Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
for many years, and it may require a considerable investment in
equipment, people, and time. In many cases, developers of programs
will anticipate the need for maintenance, and algorithms and pro
gramming techniques will be used that may simplify the task.
Throughout this maintenance activity, changes in one part of a pro
gram or the correction of some errors may introduce other errors.
Thus, testing must continue throughout any maintenance work.
their software?
To be useful, a computer program must meet a user's real needs.
This may seem both easy and obvious, but in practice, the identifi
cation of user needs and wishes can be far from straightforward.
A natural starting point to discover user needs is to explicitly
ask potential users what they want. If you envision selling your soft
ware to a general target audience, then you need to investigate just
what needs that audience might have. Such a study is called
market
analysis
. For example, you might develop a customer survey, asking
potential customers what features they would like in a program.
You might observe people at work to determine just what they do
so you know what to automate. You might talk to managers or ex
perts in the field to clarify relevant or useful elements. Similarly, if
you were developing software for a specific client, you might inter
view that customer at length—perhaps talking both to management
and to workers in the field to understand what they currently do,
how various departments work together, and how a new system
might streamline or integrate various functions.
Although asking the potential audience or client what is desired
or needed is an important step, the process of identifying capabili
ties for software often requires further analysis. For example, even
if a customer is highly motivated to answer your questions, the re
sponses may provide only partial guidance for at least three reasons:
1.
A user often is aware only of her or his current life circum
stances, and their feedback may take advantage of unstated
assumptions and informal practices.
