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User Requirements Fact Finding Techniques
There are five main fact finding techniques that are used by analysts to investigate requirements. Here we describe each of them in the order that they might be applied in a system development project, and for each one we explain the kind of information that you would expect to gain from its use, its advantages and disadvantages, and the situations in which it is appropriate to use it.
1. Background Reading
If an analyst is employed within the organization that is the subject of the fact­ gathering exercise, then it is likely that he or she will already have a good under­standing of the organization and its business objectives. If, however, he or she is going in as an outside consultant, then one of the first tasks is to try to gain an understanding of the organization. Background reading or research is part of that process. The kind of documents that are suitable sources of information include the following

Although reading company reports may provide the analyst with information about the organization's mission, and so possibly some indication of future requirements, this technique mainly provides information about the current system.

  • Company reports
  • organization charts,
  • policy manuals,
  • job descriptions,
  • reports and
  • documentation of existing systems.
Advantages and disadvantages
 + Background reading helps the analyst to get an understanding of the organization before meeting the people who work the It also allows the analyst to prepare for other types of fact finding, for example, by being aware of the business objectives of the organization
+ Documentation on the existing system may provide formally defined information requirements for the current system.

- Written documents often do not match up to reality; they may be out of date or they may reflect the official policy on matters that are dealt with differently in p

Appropriate Situation
Backkground reading is appropriate for projects where the analyst is not familiar with the organization being investigated. It is useful in the initial stages of investigation.
2.Interviewing
Interviewing is probably the most widely used fact finding technique; it is also the one that requires the most skill and sensitivity. Because of this, we have included a set of guidelines on interviewing that includes some suggestions about etiquette

Conducting an interview requires good planning, good interpersonal skills and an alert and responsive frame of mind. These guidelines cover the points you should bear in mind when planning and conducting an interview

Before the interview

 You should always make appointments for inter­views in advance. You should give the interviewee information' about the likely duration of the inter­view view and the subject of the interview.

Being interviewed takes people away from their normal work. Make sure that they feel that it is time well spent.

It is conventional to obtain permission from an interviewee's line manager before interviewing them. Often the analyst interviews the manager first and uses the opportunity to get this per­mission.

In large projects, an interview schedule should be drawn up showing who is to be interviewed, how often and for how long. Initially this will be in terms of the job roles of interviewees rather than named individuals. It may be the manager who decides which individual you interview in a particular role.

Have a clear set of objectives for the interview.Plan your questions and write them down. Some people write the questions with space between them for the replies.

Make sure your questions are relevant to the interviewee and his or her job

At the start of the interview

Introduce yourself and the purpose of the inter­view.

Arrive on time for interviews and stick to the planned timetable-do not over-run.

Ask the interviewee if he or she minds you taking notes or tape-recording the interview. Even if you tape-record an interview, you are advised to take notes. Machines can fail! Your notes also allow you to refer back to what has been said during the course of the interview and follow up points of interest.

Remember that people can be suspicious of outside consultants who come in with clipboards and stopwatches. The cost-benefit analyses of many information systems justify the investment in terms of savings in jobs!

During the interview

Take responsibility for the agenda. You should control the direction of the interview. This should be done in a sensitive way. If the interviewee is

getting away from the subject, bring them back to the point. If what they are telling you is important, then say that you will come back to it later and make a note to remind yourself to do so.

Use different kinds of question to get different types of information. Questions can be open­ended-'Can you explain how you complete a timesheet?'-or closed-'How many staff use this system?'. Do not, however, ask very open-ended questions such as 'Could you tell me what you do?'

Listen to what the interviewee says and en­courage him or her to expand on key points.

Keep the focus positive if possible. Make sure you have understood answers by summarizing them back to the interviewee. Avoid allowing the interview to degenerate into a session in which the interviewee complains about everyone and everything.

You may be aware of possible problems in the existing system, but you should avoid prejudging issues by asking questions that focus too much on problems. Gather facts.

Be sensitive about how you use information from other interviews that you or your colleagues have already conducted, particularly if comments were negative or critical.

Use the opportunity to collect examples of documents that people use in their work, ask if they mind you having samples ofblank forms and photocopies of completed paperwork.

After the interview

Thank the interviewee for their time. Make an appointment for a further interview if it is necessary. Offer to provide them with a copy of your notes of the interview for them to check that you have accurately recorded what they told you.

Transcribe your tape or write up your notes as soon as possible after the interview while the content is still fresh in your mind.

If you said that you would provide a copy of your notes for checking then send it to the inter­viewee as soon as possible. Update your notes to reflect their comments.

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