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Fact Finding Techniques

The document discusses fact finding techniques used in software engineering. It describes five fact finding techniques: background reading, interviewing, observation, document sampling, and questionnaires. Background reading involves reviewing existing documentation to understand business objectives and requirements. Interviewing is the most widely used technique for gaining an in-depth understanding of user needs through structured discussions. Observation allows analysts to watch users perform tasks to understand workflow and information processing. Document sampling analyzes existing paper documents for patterns. Questionnaires provide an economical way to gather standardized responses through surveys.

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203 views16 pages

Fact Finding Techniques

The document discusses fact finding techniques used in software engineering. It describes five fact finding techniques: background reading, interviewing, observation, document sampling, and questionnaires. Background reading involves reviewing existing documentation to understand business objectives and requirements. Interviewing is the most widely used technique for gaining an in-depth understanding of user needs through structured discussions. Observation allows analysts to watch users perform tasks to understand workflow and information processing. Document sampling analyzes existing paper documents for patterns. Questionnaires provide an economical way to gather standardized responses through surveys.

Uploaded by

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2.

Fact Finding & Techniques

Session # 2
SWE 211 Introduction to Software Engineering
Lect. Amanullah Quadri
http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aquadri
Agenda
Fact finding Description
Techniques:
Background Reading
Interviewing
Observation
Document Sampling
Questionnaires

2 King Saud University, SwE Department, SWE-211 "Introduction to Software Engineering"


What is Fact Finding?
Identification of what new system should be able to do.
Specification of what the system should do as per users
requirements.
Includes what the existing system does and what is the new
one expected to do.
Done by system or business analyst.

3 King Saud University, SwE Department, SWE-211 "Introduction to Software Engineering"


Why Fact Finding is important?
Rapidly changing environment of organizations.

Classifies data in 3 categories:


Functional Requirements
Non-Functional Requirements
Usability Requirements.

King Saud University, SwE Department, SWE-211


4 "Introduction to Software Engineering"
Functional Requirements
Describes what a system is expected to do (Functionality).
Describes the processes that system will carry out.
Details of the inputs into the system from paper forms and
documents and other systems.
Details of the output expected from the system on screen
display and as printouts on the paper.

5 King Saud University. SwE Department. SWE-211 "Introduction to Software Engineering"


Non Functional Requirements
Describes the quality parameters of the processing of
functional requirements.
Performance criteria: Desired Response time for updating or
retrieving data in/from the system.
Ability of the system to cope with multi using at multi levels.
Security parameters: resistance and detection of attacks.

6 King Saud University, SwE Department, SWE-211 "Introduction to Software Engineering"


Usability Requirements
Describe the usability factors and facts between the system
and users.
Ensures good match between the system and users
performing tasks on the system.
Efficient Human-Computer interactions.

7 King Saud University, SwE Department, SWE-211 "Introduction to Software Engineering"


Technique 1 : Background Reading
To have good understanding of the organizations business
objectives.
Kind of documents to be looked for:
Company Reports
Organization Charts
Policy Manuals
Job Descriptions
Reports
Documentation of existing system

8 King Saud University, SwE Department, SWE-211 "Introduction to Software Engineering"


Advantages and Disadvantages
+ Helps understanding the organization before meeting its
work force.
+ Helps understanding the requirements of the system in the
light of business objectives.
+ Documentation can provide information requirements of the
current system.
(-) Discrepancies between written policy and its application.

9 King Saud University, SwE Department, SWE-211 "Introduction to Software Engineering"


Technique 2: Interviewing
Most widely used technique.
Requires the most skills and sensitivity.
Structured meeting between analyst and staff.
Discussion of one or more areas of work of the staff.
Can be using fixed set of questions or extempore questions.
Close and Open probes.

King Saud University, SwE Department, SWE-211


10 "Introduction to Software Engineering"
Advantages and Disadvantages
+ Produces high Quality information.
+ Provides greater depth of understanding of a persons work
and expectation.
(-) Time consuming process
(-) Interviewee can provide conflicting information which
becomes difficult to resolve later.

King Saud University, SwE Department, SWE-211


11 "Introduction to Software Engineering"
Technique 3: Observation
Watching people in their normal work flow carrying out
their operations.
Analysts watch and note the type of the information the work
is using and processing in the existing system.
Can be open ended or close ended.

12 King Saud University, SwE Department, SWE-211 "Introduction to Software Engineering"


Advantages and Disadvantages.
+ Provides first hand experience.
+ Real time data collection.
(-) Most people dont like being observed and may behave
differently.
(-) Requires recursive training to have an analytical
observation.
(-) Logistics.

13 King Saud University, SwE Department, SWE-211 "Introduction to Software Engineering"


Technique 4: Document Sampling
Done in two (2) ways
First, Collect copies of completed documents of the
interviews and observations and carefully articulate.
Second, Statistical analysis of the documents to find out
patterns of data.
Advantages and Disadvantages:
+ Used for quantitative data.
+ Used to find error rates in paper documents.
(-) Existing documents dont show what changes will be in
future.

14 King Saud University, SwE Department, SWE-211 "Introduction to Software Engineering"


Technique 5 : Questionnaires
Effective fact finding instrument.
Has series of questions to be answered.
Multiple choice or Yes/No questions.
Covers question ranging from Coding to Feedback.
Advantages and Disadvantages:
+ Economical way of gathering data.
+ If well defined, results are effectively analyzed.
- Creating a good questionnaire is difficult.
- No follow-up or probing can be done with answers.

15 King Saud University, SwE Department, SWE-211 "Introduction to Software Engineering"


Questions

King Saud University, SwE Department, SWE-211


16 "Introduction to Software Engineering"

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