Requirement Analysis Overview

Requirements Analysis Overview: Five Fundamental Techniques for the Business Analyst

Specifying information systems requirements accurately is recognized as the critical step in deploying high quality applications that are flexible in the face of constant change. In fact, studies show that in new systems, from eight to eighty times as many problems result from poor requirements definition as from programming errors. To complicate the analyst’s life, the pressure for better requirements is matched only by the demand that they be gathered more quickly. This need for accuracy and speed is satisfied by a set of model-based analysis techniques that have emerged as “industry standard” – workflow modeling, use case modeling, application logic modeling, and data modeling. They are supported by modern application development tools, fit well into various development methodologies, scale easily for large and small projects, and can be adapted for dealing with both custom and purchased applications. They are particularly well suited to today’s environment, characterized by business processes that span enterprise boundaries (e.g., e-commerce) and multi-tier applications that must support widely-varied user communities and multiple user interface platforms (e.g., browsers, PDAs, telephony, and so on.) This intensive, one-day workshop introduces the five essential techniques along with methods for using and integrating them.

Objectives

On workshop completion, participants will be able to:

Assist in defining a project’s scope and objectives by producing a project charter
Get started with model-based requirements specification techniques, including workflow modeling, use case modeling, application logic modeling, and data modeling.
Understand the purpose and content of work products such as data or workflow models.
Participate in subsequent workshops on specific analysis techniques (e.g., Application Logic Modeling) with a clear view of how individual techniques relate to one another.

Duration 1 day

Who Should Attend

Business analysts requiring an introduction to requirements specification techniques or experienced analysts needing an update. Also, project managers and content experts needing an overview, or technical resources taking on analysis responsibilities.

Course Format Lecture, group discussion

Instructor Alec Sharp