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Fact Finding

After obtaining the background knowledge, the analyst

begins to collect data on existing systems outputs,

inputs and costs. It includes

a review of literature & procedures and forms

on-site observations

interviews questionnaires

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Review of Literature, procedures and forms

o Search of literature through professional references

o textbooks

o company studies

o government publications

Drawback of search is time, publications may be expensiven have outdated information.

Procedure manuals format and functions, objectives.

Drawbackmanuals dont exist or out-of-date.

Forms capturing, providing information.

all information? Readable ? Easy to follow?

helpful for better decisions ?

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On- Site Observation

Process of recognizing and noting people, objects,

occurrences to obtain information.

Analyst follows the set of rules. More likely to listen with

a sympathetic and genuine interest. Emphasis is not to

give advise or argue.

Classification :-

1. Natural occurs at employees place of workContrived set up in a place like laboratory

2. Obtrusive -- when the respondent knows he or she is

being observed.

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Unobtrusive -- contrived way .without the knowledge of

the respondent.

3. Direct -- when the analyst actually observes the

system at work.

Indirect -- uses mechanical devices such as cameras &

videotapes to capture information.

4. Structured -- the observer looks for & records a specific

action.

Unstructured -- places the observer in a situation toobserve whatever might be pertinent at the

time.

natural, direct, obtrusive, unstructured are frequently

used to get an overview of the system.

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Advantages of onsite-observation

highly reliable

It allows the analyst to see, how the system works.

Inexpensive

This allows the system analyst to do work measurement

Disadvantagesof onsite-observation workers perform indifferently when being watched.

the work being observed may not involve the level of

difficulties or volumes normally experienced.

some system task may occur at odd times causing ascheduling inconvenience to the analyst.

The system would have observed different task

performed or procedures executed.

people may let you see what they want you to see.

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Questionnaires

special-purpose document that allows the analyst tocollect information & opinions from the respondents.

Types of questionnaires

There are two forms

Free-format: a question is asked & the respondent records

the answer in the space provided after the question.

Fixed-format: contains question that requires selection of

predefined responses.

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A fixed format consist of :-

(1) multiple- choice question: several questions arelisted & one or more can be chosen.

(2) rating-question: the respondent is a given a

statement & asked to use supplied responses to stateones opinion therefore to eliminate a built-in biasthere should be an equal number of positive &negative ratings.

(3) ranking-questions: the respondents are given a listof answers that are to be answered based on choiceor preferences.

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The difference between rating and ranking is :

a rating question asks you to compare different items

using a common scale (e.g., "Please rate each of thefollowing items on a scale of 1-10, where 1 is not at all

important' and 10 is very important'")

while a ranking question asks you to compare different

items directly to one another (e.g., "Please rank each of the

following items in order of importance, from the #1 most

important item through the #10 least important item").

Both types of questions have their strengths and

weaknesses.

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Advantages of questionnaires:-

Inexpensive means for gathering information from a

large number of individuals

Allows individual to maintain anonymity.

Responses are easy to tabulate.

Questionnaires can be answered quickly as

possible. People can complete it & return it at theirconvenience.

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Disadvantage OF QUESTIONNAIRES:-

No guarantee that an individual will answer orexpand on all the questions.

Inflexible

There is no immediate opportunity to clarify a vagueor incomplete answer to any question.

Good questionnaires are difficult to prepare.Its not possible for the system analyst to observe &

analyze the respondents body language

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Developing a good questionnaire:

1. determine what facts and information has to becollected and from whom. if the number of people islarge, consider using smaller, randomly selectedgroup respondents

2. based on needed facts & opinions, determinewhether free or fixed format question will producebetter answers

3. write the question. Examine the questions for erroror possible misinterpretation. Make sure the question

dont offer personal bias opinions

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4. Test the question on sample of respondents. ifrespondents had a problem or questions were notuseful edit the questions.

5. Duplicate the questions & distribute

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Interview

It is a fact-finding technique whereby the system

analyst collects information from individuals throughface-to-face interaction.

