Title: How to Successfully Collect, Analyze and Implement User Requirements
1How to Successfully Collect, Analyze and
Implement User Requirements
- Gerry Clancy
- Glenn Berger
2Requirements Gathering
- Why are requirements important
- Putting requirements in context with your project
- Fundamentals
- How to examples
- COTS based
- Web app for visualization
- Tools
- Lessons learned
- References
- Discussion
3Why are Requirements Important?
- They will define if you have a successful project
- Define what will be built
- Foundation for acceptance
- Affect everyone
- Most difficult errors to fix if found late in
project lifecycle
4Who Should be involved?
- Customer
- Sponsor, key users, and stakeholders
- IT Team!
- Implementation Team
- Business analyst, technical lead, architect
- Project Manager, Quality assurance/test
specialist - Consider using a facilitator
5Putting Requirements in Context
6Iterative Approach to Requirements
Feedback
Feedback
Release to Customers
Source Agile Iterative Development. Craig
Larman
7Agile Iterations
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Requirements
Design
Implement
Test
8Requirements Validation Process
Business
Workflows
Detailed
- Existing
- Future
- Interfaces
- Configuration
- Functional
- Performance
- Usability
- Security
- Objectives
- Solution Concept
- Workshops
- Interviews
Work from the general to the specific..
9Requirements Fundamentals
- It is an art not a science
- Involve the right people
- Align requirements gathering with project
approach (COTS, Custom, Agile etc.) - Overall Plan to spend 20-30 of time on
requirements effort - In iterative process requirements in every
iteration - Customer needs to be involved and approve
requirements!
10View Requirements from Multiple Perspectives
- Business
- Non-functional
- Functional
- Solution (COTS) Concept
11Business Requirements
- Requirements should always address a business
need - Business requirements are usually high
level/vision type statements - The benefits to the business should be clear
- Adding revenue
- Cost savings
- Automation
- Create new products
- Support customer service
- Integration or streamline processes
12Non-Functional Requirements
- Typically focus on how well the system must
perform - Types of nonfunctional requirements
- Interfaces with other systems
- Infrastructure
- Usability, accessibility
- Integration/Interoperability
- Operational (e.g., 24/7 uptime)
- Performance
- Security requirements
- Maintenance and system administration
- Documentation
- Standards
13Functional Requirements
- Describe what the system should do from the end
user perspective - Requirements should
- Describe WHAT not HOW
- Only contain one requirement
- Be unambiguous, measurable, and achievable
- Be testable
- Map back to the scope of work
- Requirements form the basis for
- Software design and application development
activities - Testing and acceptance activities
14Functional Requirements
- Requirements must model workflow
- Use Case models
- Written from a user perspective
- Links functional and non-functional requirements
- Help traceability throughout the different phases
of requirements, design, development, and
deployment
Use Cases
15Business Processes, Use Cases, Domain Model
- Customer requirements need to be placed in context
- Business Process
- Collection of related activities that serve a
business need - Can be visualized as a flow chart
- Use Case
- Describes a system from the users point of view
- Described through text as a sequence of events
- More granular than business processes
- Traceable to functional requirements
- Domain Model
- Defines the entities that participate in the
system
16Requirements
Customer Requirements
Revised Requirements
Business Processes
Domain Model
Use Cases
17Requirements Gathering Techniques
Solutions Based (COTS)
Blank Slate
Surveys
Interviews
Brainstorming
Reverse Engineering
Focus Group
Observations
Requirements Workshops
Prototyping
Document Analysis
Interface Analysis
18A COTS Requirements Approach
- Leveraging the existing platform
- Similar to Evolutionary Prototyping
- Focus on meeting business goals not software
engineering - Configures and extends COTS
- Reduces developing software
- Use demonstrations and workshops
- Educate the user
- How does COTS solve the business problem
- What is the COTS workflow
19COTS First Approach
Custom Development
Configuration
20Benefits of a COTS First Approach
- Maximizing commercial off the shelf software in a
GIS system - Immediate capability continually improving via
COTS release cycles - Users engaged early to define real requirements
- Improved communication via demonstration as
opposed to interpretation of documentation - Users become exposed to system capabilities
de-mystifies technology - Accelerated project lifecycle and reduced time to
deployment
21COTS First Approach - Example
- Modernizing Data Production
- High Level Business Requirements
- Solution should provide the capability to task
and manage data production workgroups throughout
enterprise - Solution should provide the capability to add new
features to the geospatial database using a
distributed data editing environment - Solution should provide the capability for
access, sharing and use of feature data via web
services
22COTS First Approach - Example
- Track and Manage
- Distributed editing
- Web Service sharing and access
- IT standards
- OS
- RDMBS
- Network
- Resource centers
- Template GDBs
- Sample workflows
- COTS Capabilities
23COTS First Approach - Example
High Level Business Requirements
Solution should provide the capability to add new features to the geospatial database using a distributed data editing environment
ArcGIS Desktop
Constrained Network Bandwidth
ArcGIS Server
Extensions
Version Editing?
