Determining System Requirements and Process Modelling
Assignment Overview
The purpose of the requirements determination is to capture a clear and high-level explanation of the system and user requirements stated in the systems request. The explanation consists of a very detailed list of requirements that can be used as input to the analysis phase, which requirements lead into the design of a system. Requirements that focus on business user needs are called business requirements and sometimes user requirements. In the design phase, business requirements evolve into technical requirements, and they describe how a system will be implemented.
Requirements can be functional or nonfunctional. A functional refers to a process the system has to perform or information it needs to contain. Nonfunctional refer to system properties such as performance and usability. Requirements are gathered in a report called requirements definition stating all functional and nonfunctional requirements in a text form. An effective way to gather requirements is to jointly have business users and analyst to elicit requirements. There are several techniques to gather requirements such as one-to-meetings, JAD sessions, observation, questionnaires, and prototyping. During requirement meetings, the analyst will ask open or close-ended questions for requirements gathering.
Required Reading
Zhu, Z. (n.d). Requirements determination and requirements structuring. Retrieved from http://www(dot)umsl(dot)edu/~sauterv/analysis/6840_f03_papers/zhu/
Interlabs. (2012). Determining System Requirements. Retrieved from http://www(dot)interlabs(dot)bradley(dot)edu/uskov/cis475/Topic_07/Topic_07.pdf
Brun, R., & Rademakers, F. (n.d.). Guidelines for developing a good GUI. CERN. Retrieved from http://indico(dot)cern(dot)ch/event/0/session/6/contribution/169/material/paper/0.pdf
Hoffer, J., George, J., & Valacich, J. (2002). Modern Systems Analysis and Design. 3th ed. Retrieved from http://www(dot)scribd(dot)com/doc/19286753/Determining-System-Requirements
AICPA. (2012). Conducting effective interviews. Retrieved from http://www(dot)aicpa(dot)org/interestareas/forensicandvaluation/resources/practaidsguidance/downloadabledocuments/10834-378_interview%20whiite%20paper-final-v1.pdf
IT Project Management Certificate Program. (2004). JAD guidelines. Retrieved from http://www(dot)ksinc(dot)com/itpmcptools/JADGuidelines.pdf
Buzzle. (2012). JAD planning and training. Retrieved from http://www(dot)buzzle(dot)com/articles/jad-planning-and-training.html
Brandenburg, L. (2013). Using wireframes or prototypes to elicit, analyze, and validate software requirements. Bridging the Gap. Retrieved from http://www(dot)bridging-the-gap(dot)com/using-wireframes-or-prototypes-to-elicit-analyze-and-validate-software-requirements/
McClendon, M., Regot, L., & Ackers, L. (2012). What is prototyping.? Retrieved from http://www(dot)umsl(dot)edu/~sauterv/analysis/prototyping/proto.html
Modern Analyst. (2014). What is a context diagram and what are the benefits of creating one? Retrieved from http://www(dot)modernanalyst(dot)com/Careers/InterviewQuestions/tabid/128/ID/1433/What-is-a-Context-Diagram-and-what-are-the-benefits-of-creating-one.aspx
Recommended Reading
Businessballs. (2013). Business process modeling. Retrieved from
http://www(dot)wipro(dot)com/Documents/resource-center/library/process-modeling-simulation.pdf?Mobile=1
Assignment
One of the potential problems with gathering information requirements by observing potential system users is that people may change their behavior when observed. What could you do to overcome this potentially confounding factor in accurately determining information requirements? What guidelines should you follow? How can you differentiate between facts and opinions in requirements gathering? Why can both be useful? Write this assignment in 4-5 pages.
DETERMINING SYSTEM REQUIREMNENTS AND PROCESS MODELLING
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Determining System Requirements and Process Modelling
Determination of requirements and requirements structuring in organizations are very crucial in system analysis. There are several forms of data collection that system analysts use for instance; there is the traditional data collection system and the modern form of data collection. The four main traditional methods comprise of questionnaire form of data collection, interviewing the staff and clients form, direct observation of events by the system analysts, and document analysis.
The modern methods of information collection are from the traditional methods and involve prototyping and JAD CITATION ITP04 \l 1033 (IT Project Management Certificate Program, 2004). To improve communication among analysts, programmers, designers and other users, the organization requires a well-structured system to represent the requirements for the system.
The traditional primary tools for structuring the system are such as E-R diagrams, structured English, decision trees, DFD, and decision tables. These aid system analysts in coming up with necessary information for the organizations. System analysts use RAD and OOA to shorten and streamline the total SDLC, RAD consolidates the traditionally analysis and design phase to one-step while OOA tries to make the outcomes of system analysis to be reused by the developing phases CITATION McC12 \l 1033 (McClendon, 2012).
System analysis consumes much time, cost and takes effort for a system analyst to develop. The system analyst only approves it as vital, based on its merits for the entire organization. Several industrial researchers indicate that poor requirements by definition contributes to 56% of the problems with systems. This is against the 7% problems caused by poor coding. The analysis consists of the determination of requirements, the generation of alternatives and their selection, and the requirements structuring. Requirements determination requires that analysts gather necessary information for the system from all the available sources. The information collection is by either the traditional system information collection or the modern form of collection.
Analysts model the world by the use of well-structured methods that are systematic and meet the set standards of requirements structuring. Analysts often use more than one of the requirements of structuring method to modeling a system. Approaches, such as the RAD (Rapid Application Development) allow the building of usable systems in a short time. These approaches are usually cheaper and better since they require close relationship between the system developers and the end users to work together for the system development.
The core of system development and analysis starts with the most important part, which is the collection of information. The information collection methods used, affect the outcomes of the system development. Information collection is the most important phase of developing information system in an organization. Inaccurate and incompetent information requirements cause many failures in information system. Analysts collect information on the usage of the current system and note why the users need improvement and where exactly they need improvement to increase their performance.
It is necessary to understand accurately the users’ requirements in order to avoid the development of wrong system. Therefore, a better understanding of the users’ requirements will enable the system developers to stay on course thus avoiding any extra costs and development of non-friendly system for the end user. For example, if the users asked for a table, the developer should provide the table and not a seat. The development of the exact requirement is proper and cost effective for the developers CITATION Bru \l 1033 (Brun).
Gathering of information from users for the development or improvement of the system may be more challenging than expected information collected by observing the potential system users is very unreliable when the user notices what is happening. The users change their behavior once they notice someone is watching them on how good or poor they are with the usage of the current system. Human beings have never been good sources of information; they usually tend to twist the information from its original state to their desire. This is even after they try to remain truthful and independent when delivering the information. This often confuses the information seeker and leads to wrongfully collection of the information that was not necessary thus making wrong conclusions for the research.
People do not always have information of what they do and how they do it. They are normally influenced by the "I" aspect, the issues from the past, or those which they have passion in, affect their state of remaining truthful. Therefore, it is necessary for analysts to observe what these people do at their environment such as workplaces in order to supplement on what they say. However, people too change their behavior and the mode of doing things when we watch them. Without consideration of some factors, these will make their information biased CITATION Int121 \l 1033 (Interlabs, 2012).
Observers need to understand one’s ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality, and the theoretical approach affects the information collection by observation, its analysis and the kind of inte...