IFS410 End User Support Chapter 9 User Needs Analysis and Assessment
IFS410 End User Support
Chapter 9
User Needs Analysis and Assessment
Purpose: determine which computer products or services best meet end-user needs (consider the IT Framework from last week)
Strategy: understand a user’s environment and work situation clarify the problem or objectives Trying to Solve? investigate alternative solutions More than one decide on a solution to meet the user’s needs decide whether to purchase or build Interesting
Process can be formal or informal Situational
Overview of User Needs Analysis and Assessment
Examples of Typical Needs Assessment Projects Select components
Choose a computer system Choose a peripheral to add to an existing
system Choose an application software package Choose an office network
Select services Choose a training program / partner Choose an Internet service provider (ISP)
Notice a common theme?
Three Phases in Needs Analysis Process• Preparation Phase
• Goal is to understand the problem, goals, decision criteria, stakeholders and information needed for a project
• Investigation Phase• Goal is to understand the present situation and alternatives
to it• Decision Phase
• Goal is to develop a model of a proposed system and decide whether to build it or buy it
What is the environment into which the future system will fit? Purpose of the organization Ethical consideration For-profit or not-for-profit Plans for growth or expansion Critical Attitude about technology (organizational culture) Budget for computer systems and services Staff expertise Knowledge level. Think about the
support system at YCP. Would entry level people understand SLA concepts?
Preparation Phase Step One: Understand the Personal or Organizational Goals
What criteria will impact the decision? Grow/Transform/Run Is this project feasible? Given technology, cost etc. (railcar scale) Feasibility investigates the constraints that will impact this project
Economic feasibility Budget constraints
Operational feasibility Impact on other systems and personnel proper people
Technological feasibility State of technology Bleeding/Leading edge
Timeline feasibility Time constraints how quickly needed vs. availability
Preparation Phase Step Two: Understand theDecision Criteria and Constraints
What is the real problem that needs to be solved by this project? Root cause analysis is critical
Ask probing questions Not all problems are technical Some problems are organizational
Personnel Correct people, correct number of people Workflow Process issues Training Properly trained Politics Unionized labor Management Committed Resources Material, Machinery, Capital, Information
Do not assume that a user has correctly analyzed the problem Observe the user in his or her environment Critical for process knowledge Consider solutions other than obvious ones Think outside the box
Preparation Phase Step Three: Define the Problem Clearly
Who will be impacted by this project? A stakeholder is a participant in a needs analysis project who
has a substantial interest in the successful outcome of the project
Four kinds of stakeholders Users Managers Support analysts Information Technology or Technical Support Staff Can vendors be stakeholders in a project? What is their role? Can the government be a stakeholder? Their role? Can customers be a stakeholder? Their role? Can owners be a stakeholder? Their role?
Preparation Phase Step Four: Identify the Roles of Stakeholders
What sources of information are needed to analyze user needs? Interviews with end users and managers Surveys or questionnaires sent to end users Procedure manuals that describe the current system
(updated?) Direct observation of the existing situation Forms used for input into the existing system Reports output from the existing system Problem reports or help desk logs (Help identify) Reports and recommendations from consultants or
auditors
continued
Preparation Phase Step Five: Identify Sources of Information
How does the existing system work? How can you recommend a change/improvement if you don’t know how it works?
A model is a narrative and/or graphic diagram that describes the current system or situation A model can aid an analyst’s understanding A model can be shared with stakeholders to verify understanding
Three key questions in Step Six:1. Do I understand the existing system well enough to explain the
operation to others?2. Do I understand which features of the existing system users like?3. Do I under what users think is wrong with existing system?
Investigation Phase Step Six: Develop an Understanding of the Existing System
How can the existing system or situation be fixed?
Add resources Technical: additional equipment Organizational: additional personnel, budget, time, priority
Change resources Reinstall or reconfigure software Provide different user training
Upgrades Improve processing speed, storage capacity, compatibility Offer new features that address identified problems
continued
Investigation Phase Step Seven: Investigate Alternatives to the Existing System
New hardware Resolve capacity constraints Run software efficiently Operate new software
New software Packaged, off-the-shelf software Custom-developed software New software that can be modified
Investigation Phase Step Seven: Investigate Alternatives to the Existing System (continued)
What features would a new system or solution offer?
Build a model of the proposed system or solution Includes pros and cons of each alternative considered Answer the questions:
– Why is proposed solution an improvement to the existing one?
– Why is this the best available alternative?
