools During JAD
Upper CASE tools are used
Enables analysts to enter system models directly into CASE during the JAD session
Screen designs and prototyping can be done during JAD and shown to users

35. Joint Application Design (JAD)
Supporting JAD with GSS
Group support systems (GSS) can be used to enable more participation by group members in JAD
Members type their answers into the computer
All members of the group see what other members have been typing

36. Joint Application Development
JAD Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
Allows key users to participate effectively
When properly used, JAD can result in a more accurate statement of system requirements, a better understanding of common goals, and a stronger commitment to the success of the new system
Disadvantages
More expensive and can be cumbersome if the group is too large relative to the size of the project

37. Prototyping 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

38. Prototyping Drawbacks Tendency to avoid formal documentation
Difficult to adapt to more general user audience
Sharing data with other systems is often not considered
Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) checks are often bypassed

39. System Requirements Checklist
Five general categories
Outputs
Inputs
Processes
Performance
Controls

40. System Requirements Checklist
Outputs
The Web site must report online volume statistics every four hours, and hourly during peak periods
The inventory system must produce a daily report showing the part number, description, quantity on hand, quantity allocated, quantity available, and unit cost of all parts — sorted by part number

41. System Requirements Checklist
Inputs
Manufacturing employees must swipe their ID cards into online data collection terminals that record labor costs and calculate production efficiency
The department head must enter overtime hours on a separate screen

42. System Requirements Checklist
Processes
The student records system must calculate the GPA at the end of each semester
As the final step in year-end processing, the payroll system must update employee salaries, bonuses, and benefits and produce tax data required by the IRS

43. System Requirements Checklist
Performance
The system must support 25 users online simultaneously
Response time must not exceed four seconds

44. System Requirements Checklist
Controls
The system must provide log-on security at the operating system level and at the application level
An employee record must be added, changed, or deleted only by a member of the human resources department

45. Future Growth, Costs, and Benefits
Scalability
A scalable system offers a better return on the initial investment
To evaluate, you need information about projected future volume for all outputs, inputs, and processes

46. Future Growth, Costs, and Benefits
Total Cost of Ownership
Total cost of ownership (TCO) is especially important if the development team is evaluating several alternatives
One problem is that cost estimates tend to understate indirect costs
Rapid Economic Justification (REJ)

47. Documentation The Need for Recording the Facts
Record information as soon as you obtain it
Use the simplest recording method
Record your findings in such a way that they can be understood by someone else
Organize your documentation

48. Documentation Software Tools CASE Tools Productivity Software
Word processing, spreadsheets, database management, presentation graphics, histogram

49. Documentation Software Tools Graphics modeling software
Personal information managers
Personal information manager (PIM)
Handheld computers
Personal digital assistants (PDAs)
Wireless communication devices

50. Preview of Data and Process Modeling
At the conclusion of requirements modeling, systems developers should have clear understanding of business processes and system requirements
The next step is to construct a logical design of the system
The systems analysis phase includes three activities: requirements modeling, data and process modeling, and consideration of development strategies