Database Reference
In-Depth Information
tion, developers usually start with the individuals who use the current ap-
plication (or manual process). A developer can quickly gain valuable in-
sight into the existing processes as well as existing problems that the new
application may be able to solve. The same thing is true with data model-
ing; the only difference may be that you will likely develop the data model
in conjunction with an application, meaning that you will need to accom-
pany the application developers on interviews with business users. It's also
very likely that you will need to conduct slightly more detailed technical in-
terviews with the application developer to identify the application's needs
for data storage, manipulation, and retrieval.
Interviews should be conducted after the initial kickoff of the project,
before any design meetings take place. In fact, it's a good idea to begin
gathering a list of the candidates to be interviewed at the project kickoff,
because that meeting will have a number of high-level managers who can
identify the people who can give you the necessary information.
Key Stakeholders
Often the process of selecting individuals to be interviewed is equal parts
political and technical. It's important to identify the people who can have
the most insightful information on existing business processes, such as
frontline employees and first-level managers. Usually, these are the end
users of the application being built, and the primary source and destination
of the data from a usage standpoint.
Additionally, it's a good idea to include other resources, such as ven-
dors, customers, or business analysts. These people can provide input on
how data is used by all facets of the business (incoming and outgoing) and
offer a perspective on the challenges faced by the business and the goals
being set for the proposed application.
Including people from all these groups will also help ensure that as
many types of users as possible have input into the design process, some-
thing that increases the likelihood that they will buy in to the application
design. Omitting any individual or group that is responsible for a signifi-
cant portion of the business can lead to objections being raised late in the
design process. This can have a derailing effect on the project, leaving
everyone feeling that the project is in trouble.
When you select a list of potential interviewees, be aware that your ini-
tial list will likely be missing key people. As part of the interviewing
process, it's very likely that you'll discover the other people who should be
interviewed to gain deeper insight into specific processes. Be prepared to
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