Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
Preparing for Interview Sessions
Background information should be provided to the IT team whether it is
an internal team or external consultants. It is easy to justify spending time
providing background information when you bring in an external consultant.
This is required to bring the consultant up to speed. You should not assume
that long-time employees have a good understanding of the business.
Because many organizations have already made some attempt to build
a data warehouse, employees have probably already been asked for their
requirements, multiple times. The people who need to provide input play
critical roles in the organization and their time is at a premium. The project
team can get ready by doing the following:
Read the annual report to understand strategic objectives.
Read everything you can about any prior data warehouse attempts and
other related efforts.
Arrange for the interview team to get a solid background on the business.
The business analyst on the team can often provide this.
Make sure you know who you are interviewing, what their role is, and
how long they have been in that position.
Identify interviews where the audience has a negative attitude toward
data warehousing. Be ready to listen to their concerns and share how this
project will overcome prior challenges. Be ready to solicit their ideas too.
Conduct a project launch or kick-off session with everyone who will be
interviewed. This was discussed in Chapter 5.
A well-prepared interview team can ensure that the sessions run smoothly.
Conducting the Interview Sessions
The time has come to talk to the business representatives. The team is prepared.
Everyone who was invited to the session has arrived. Begin with a round of
introductions. All members of the meeting should share their name, title, and
what role they assume on the project or in the business. Be sure to share what
roles (lead interviewer, note taker, and/or observer) each of the team members
is filling for this session. Then, have each interviewee share an overview of
his or her job responsibilities. Once the basics are covered, you can get started
with the heart of the session. Start with broad, open-ended questions.
Capturing Content: Notes vs. Tapes
These sessions are valuable to the entire team, not necessarily just those
who were able to attend the meeting. For each interview, one team member
