SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
C H A P T E R
6
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REQUIREMENTS
DISCOVERY
METHODS, USE
CASES AND
DOCUMENTATION
Copyright © 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights reserved
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Chapter Six Requirements Discovery
• Understand six guidelines for doing effective listening.
• Understand what body language and proxemics are, and why a systems
analyst should care.
• Characterize the typical participants in a JRP session and describe their roles.
• Complete the planning process for a JRP session, including selecting and
equipping the location, selecting the participants, and preparing an agenda to
guide the JRP session.
• Describe several benefits of using JRP as a fact-finding technique.
• Describe a fact-finding strategy that will make the most of your time with
end-users.
• Describe various techniques to document and analyze requirements.
• Understand use cases and be able to document them.
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Chapter Map
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Procedure to Conduct an Interview
1. Select Interviewees
2. Prepare for the Interview
1. An interview guide is a checklist of specific questions
the interviewer will ask the interviewee.
3. Conduct the Interview
4. Follow Up on the Interview
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Interview Questions
• Types of Questions to Avoid
– Loaded questions
– Leading questions
– Biased questions
• Interview Question Guidelines
–
–
–
–
–
Use clear and concise language.
Don’t include your opinion as part of the question.
Avoid long or complex questions.
Avoid threatening questions.
Don’t use “you” when you mean a group of people.
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Sample Interview Guide
Interviewee: Jeff Bentley, Accounts Receivable Manager
Date:
Tuesday, March, 23, 2000
Time:
1:30 P.M.
Place:
Room 223, Admin. Bldg.
Subject:
Current Credit-Checking Policy
Time
Allocated
Interviewer
Question of Objective
Interviewee
Response
1 to 2 min. Objective
Open the interview:
• Introduce Ourselves
• Thank Mr. Bentley for his valuable time
• State the purpose of the interview--to obtain an
understanding of the existing credit-checking policies
5 min.
Question 1
What conditions determine whether a customer’s order is
approved for credit?
Follow-up
5 min.
Question 2
What are the possible decisions or actions that might be
taken once these conditions have been evaluated?
Follow-up
3 min.
Question 3
How are customers notified when credit is not approved
for their order?
Follow-up
(continued)
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Sample Interview Guide (concluded)
1 min.
Question 4
After a new order is approved for credit and placed in the
file containing orders that can be filled, a customer might
request that a modification be made to the order. Would
the order have to go through credit approval again if the
new total order cost exceeds the original cost?
Follow-up
1 min.
Question 5
Who are the individuals that perform the credit checks?
Follow-up
1 to 3 mins. Question 6
May I have permission to talk to those individuals to learn
specifically how they carry out the credit-checking process?
Follow-up
1 min.
Objective
Conclude the interview:
• Thank Mr. Bentley for his cooperation and assure him
that he will be receiving a copy of what transpired during
the interview
21 minutes Time allotted for base questions and objectives.
9 minutes
Time allotted for follow-up questions and redirection
30 minutes Total time allotted for interview (1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.)
General Comments and Notes:
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Interviewing Do’s and Don’ts
Do
•
•
•
•
•
Be courteous
Listen carefully
Maintain control
Probe
Observe mannerisms and
nonverbal communication
• Be patient
• Keep interviewee at ease
• Maintain self-control
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Avoid
• Continuing an interview
unnecessarily.
• Assuming an answer is finished
or leading nowhere.
• Revealing verbal and nonverbal
clues.
• Using jargon
• Revealing your personal
biases.
• Talking instead of listening.
• Assuming anything about the
topic and the interviewee.
• Tape recording -- a sign of poor
listening skills.
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Communicating With the User
• Listening - “To hear is to recognize that someone is
speaking, to listen is to understand what the speaker
wants to communicate.” (Gildersleeve – 1978)
• Guidelines for Communicating
–
–
–
–
–
–
Approach the Session with a Positive Attitude
Set the Other Person at Ease
Let Them Know You Are Listening
Ask Questions
Don’t Assume Anything
Take Notes
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Body Language and Proxemics
Body language is all of the nonverbal information
being communicated by an individual. Body language
is a form of nonverbal communications that we all use
and are usually unaware of.
