Lecture 7: Requirement Analysis System Alternatives

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Lecture 7Requirement AnalysisSystem
Alternatives
MIS 160 Systems Development Life Cycle I

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Requirements Analysis
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Requirements Analysis Goals

• Fully describe the current system
• Study and analyze the current system (gather and
  study facts)
• Determine the ideal information system
• Identify resource constraints
• Define and prioritize requirements
• Inspire user confidence/ownership

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Study Analyze Current System

• Gather information on what the system should do
  from as many sources as possible
• Concentrate on WHAT is needed, not HOW to do it
• Dont try to fix it unless you understand it
• Major problem analyst not understanding user
  needs

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Overall Strategy for Fact Finding

• 1. Learn all you can from existing documents
• 2. If appropriate, observe the system in action
• 3. Conduct interviews
• 4. Use questionnaires to clear up things you
  don't fully understand
• 5. Follow-up

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Study Analyze Current System

• -- Activities --
• 1. Learn about current system (gather facts)
• 2. Model current system
• 3. Analyze problems/opportunities (study facts)
• 4. Establish new system objectives

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Study Analyze Current System
-- Output -- 1. Complete statement of user
environment 2. Models of current system 3. List
of major problems/causes/effects 4. System
objectives
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Some Questions That Must be Answered

• What are the inputs to this system?
• What are the outputs of this system?
• What is the business process (i.e., how is data
  processed)?
• Who are the direct end-users?
• How will the users feel about this system?
• Who developed the existing system?

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Learn About Current System (gather facts)

• Gather information from
• Current information system
• a current IS may exist
• External sources
• reviewing other IS outside the organization can
  reveal practical ideas and techniques
• Internal sources
• single most important source of facts is the user
• existing paper work or documents is also a good
  source

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Analyze Problems / Opportunities(study facts)

• Study and analyze the "current" system
• Problem analysis is difficult.
• We often try to solve problems without analyzing
  them.
• We try to state the problem in terms of a
  solution.
• Use the PIECES framework to frame your
  investigation of the problems, opportunities, and
  requirements
• Performance analysis
• Information and data analysis
• Economic analysis
• Control and security analysis
• Efficiency analysis
• Service analysis

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Requirements Analysis Document

• Parts
• How analysis was conducted
• credibility
• restarts
• User requirements
• System constraints
• Realistic System Objectives
• Documentation

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User Requirements

• User system objectives (unedited)
• Reports (type/frequency)
• User training needs
• Effect of system on various users
• Organization Chart

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Tactics

• Listen - dont lecture
• Dont pre-solve problem
• Compare stories
• Look for reluctant responses
• Observe your effects on system
• Avoid politics (head nodding)
• Expect hard, boring work

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Fact-finding Methods

• Research and site visits
• Existing documentation
• Observation
• Questionnaires
• Interviews

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Observation

• Not for long periods of time
• will change what your measuring
• Vary observation periods
• Take only minimal, preplanned notes
• Coordinate visit beforehand
• Beware of Selective Perception!!!

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Questionnaires-- Types --

• Open-ended (free format)
• Closed-ended (fixed format)
• multiple choice
• rating
• ranking
• single fact

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Questionnaire Development

• 1. Determine what facts need to be collected
• 2. Determine whether free- or fixed-format is
  best. Usually, a combination is used.
• 3. Write the questions. Examine them carefully.
  Make sure the questions don't reflect your
  personal biases.
• 4. Test the questions on a small sample of
  respondents. Modify those questions that
  respondents had problems with.
• 5. Duplicate and distribute the questionnaire.

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Questionnaires - the Good and the Bad

• Advantages
• Can be quickly answered.
• Cheap for gathering data from a large number of
  users.
• Allow users to maintain anonymity.
• Responses can be tabulated and analyzed quickly.
• Disadvantages
• Number of respondents is often low.
• No guarantee that the user will answer all the
  questions.
• Inflexible - voluntary information is stifled.
• Elimination of body cues.
• No immediate opportunity to clarify an answer.
• Good questionnaires are difficult to prepare.

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Interviews

• Types of Interviews
• 1. Unstructured
• 2. Structured
• Types of Questions
• 1. Open-ended
• 2. Closed-ended
• Focus of Questions
• 1. Decision analysis
• 2. Data analysis

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How to Conduct an Interview

• 1. Select interviewees. Learn as much as you can
  about interviewee.
• 2. Make an appointment - never 'drop by'
• 3. Limit the interview to between 1/2 hour and 1
  hour
• 4. Clear it with the interviewee's supervisor
• 5. Conduct the interview in a private location
• 6. Prepare for the interview provide an
  interview agenda
• 7. Conduct the interview opening, body,
  conclusion
• 8. Follow-up

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Interviewing Tips

• Watch the time
• Dont look at watch
• No leading questions
• Listen
• No body language

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More Interviewing Tips

• Make the user feel important
• Be courteous and professional
• Dont take exhaustive notes
• Use structured questions
• Dont ask users to remember details
• Avoid gang interviews

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Interviews - the Good and the Bad

• Advantages
• Users are actively involved
• SA can probe for more feedback from user
• SA can reword questions for each interviewee
• Body cues
• Disadvantages
• Very time consuming, thus very costly
• Success of the interview is dependent on the SA's
  human relations skills
• Interviewing may be impractical due to location
  of interviewees

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System Alternatives
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Selecting Alternatives

• Generate a comprehensive set of alternative
  design strategies.
• Select one that is most likely to result in the
  desired information system given all of the
  organizational, economic, and technical
  constraints that limit what can be done.

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Development Alternatives

• Keep old system as is
• Reengineer old system
• Purchase off-the-shelf software
• Design new system in-house
• Outsource new system design

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Processing Alternatives

• Batch/real-time/hybrid
• Keystroke/scanning data entry
• File organization
• Ad-hoc/periodic reports
• Application architecture

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Comparing Alternatives

• Benefits (Revenue)
• Costs
• Tangible/Intangible
• Cost/Benefit Analysis

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Benefits Grid
Tangible
Intangible
Improve Profitability of New Business Less
Paperwork and Administrative Costs Increase in
Prospecting of New Business
Cross-Selling Opportunities Improved Member
Retention Higher System Availability
Revenue Enhancement
Elimination of Duplicate Data Entry Multiple
Proposal/Improved Communication Rekeying of
Proposals in Word
Accurate Rating (Single-Rating Engine
Concept) Improved Audit Process Improved Speed
of Turnaround
Cost Reduction
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Other Factors

• Functionality
• Firms culture
• Connectivity
• Vendor credentials
• Maintenance
• Adaptability