El-Shorouk Academy
Acad. Year
: 2010 / 2011
Higher Institute for Computer &
Term
: Second
Year
: Second
Information Technology
Department of Computer Science
Systems Analysis
Section (6)
Fact Finding Techniques
 Fact finding techniques  “are used to collect data information about the
system” .
 Interview 80 %
 Questionnaire 25 %
 Observation 20 %
 Sampling and record inspection 15 %
** before conducting the fact finding techniques you should plan for
investigation:
 To plan for investigation , you should do the following:
 TOR ( terms of refrence) should be documented clear
 Prepare a time and content plan to conduct the investigation
 Investigation plan should contain:
 Methods that should be followed
 Timing of individual method ( date & duration)
 Each involved development must be consulted and agree
about the execution date and duration , and issue an
agreement .





Interviewing:
It is the most proceductive way in fact finding techniques
The key factor to success interviewing is the practice and
experience of how to manage interview
Interviewer should avoid resistance (‫ )الممانعه‬of the staff
against changes that may be recommended by the analyst
Interviewer should control the interview in such a way that he
can gather essential information
 Interviewer should predefine the following:
 The questions to be asked
 The detailed information to be gathered
 The objectives that should be fulfilled
 All facts and information during the interview should be
registered
 The interviewer should know names jobs , departments , of
the interviewed persons at the beginning of the interview
 State the reason of the interview before at the begging of
the interview
 State the method he intend to follow
 Interviewer should keep good and friendly relationship with
interviewer
 Interview should not lost much time , it should follow the
planned time
 Use simple wording , and clear questions
 Use same interviewer language
 Follow politeness aspects as:
- Avoid nervousness
- Ask a permission for smoking , if he need to smoke
 Interviewer should ask questions to the correct employee
as follow:
- Top mgr: policies , strategies , general pointers , future
directions , project control , overall constraints , and
time scall , ….
- Middle Mgr ( line Mgr ): departmental objectives ,
organization procedures , information req , bottle neck ,
problems , suggestions for improvements
- Operational staff: functions actually performed , forms
used lines of communications , volumes of work ,
suggestions for improving procedures.
 Make organization works
 Questionnaire:
 The type of questions should be asked is closed questions
1- YES or NO
2- Multiple Choice
3- True or False
 IT is most suitable to apply under the following
conditions :
 When a large number of stuff is required to furnish data
 When location of interviewer is distributed geographically
over a wide area.
 When we need to verify the data gathered by other
techniques.
 Questionnaire consists of three sections:
1- Heading Section
To describe the purpose of the questionnaire
2- Questions Section
Contain Various questions
3- Conclusion Section
Can contain Some Summary data
Covering letter should be issued with the questionnaire to help
understanding the purpose of the questionnaire and provide
formality.




It should be designed well such that :
Questions should be clear and give only one meaning
Questions should be have only one answer , to prevent ambiguity
Questions can be designed to be answered as YES / NO or Select
from set of choices.
Department Name:
System Name:
Your Job:
Purpose of the questionnaire
Q1: ……………………………………………………………..?
O Choice1 OChoice2
--------------------------------------------Q2:…………………………………………………………..?
O True O False
-----------------------------------------------Q3:………………………………………………………….?
O YES O NO
Do You have any other suggestions , Comments , Problems?
 Observation:
- Used to collect needed information to complement other
collected information by other means.
- It can be helpful when we need to analyze information about:
 Personal relations between individual employees
 The interface timing of documents transferred between
sections and departments
 Jobs timing and ways of executing it.
It depends on the power of concentration of the system analyst
Time to perform observation in chosen randomly , so that the
employees don’t know in advance when they will next be under
observation.
 Sampling and document:
 The objectives is to inspect the actual records of the
system
 It is used to make detailed counting and sizing of
documents performed and exchanged .
 The system analyst use this techniques to deduce
trends , such as:
 Work load increasing / decreasing ( How much per month / year).
 The ratio of credit notes related to sales invoices.