Determining Requirements

1
Determining Requirements
2
Deliverables

• Information collected from conversations with or
  observations of users
• Existing written information
• Computer-based information

3
Six Concepts Addressed by Requirements

• Relevancy
• Accuracy
• Timeliness
• Usability
• Affordability
• Adaptability

4
Methods for Determining Requirements

• Interviewing and Listening
• Administering Questionnaires
• Interviewing Groups
• Nominal Group Technique
• Directly Observing Users

5
Methods for Determining Requirements (continued)

• Analyzing Procedures and Other Documents
• Prototyping
• Joint Application Design
• Business Process Reengineering
• Disruptive Technologies

6
Interviewing

• Ask Permission
• Make Appointment
• Prepare (yourself and interviewee)
• Agenda pg 207
• Questions
• Listen
• Be neutral
• Dont make promises or set expectations

7
Types of Questions

• Open ended invite discussion
• Closed expect a short distinct answer
• Neutral really interested in users answer
• Leading lead user to an answer
• Loaded no good response, can make user feel
  stupid or ashamed

8
Open-ended or Closed

• How many people work in the shipping department?
• Please describe your past experience with local
  area networks.
• How many flatbed trailers do we have?
• What do you think of the new financial reporting
  system?
• What kind of information do you need to allocate
  equipment costs?

9
Sample Closed Questions

• You know that file is too large, dont you?
• Who fills out the receiving report during the
  first shift?
• Where did you buy that useless keyboard?
• You couldnt prepare that form via a terminal,
  could you?
• When was the last time your tape jammed?