Types of interview

(1) Unstructured interview: are conducted with general

objective in mind. the interviewer counts on the

interviewee to provide framework & direct conversation.

This type of interview frequently goes off track & the

analyst must be prepared to redirect the interview back to

the main goal or subject , for this reason an unstructured

is avoided.

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(2) Structured interview: the interviewer has a specific

question to ask the interviewee.

two types of questions:-.Open-ended questions:

This allows the interviewee to answer in an appropriate

way.

Close-ended questions

This allows the interviewee to answer in a direct way or

short answer.

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Disadvantage of interview:-

Time-consuming

Expensive

This is highly dependent on system analysts human-

relations skills.

Guide to successful interview:

1. set the stage for the interview

2. establish rapport; put the interviewee at ease

3. phrase questions clearly & succinctly4. be a good listener; avoid argument

5. Evaluate the outcome of the interviews.

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Stage settings: this is an ice breaking relaxed, informal

phase when the analyst opens the interview by focusing on

(a) the purpose of the interview

(b) Why the subject was selected

c) the confidential nature of the interview.

The job of the analyst is that of a reporter rather than that

of a debater. The direction of the interviews is controlledby discouraging distracting conversation.

Establishing rapport: in one respect, data collection is an

imposition on user staff time and an intrusion into theirprivacy. Even though the procedure is authorized by

management in advance, many staff members are

reluctant to participate.

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There is seldom a direct advantage in supplying

information to outsiders, regardless of their credentials.

There is strong perception that this might harm them.

Therefore establishing a rapport with the user is

important. therefore

do not deliberately mislead the staff about the purpose

of the study.

Assure the interviewees confidentially that no

information they offer will be released to unauthorized

personnel.

Avoid showing off your knowledge or sharing informationreceived from other sources.

Respect the time schedules do not make an extended

social event out of the meeting.

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Do not promise anything you cannot or you should not

deliver, such as advice or feedback.

Do not interrupt the interviewee.

Asking the questions:-

Except in unstructured interview, it is important to ask

question exactly the way they have been worded.

Obtaining & recording the response:-

interviewer must be prepared to coax respondent to elicit

further information when necessary.

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JAD ( Joint Application Development )

It is a method of discussing, collecting, finalizing and

managing requirements to build a S/W project.

JAD involves Development teams, Analysts,

Management and Customer groups working together .

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Participants

1. Sponsor

The sponsor is the owner of the s/w project who

financially supports its implementation

Support project implementation by providing his views

of questions facing the JAD teams. Support financially

and provide required facilities for the conduct of the JAD

sessions.

Final decision maker on all points.

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2. Facilitator

Plans, executes and manages the JAD sessions.

Leads discussions, encourages active participation,resolves conflicts, ensures discussions are oriented

towards achieving goals, ensure goals are met, establish

ground rules for the sessions

Should be a skillful and respected leader.

3. End users

Chosen by the project sponsor to contribute to

understanding of business problems and requirements in

the new project

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4. Manager

Project manager for the implementation

Review and approve objectives of the session and help

establish priorities

Identify any training requirements

5. Scribes

Document activities, decisions, open questions, action

items for various participants identified in a JAD sessions

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Works with the facilitator in getting document reviewed

and finalized

6. Domain and Information System specialists

Domain experts have specialized knowledge on the

functional area where the project is implemented (Eg

Insurance, Banking, Human Resources etc)

System specialists are analysts who are working to

perform requirements analysis on the project or other

analysis related roles in the software development activity

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Tasks in JAD Session

Before start of the sessions

Set clear objectives and timelines for sessions

Identify stakeholders and participants

Collect samples, existing documents and other items that

are required during the sessions.

At the start of the session

Reconciles each users views of the projects and its goals

Define meeting rules and interaction policies during the

session

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Advantages

Reduce system development time by ensuring all

key players work together to agree on requirements

Improved quality of requirements and productivityReduced system cost, rework time during testing andbuild costHelps catch errors earlyHelps key participants to establish good relations

early on in the project which will of positive helpthrough the rest of the project