Information Systems Development MIS331

1. Information Systems DevelopmentMIS331 Information Gathering MIS331

2. Agenda • External success factors in SA & D • “Get the user involved!” • Focus on Analysis phase activities • Requirements determination • Requirements structuring • Alternative generation and selection • Presentation issues and tips MIS331

3. PIECES Framework MIS331

4. System Success Factors • The client may not be the end-user • He who signs the checks is the client • The system is for the end-user • The analyst has the unenviable task of balancing the constraints of the client with the needs of the end-user • Regardless of the need to balance... You must get the user involved! MIS331

5. User Involvement • Creates a sense of ownership • Builds a feeling of responsibility for success • Reduces inhibitions associated with unknowns of a new environment • Minimizes intrinsic resistance to change • Eliminates anxieties created by lack of communication • If you don’t provide an agenda for a group…eventually they will create their own • Has been shown to be directly related to system success MIS331

6. Requirements Determination • “The facts, ma’am, just the facts” • Gathering information from a variety of sources for the purpose of determining just exactly whatis happening and when. • Often, what the users think is happening is different from what is actually happening. • Also, the reality of when something happens can be radically different than the user’s perception. • We need to make use of a variety of data gathering techniques. • Obtrusive versus Unobtrusive • Interactive versus Detached MIS331

7. Traditional Methods • Interviewing • Can be used in both an exploratory and a confirmatory manner • Questionnaires • Primarily a confirmatory technique • Direct Observation • Exploratory or confirmatory • Obtrusive and unobtrusive • sometimes people change their behavior when being observed • “Hawthorne Effect” • Procedure and Document Review • Forms, contracts, policy manuals, org.charts, etc. MIS331

8. Modern Methods • Joint Application Design (JAD) • simultaneous collection of requirements from key personnel • JAD sessions are simply structured group meetings • Group Support Systems (GSS) • Facilitates the JAD process • Promotes anonymity thus reducing inhibition to participate • Can provide structure to chaos • CASE tools (Upper CASE) • Can organize the findings of many analysts • Provides consistency in modeling activities • Prototyping • “Show me what you’ve got and I’ll tell you if I like it.” MIS331

9. Structuring and Alternatives • Structuring involves the use of models to describe the system requirements in an understandable fashion. • Process, Logic, and Data Modeling • Alternative Generation and Selection • Some schools of thought allow for selection of development method based upon the identified system requirements. • We do not subscribe to this school of thought. MIS331

10. System Modeling • Logical versus Physical • A physical model describes a system in an implementation-dependent manner • “How we do it.” • A logical model describes a system in an implementation-independent manner • “What we do.” How Physical Physical What Logical Logical MIS331

11. Presentations Issues and Tips MIS331

12. For Next Time... • We’re going to play a game (no preparations necessary) MIS331