Elicit Requirements (15%) Flashcards
What are the two knowledge types?
- Explicit Knowledge (known knowns & known unknowns)
- Tacit Knowledge (unknown unknowns & unknown knowns)
How do we move from Tacit to Explicit Knowledge?
- ORE
Observe (shadowing)
Recount (story telling / scenario analysis)
Enact (prototype/scenario role play) - Report & record
- Distribute
What is the difference between Storytelling & Scenario Analysis?
Storytelling - enterprise level
Scenario Analysis - task level
Example of Individual & Corporate Tacit & Explicit Knowledge
Individual Tacit: Skills / Intuitiveness
Individual Explicit: Tasks/JD/KPIs (often documented)
Corporate Tacit: Norms/Organisation history
Corporate Explicit: Procedures/Manuals/Processes (often documented)
Quantitative Elicitation Techniques
Document Analysis
Qualitative Elicitation Techniques
Interviews
Workshops
Observation: Formal/informal & Shadowing
Scenario Analysis
Focus Groups (information for decisions to be made in workshops)
Prototyping
What is an interview?
A structured discussion between the analyst and a stakeholder to elicit facts and information about the business situation and their role in it.
Advantages/Disadvantage of Interview
Advantages:
1. Builds relationship with stakeholder
2. Confidential
3. Understand stakeholder perspective & business overview
Disadvantages:
- Only one viewpoint
- Take lots of time
What can you investigate & establish from interviews?
Investigate and establish:
1. Current functions that must be continued
2. Current problems that need to be resolved
3. New functions to be introduced
Interview/Workshop lifecycle
- Plan
- Prepare
- Conduct
- Follow up
What is a workshop?
A structured meeting in which a group of appropriately knowledgeable and motivated people are moderated by an impartial facilitator to achieve an agreed objective
Advantages/Disadvantage of Workshop
Advantages:
1. Fast (?)
2. Stakeholders involved and committed - feel ownership
3. Developers and stakeholders understand each other
4. Simple method of resolving issues/options
5. More creative solutions are produced
Disadvantages:
1. Hard to schedule
2. Group dynamics need careful managing
3. Hidden agendas
3 Types of Observation
Formal Observation
- Watching specified tasks
- Staff are prepared
- May see only what they want you to see (potential disadvantage)
Informal Observation
- No staff preparation
- May not see all required tasks being performed
-Shadowing
- Following a user for period of time
- May include protocol analysis (talk me through whilst doing it)
Good for uncovering tacit knowledge
Observation Advantages/Disadvantages
Advantages:
1. We can get a good understanding of the processes, problems, politics etc
2. Helps devise workable, acceptable solutions
Disadvantages:
1. Can feel like ‘Big Brother’ – unsettles the observed
2. Your presence may impact the process
What is scenario analysis?
Telling the story of the task, including:
1. All steps from business trigger to outcome
2. Pre-conditions
Must be true for the scenario to begin
3. Post-conditions
Must be true following conclusion
4. Alternative paths
5. Exception situations
(deeper dive to process mapping)
