IFS410 End User Support

Chapter 9

User Needs Analysis and Assessment

Purpose: determine which computer products or services best meet end-user needs (consider the IT Framework from last week)

Strategy: understand a user’s environment and work situation clarify the problem or objectives Trying to Solve? investigate alternative solutions More than one decide on a solution to meet the user’s needs decide whether to purchase or build Interesting

Process can be formal or informal Situational

Overview of User Needs Analysis and Assessment

Examples of Typical Needs Assessment Projects Select components

Choose a computer system Choose a peripheral to add to an existing

system Choose an application software package Choose an office network

Select services Choose a training program / partner Choose an Internet service provider (ISP)

Notice a common theme?

Three Phases in Needs Analysis Process• Preparation Phase

• Goal is to understand the problem, goals, decision criteria, stakeholders and information needed for a project

• Investigation Phase• Goal is to understand the present situation and alternatives

to it• Decision Phase

• Goal is to develop a model of a proposed system and decide whether to build it or buy it

What is the environment into which the future system will fit? Purpose of the organization Ethical consideration For-profit or not-for-profit Plans for growth or expansion Critical Attitude about technology (organizational culture) Budget for computer systems and services Staff expertise Knowledge level. Think about the

support system at YCP. Would entry level people understand SLA concepts?

Preparation Phase Step One: Understand the Personal or Organizational Goals

What criteria will impact the decision? Grow/Transform/Run Is this project feasible? Given technology, cost etc. (railcar scale) Feasibility investigates the constraints that will impact this project

Economic feasibility Budget constraints

Operational feasibility Impact on other systems and personnel proper people

Technological feasibility State of technology Bleeding/Leading edge

Timeline feasibility Time constraints how quickly needed vs. availability

Preparation Phase Step Two: Understand theDecision Criteria and Constraints

What is the real problem that needs to be solved by this project? Root cause analysis is critical

Ask probing questions Not all problems are technical Some problems are organizational

Personnel Correct people, correct number of people Workflow Process issues Training Properly trained Politics Unionized labor Management Committed Resources Material, Machinery, Capital, Information

Do not assume that a user has correctly analyzed the problem Observe the user in his or her environment Critical for process knowledge Consider solutions other than obvious ones Think outside the box

Preparation Phase Step Three: Define the Problem Clearly

Who will be impacted by this project? A stakeholder is a participant in a needs analysis project who

has a substantial interest in the successful outcome of the project

Four kinds of stakeholders Users Managers Support analysts Information Technology or Technical Support Staff Can vendors be stakeholders in a project? What is their role? Can the government be a stakeholder? Their role? Can customers be a stakeholder? Their role? Can owners be a stakeholder? Their role?

Preparation Phase Step Four: Identify the Roles of Stakeholders

What sources of information are needed to analyze user needs? Interviews with end users and managers Surveys or questionnaires sent to end users Procedure manuals that describe the current system

(updated?) Direct observation of the existing situation Forms used for input into the existing system Reports output from the existing system Problem reports or help desk logs (Help identify) Reports and recommendations from consultants or

auditors

continued

Preparation Phase Step Five: Identify Sources of Information

How does the existing system work? How can you recommend a change/improvement if you don’t know how it works?

A model is a narrative and/or graphic diagram that describes the current system or situation A model can aid an analyst’s understanding A model can be shared with stakeholders to verify understanding

Three key questions in Step Six:1. Do I understand the existing system well enough to explain the

operation to others?2. Do I understand which features of the existing system users like?3. Do I under what users think is wrong with existing system?

Investigation Phase Step Six: Develop an Understanding of the Existing System

How can the existing system or situation be fixed?

Add resources Technical: additional equipment Organizational: additional personnel, budget, time, priority

Change resources Reinstall or reconfigure software Provide different user training

Upgrades Improve processing speed, storage capacity, compatibility Offer new features that address identified problems

continued

Investigation Phase Step Seven: Investigate Alternatives to the Existing System

New hardware Resolve capacity constraints Run software efficiently Operate new software

New software Packaged, off-the-shelf software Custom-developed software New software that can be modified

Investigation Phase Step Seven: Investigate Alternatives to the Existing System (continued)

What features would a new system or solution offer?

Build a model of the proposed system or solution Includes pros and cons of each alternative considered Answer the questions:

– Why is proposed solution an improvement to the existing one?

– Why is this the best available alternative?

Decision Phase Step Eight: Develop a Model of the Proposed System

Decision Phase Step Eight: Develop a Model of the Proposed System (continued)

Kinds of solutions An optimal solution is the best one Constraints? A satisficing solution is one that solves the problem, but is not

necessarily the best solution

A cost-benefit analysis is a comparison between a solution’s expenses and its payoffs to an organization Useful tool to

Analyze a solution Compare solutions Remove Emotional Connection

A cost-benefit analysis is not an exact science with right or wrong answers estimate / guess (example)

For a small project, even an informal cost-benefit analysis is useful (example)

Users’ needs should drive the specifications for a new system

Software specifications are usually more important than hardware specifications, and should be developed first

Decision Phase Step Eight: Step 8 Tips

Should the new system or solution be built or

purchased? HUGE Build-versus-buy decision

a decision to build a new system internally or purchase one off the shelf

applies primarily to software (but can also apply to hardware, software, or complete systems)