Logical Data Model
Multi-User Editing Environment
Workflow?
Two-way Replication?
User Skill Level
Checkout / Check-In?
Detailed Requirements
Solution should provide user the capability to define a checkout replica based on user defined parameters
Solution should provide user the capability to synchronize changes from the checkout replica to the parent
Solution should guide the user through a semi-automated procedure using WMX to simplify procedure for synchronizing checkout to parent
24Requirements Workshops
- Getting at the Real Needs
- Do your homework!
- Hold several workshops and keep them short
- Focus on key requirements early
- Architectural Impacts
- High business value
- Included in each iteration and combined with some
development or programming - Engage various stakeholders and users
- Potential strategies
- User Stories
- UI on Paper
- Use Cases
- Mind Maps
25Requirements Workshops
26Requirements Workshop - Example
- Web Application for Submitting Data Request
- High Level Business Requirements
- Solution should allow anyone in the public to
submit a request for service via a web
application. - The types of service requests is expected to be
along the following lines - Indicate where a pot hole is located
- Indicate if a tree on public lands needs trimming
- Indicate if there is a trash or graffiti problem
- Solution is expected to streamline the process of
how the public provides this information - Solution should not require GIS system expertise
27Requirements Process
- Generate Use cases based on workflows
- Informal vs. Traditional
- Allocate use cases to iterations
- Model initial set of use cases to domain models
- Mockup GUI
- Verify with key users
- Do not be judgmental
- Need to prioritize
- Break things into manageable units
- What can be in the initial phase
- What is critical to most end users
28Informal Use Case
Use Case No. 001
Description Submit service request
- User is prompted for name and contact info.
- User can select no
- User is prompted with service types tree
trimming, pot hole, trash overflow, graffiti or
other - If other user is prompted for comments
- User is prompted to assign priority (H,M,L)
- User is prompted to enter location via street
intersection, street address or identification on
a map - System provides tracking number to user
- User is prompted if they want to be notified
- Upon work order completion user is emailed or
contacted that issue has been resolved
29Traditional Use Case
Use Case No. 001
Description Submit service request Prerequisite
User has access to City Website Outcome New work
order is submitted
Use Case No. 001-01A
- 01A-3) User does not provide comments
- 01A-4) User is prompted comments are required
- 01A-5) Work order is not created and user is
notified
- User is prompted for name and contact info into
the Contact Name and Contact Number fields of
the Submit Service Request form - The Service Types field is activated and the
user selects from a drop down tree trimming, pot
hole, trash overflow or other - User can provide comments in the Service Type
Comments field - User is prompted to assign priority (H,M,L) based
on the Service Request Priority radio button - User is prompted to enter location via street
intersection, street address or identification on
a map - ..
Use Case No. 001-02A
02A-5) User selects On a Map 02A-6) System
presents map of city 02A-7) User clicks a
location on the map 02A-8) The system closes map
30User Interface Mock-up
31What Tools Do You Need?
32Microsoft Team Foundation Server (TFS)
33Microsoft Team Foundation Server (TFS)
34JIRA
35JIRA
36Essential Documentation
- Use cases that describe workflows
- Detailed list of requirements
- Traceability matrix
- From use cases to requirements
- From requirements to scope
- Breakdown into software releases
- Allocate complete workflows
- Customer must approve!
37Obtaining Customer Approval
- Invest plenty of time to secure requirements
acceptance - Prepare review materials
- Invest in a site visit to present
- Do not just deliver a document!
- Obtain written acceptance before proceeding with
design
38Requirements Gathering Things to Avoid
- Avoid long lists of requirements contained in a
spreadsheetthis is only one piece of the process - Do not be judgmental
- You are going to get requirements that are
mutually exclusive - Avoid requirements that are ambiguous
- System must be able to create map outputs
- Avoid requirements that describe HOW (unless you
are using COTS approach) - System will make maps using ArcGIS
39Lessons Learned
- Fit requirements process to overall methodology
- It is an art
- Do not start with a blank slate
- Requirements means different things to different
people - Needs to be very interactive and iterative
- Involve IT team early
- Solid requirements gathering lead to successful
projects
40Original Customer Requirement
- Need dog for companionship and household
protection.
41Requirements Document Submitted to User
- Dog must be over 30 lbs.
- Dog must be male.
- Must play well with family, but capable of
looking menacing
42Delivered Product for Testing Phase
43References
- Esri project methodologies
- www.esri.com/services/professional-services/method
ology.html - Agile Iterative Development A Managers Guide
by Criag Larman, Addison-Wesley ,2003 - Software Requirements (2nd Edition) by Karl
Wiegers, Microsoft Press, 2003 - Use Case Driven Object Modeling with UML by Doug
Rosenberg and Matt Stephens, Apress, 2008 - Writing Effective User Cases, A Cockburn,
Addison-Wesley, 2001 - Agile Development with ICONIX Process by Doug
Rosenberg, Matt Stephens, and Mark Collins,
Apress, 2005
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