7% words
38% vocal inflection
55% facial and body expressions
Proxemics is the relationship between people and the
space around them. Proxemics is a factor in
communications that can be controlled by the
knowledgeable analyst.
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Spatial Zones
•
•
•
•
Intimate zone—closer than 1.5 feet
Personal zone—from 1.5 feet to 4 feet
Social zone—from 4 feet to 12 feet
Public zone—beyond 12 feet
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Discovery Prototyping
Discovery prototyping is the act of building a smallscale, representative or working model of the users’
requirements in order to discover or verify those
requirements.
– Advantages?
– Disadvantages?
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Joint Requirements Planning
Joint requirements planning (JRP) is a process
whereby highly structured group meetings are
conducted for the purpose of analyzing problems and
defining requirements. JRP is a subset of a more
comprehensive joint application development or JAD
technique that encompasses the entire systems
development process.
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
JRP Participants
•
•
•
•
•
Sponsor
Facilitator
Users and Managers
Scribes
I.T. Staff
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Steps to Plan a JRP Session
1. Selecting a location
2. Selecting the participants
3. Preparing the agenda
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Typical room layout for JRP session
41' 0"
Food & Refreshments
IT Professionals & Other Observers
Scribe
Flipchart
Workstation
(for CASE tool)
Users
and
Managers
Computer
Projection
Device
30' 0"
Scribe
Blackboard
Overhead Projector
JAD
Facilitator
Printer
Workstation
(for prototyping tool)
IT Professionals & Other Observers
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Scribe
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Guidelines for Conducting a JRP Session
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Do not unreasonably deviate from the agenda
Stay on schedule
Ensure that the scribe is able to take notes
Avoid the use of technical jargon
Apply conflict resolution skills
Allow for ample breaks
Encourage group consensus
Encourage user and management participation without
allowing individuals to dominate the session
• Make sure that attendees abide by the established
ground rules for the session
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Copyright © 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights reserved
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Brainstorming
Brainstorming is a technique for generating ideas
during group meetings. Participants are encouraged to
generate as many ideas as possible in a short period of
time without any analysis until all the ideas have been
exhausted.
Be spontaneous
Absolutely no criticism, analysis or evaluation
Emphasize quantity of ideas
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Copyright © 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights reserved
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Brainstorming Guidelines
• Isolate the appropriate people in a place that will be free
from distractions and interruptions
• Make sure that everyone understands the purpose of the
meeting
• Appoint one person to record ideas
• Remind everyone of the brainstorming rules
• Within a specified time period, team members call out their
ideas as quickly as they can think of them
• After the group has run out of ideas and all ideas have been
recorded, then and only then should the ideas be analyzed
and evaluated
• Refine, combine, and improve the ideas that were generated
earlier
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Benefits of JRP
• JRP actively involves users and management in the
development project (encouraging them to take
“ownership” in the project)
• JRP reduces the amount of time required to develop
systems
• When JRP incorporates prototyping as a means for
confirming requirements and obtaining design
approvals, the benefits of prototyping are realized
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Copyright © 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights reserved
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
A Fact-Finding Strategy
1. Learn all you can from existing documents, forms,
reports, and files
2. If appropriate, observe the system in action
3. Given all the facts that you've already collected,
design and distribute questionnaires to clear up things
you don't fully understand
4. Conduct your interviews (or group work sessions)
5. (Optional). Build discovery prototypes for any
functional requirements that are not understood or if
requirements need to be validated
6. Follow up
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Documenting Requirements Using Use Cases
A use case is a behaviorally related sequence of steps
(a scenario), both automated and manual for the
purpose of completing a single business task.
An actor represents anything that needs to interact
with the system to exchange information. An actor is a
user, a role, which could be an external system as well
as a person.