Decision Phase Step Eight: Develop a Model of the Proposed System
Decision Phase Step Eight: Develop a Model of the Proposed System (continued)
Kinds of solutions An optimal solution is the best one Constraints? A satisficing solution is one that solves the problem, but is not
necessarily the best solution
A cost-benefit analysis is a comparison between a solution’s expenses and its payoffs to an organization Useful tool to
Analyze a solution Compare solutions Remove Emotional Connection
A cost-benefit analysis is not an exact science with right or wrong answers estimate / guess (example)
For a small project, even an informal cost-benefit analysis is useful (example)
Users’ needs should drive the specifications for a new system
Software specifications are usually more important than hardware specifications, and should be developed first
Decision Phase Step Eight: Step 8 Tips
Should the new system or solution be built or
purchased? HUGE Build-versus-buy decision
a decision to build a new system internally or purchase one off the shelf
applies primarily to software (but can also apply to hardware, software, or complete systems)
Turnkey SYSTEM is an integrated packaged solution that provides hardware, software, and support from a single vendor (VOIP example)
Decision Phase Step Nine: Make a Build-versus-Buy Decision
Decision Phase Step Nine: Advantages of
Build versus Buy (continued)
Project charter Cost-benefit analysis Data collection instruments Charts and diagrams Prototyping software Other tools
Needs Analysis and Assessment Tools
A project charter is a short narrative statement that describes the objectives, scope, methods, participants, deliverables, and timeline A deliverable is the end result of a needs analysis project
Analysis of alternatives Feasibility report Recommendation Build versus buy decision
High level overview of a project Promotes a common understanding among all stakeholders
Project Charter
Example of a Project Charter
Weighs the benefits of each alternative solution against the costs of each alternative
Kinds of benefits Tangible: benefits that are relatively easy to quantify
Example: increased worker productivity (output divide by input). Knowledgeable of timeframe (CAD installation)
FTE Reduction Intangible benefit is an expected result from a computer
acquisition that is difficult to quantify Example:
Increased worker morale / engagement Increased productivity Used all the time but how to measure
Cost-benefit Analysis
continued
Cost-Benefit Analysis Factors
Data Collection Instruments
Input forms Output forms Procedure documentation Operating or problem logs Interviews with users User questionnaires Direct observation
Input form is a paper document or display screen image used to collect information about a business transaction Also called a source document
Examples (any input to conceptual system) Payroll timecards Problem log Membership application Expense account record Sales Order / Work Order / Purchase order EDI
Input Forms
Output forms are documents that contain the results of a business process
Examples Grocery store sales receipt Paycheck stub Grade report Income Statement (PnL) Balance Sheet Monthly Scorecard (example)
Output Forms
Procedure Documentation
Procedure documentation is written instructions about how to perform a business transaction or handle a routine business process
Often used to train a new worker or answer frequently asked questions about transaction processing problems
Examples Manual on how to process orders in a copy shop Operations manual in a bank or credit union ISO 9000 documentation
A log is a list of events or activities recorded in the sequence the events occur Routine, periodic event information Unusual events, errors, problems, complaints
Examples Log of inventory shortages in Shipping and Receiving Log of problems encountered with a new software
package
Operating or Problem Logs
Used to collect relevant information from users About the work they do (who better to ask) How an existing or proposed computer system might
affect their work (careful of emotion) Require care to design so that they:
Extract information that is clear and unambiguous Avoid opinion questions. “Just the facts please.”
Elicit information needed by an analyst Example
Survey on user satisfaction with computer support services
On-line surveys work well
Interviews and Questionnaires
Interview Advantage– Interviewer can probe to learn details of issues
that are of special interest Interview Disadvantage
– Takes more time (costs more?) than a questionnaire
Questionnaire Advantage– Ability to survey a larger group at a lower cost
Questionnaire Disadvantage– Difficult to phrase unambiguous questions
Interviews versus Questionnaires
An open-ended question is one where the respondents answer using their own words instead of predetermined responses
Advantage Responses are not forced into predefined categories
Challenges Require care to design questions Take longer to complete More difficult to tabulate results
Open-ended Questions
In a forced-choice question, respondents must choose from predetermined response categories
Advantage Faster to administer (check boxes) Easier to tabulate results
Challenges Difficult to frame questions to match each user’s
personal experiences and frame-of-reference Also called closed-choice or fixed-choice or a multiple choice
Forced-choice Questions
Direct observation involves watching users work (done at the service desk today) Direct involvement (hands on experience) Powerful method of data collection
when other forms of data collection aren’t possible to supplement other forms of data collection
Plan sufficient time Take notes on:
What users do Sequence of tasks Tools and strategies they use With whom they interact Where they store information
Direct Observation
Charts and Diagrams
Used to show: Flow of information in an organization Relationships between workers Parts of an information system Workflow among employees
Often easier to read and understand than lengthy, technical narrative
Common types of charts used in needs analysis Flowcharts I-P-O charts
A flowchart is a schematic diagram that use symbols to represent the parts of a system or the steps in a procedure Rectangular boxes: Departments in a company, nodes
on a network, processing steps a worker performs Diamonds: Decision points or questions Lines: Relationship of parts or a sequence of
processing steps
Flowchart
Example of Flowchart
An I-P-O Chart is a diagram that represents Input, Processing, and Output steps required to perform a task
Answers three fundamental questions about a procedure Input: Where do I get the information with which to
work? Processing: What do I do to transform the
information? Output: What do I do with the information when
processing is completed?
I-P-O Chart
Example of I-P-O Chart
Prototype is a working model a support analyst builds to let users evaluate how the finished product of an analysis project will actually work
Advantage Easy, quick, cost-effective compared with finished product Easy to make changes
Limitation Usually operates slowly or has limited capacity for data storage
Example Use of Microsoft Access to design a data entry form for help desk
problem incidents
Prototyping Software
Benchmarks (see Chapter 8) Weighted point comparisons (see Chapter 8) Project management software helps project leaders
organize the tasks in a large project, set priorities, establish project costs, and schedule resources. Appropriate for large-scale needs assessment and
development projects that will involve a number of users, analysts, and steps
(see Chapter 7)
Other Needs Assessment Tools