Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
Practical Techniques for Gathering Requirements
This section discusses the techniques for preparing for, conducting, and
documenting the findings from interview sessions. While there are other
approaches to gather requirements, including facilitated sessions, prototyping,
and report analysis, only the interviewing technique is covered in detail here.
These other techniques can help refine requirements and provide more detail
after the interviews have been conducted. However, as long as the business
requirements are collected, the process to get there should not be an issue.
The information here is targeted to help those project team members who
are responsible for gathering the requirements. This may be interesting to
others who will provide input, but it could be skipped otherwise. If so, start
reading again with the section ''Putting the Pieces Together'' to understand
what happens next.
Interview Session Characteristics
The requirements gathering process is focused on the business in general, so
the sessions take the form of a dialogue, not technical specifications. This is
not a process of reviewing screens, or a list of data elements. Because this
is focused on gaining an understanding of the business itself, the easiest and
most effective format is to conduct interview sessions. Most of the sessions
are with small groups, but some are with individuals. The interviews are run
by the lead business analyst or the dimensional modeler. A business systems
analyst may also be able to run the sessions.
Individual Interviews
Based upon the seniority and availability of the person to be interviewed, it
may be most appropriate to conduct an individual session. This is usually
the most effective format for executives and senior management. The optimal
amount of time is an hour, but most high-level people can clearly and concisely
share their thoughts in a half hour.
Group Interviews
To accommodate a larger number of people, without an excessive number
of sessions, other members of the business community can be interviewed in
small groups. The group should be no larger than five individuals and last
about two hours. A larger group makes it more difficult for each person's
perspective to be heard. The group should be comprised of people with a
common set of interests. If each person in the group represents a completely
different business function, then each may lose interest while the others are
taking their turn. This leaves the door open for viewing cell phones and other
personal devices, which in turn can pull that person from the room.