Turnkey SYSTEM is an integrated packaged solution that provides hardware, software, and support from a single vendor (VOIP example)

Decision Phase Step Nine: Make a Build-versus-Buy Decision

Decision Phase Step Nine: Advantages of

Build versus Buy (continued)

Project charter Cost-benefit analysis Data collection instruments Charts and diagrams Prototyping software Other tools

Needs Analysis and Assessment Tools

A project charter is a short narrative statement that describes the objectives, scope, methods, participants, deliverables, and timeline A deliverable is the end result of a needs analysis project

Analysis of alternatives Feasibility report Recommendation Build versus buy decision

High level overview of a project Promotes a common understanding among all stakeholders

Project Charter

Example of a Project Charter

Weighs the benefits of each alternative solution against the costs of each alternative

Kinds of benefits Tangible: benefits that are relatively easy to quantify

Example: increased worker productivity (output divide by input). Knowledgeable of timeframe (CAD installation)

FTE Reduction Intangible benefit is an expected result from a computer

acquisition that is difficult to quantify Example:

Increased worker morale / engagement Increased productivity Used all the time but how to measure

Cost-benefit Analysis

continued

Cost-Benefit Analysis Factors

Data Collection Instruments

Input forms Output forms Procedure documentation Operating or problem logs Interviews with users User questionnaires Direct observation

Input form is a paper document or display screen image used to collect information about a business transaction Also called a source document

Examples (any input to conceptual system) Payroll timecards Problem log Membership application Expense account record Sales Order / Work Order / Purchase order EDI

Input Forms

Output forms are documents that contain the results of a business process

Examples Grocery store sales receipt Paycheck stub Grade report Income Statement (PnL) Balance Sheet Monthly Scorecard (example)

Output Forms

Procedure Documentation

Procedure documentation is written instructions about how to perform a business transaction or handle a routine business process

Often used to train a new worker or answer frequently asked questions about transaction processing problems

Examples Manual on how to process orders in a copy shop Operations manual in a bank or credit union ISO 9000 documentation

A log is a list of events or activities recorded in the sequence the events occur Routine, periodic event information Unusual events, errors, problems, complaints

Examples Log of inventory shortages in Shipping and Receiving Log of problems encountered with a new software

package

Operating or Problem Logs

Used to collect relevant information from users About the work they do (who better to ask) How an existing or proposed computer system might

affect their work (careful of emotion) Require care to design so that they:

Extract information that is clear and unambiguous Avoid opinion questions. “Just the facts please.”

Elicit information needed by an analyst Example

Survey on user satisfaction with computer support services

On-line surveys work well

Interviews and Questionnaires

Interview Advantage– Interviewer can probe to learn details of issues

that are of special interest Interview Disadvantage

– Takes more time (costs more?) than a questionnaire

Questionnaire Advantage– Ability to survey a larger group at a lower cost

Questionnaire Disadvantage– Difficult to phrase unambiguous questions

Interviews versus Questionnaires

An open-ended question is one where the respondents answer using their own words instead of predetermined responses

Advantage Responses are not forced into predefined categories

Challenges Require care to design questions Take longer to complete More difficult to tabulate results

Open-ended Questions

In a forced-choice question, respondents must choose from predetermined response categories

Advantage Faster to administer (check boxes) Easier to tabulate results

Challenges Difficult to frame questions to match each user’s

personal experiences and frame-of-reference Also called closed-choice or fixed-choice or a multiple choice

Forced-choice Questions

Direct observation involves watching users work (done at the service desk today) Direct involvement (hands on experience) Powerful method of data collection

when other forms of data collection aren’t possible to supplement other forms of data collection

Plan sufficient time Take notes on:

What users do Sequence of tasks Tools and strategies they use With whom they interact Where they store information

Direct Observation

Charts and Diagrams

Used to show: Flow of information in an organization Relationships between workers Parts of an information system Workflow among employees

Often easier to read and understand than lengthy, technical narrative

Common types of charts used in needs analysis Flowcharts I-P-O charts

A flowchart is a schematic diagram that use symbols to represent the parts of a system or the steps in a procedure Rectangular boxes: Departments in a company, nodes

on a network, processing steps a worker performs Diamonds: Decision points or questions Lines: Relationship of parts or a sequence of

processing steps

Flowchart

Example of Flowchart

An I-P-O Chart is a diagram that represents Input, Processing, and Output steps required to perform a task

Answers three fundamental questions about a procedure Input: Where do I get the information with which to

work? Processing: What do I do to transform the

information? Output: What do I do with the information when

processing is completed?

I-P-O Chart

Example of I-P-O Chart

Prototype is a working model a support analyst builds to let users evaluate how the finished product of an analysis project will actually work

Advantage Easy, quick, cost-effective compared with finished product Easy to make changes

Limitation Usually operates slowly or has limited capacity for data storage

Example Use of Microsoft Access to design a data entry form for help desk

problem incidents

Prototyping Software

Benchmarks (see Chapter 8) Weighted point comparisons (see Chapter 8) Project management software helps project leaders

organize the tasks in a large project, set priorities, establish project costs, and schedule resources. Appropriate for large-scale needs assessment and

development projects that will involve a number of users, analysts, and steps

(see Chapter 7)

Other Needs Assessment Tools