A temporal event is a system event that is triggered
by time.
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Benefits of Using Use Cases
• Facilitates user involvement.
• A view of the desired system’s functionality from an
external person’s viewpoint.
• An effective tool for validating requirements.
• An effective communication tool.
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Example of a High-Level Use Case
Author: S. Shepard
Date: 03/01/200
Use Case Name:
New Member Order
Actors:
Member
Description:
This use case describes the process of a
member submitting an order for SoundStage
products. On completion, the member will be
sent a notification that the order was accepted.
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Example of a Requirements Use Case
Author: S. Shepard
Date: 10/05/2000
Use Case Name: Submit New Member Order
Actor(s):
Member
Description:
This use case describes the process of a member submitting an order for
SoundStage products. On completion, the member will be sent a notification that
the order was accepted.
References:
MSS-1.0
System response
Typical Course Actor Action
of Events:
Step 2: The member’s personal information such as
Step 1: This use case is
address is validated against what is currently
initiated when a member
recorded in member services.
submits an order to be
processed
Step 3: The member’s credit status is checked with
Accounts Receivable to make sure no
payments are outstanding.
Step 4: For each product being ordered, validate the
product number and then check the availability
in inventory and record the ordered product
information.
Step 5: Create a picking ticket for the member order
containing all ordered products that are
available and route it to the warehouse for
processing.
Step 6: Generate an order confirmation notice
indicating the status of the order and send it to
the member.
Step 7: This use case
concludes when the
member receives the
order confirmation notice.
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Example of a Requirements Use Case (concluded)
Alternate
Courses:
Pre-condition:
Step 2: If the club member has indicated an address or telephone number change on the
promotion order, update the club member’s record with the new information.
Step 3: If Accounts Receivable returns a credit status that the customer is in arrears, send an
order rejection notice to the member.
Step 4: If the product number is not valid, send a notification to the member requesting them to
submit a valid product number. If the product being ordered is not available, record the
ordered product information and mark as “back-ordered.”
Orders can only be submitted by members.
Post-condition:
Member order has been recorded and the picking ticket has been routed to the warehouse.
Assumptions:
None at this time.
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Requirements Tables
Requirements traceability is the ability to trace a
system function or feature back to the requirement that
mandates it.
Requirement
Explanation
Requirement number:
Indicate a unique number or identifier of the requirement
Requirement title:
Assign short phrase indicating nature of the requirement
Requirement text:
Provide a textual statement of the requirement
Requirement type:
Indicate the requirement type
Requirement details and
constraints
Rev date and rev #:
Functional characteristics or dimensions
Criticality
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Indicate the acceptance date and revision number of current
(accepted/baselined) version
Must, Want, or Optional
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
Partial List of Member Services System Requirements
Requirement
Explanation
Requirement number:
MSS-1.0
Requirement title:
Process New Member Order
Requirement text:
The system should be able to process new member orders. Within this process it
should be able to validate member demographic information, verify credit
worthiness, inquire and modify inventory levels based on quantity of product
ordered, initiate backorder process in the event of insufficient inventory to fulfill
order, and send an order confirmation notice once the order has been placed.
Functional
Requirement type:
Requirement details and
constraints
Rev date and rev#:
Member credit status will be obtained from the Account Receivable system. A
picking ticket, containing the available ordered items, must be generated and
routed to the warehouse.
Version 1.0
Criticality
Must
Requirement
Explanation
Requirement number:
MSS -- 14.0
Requirement title:
One Hour Order Confirmation Notice
Requirement text:
An E-mail notice must be generated and sent to the member, within one hour
from the time the member placed the order.
Performance
Requirement type:
Rev date and rev #:
The member’s E-mail address must be stored on the system within the member’s
profile. The one- hour constraint applies only to the sending of the notification
And not when it’s received by the member. Related requirement(s): MSS-1.0
Version 1.0
Criticality
Must
Requirement details and
constraints
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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 5th Edition
Whitten Bentley Dittman
System Architect Requirement Example
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