In order to assist the librarians in automating the front desk activities, I would definitely
use Interviews, User observation and surveys to best understand the functionality of the
library as well as the desires and the end goal of the automation.
I would use the user observation technique and surveys most likely. I would first conduct
surveys with the librarians. I would want to know what they use as their current processes
for the front desk, and I would also ask them what they would like to be automated in the
process. I think this is very important because often people want to automate a process but
do not necessarily know if that is even possible or if they may have to change or alter the
process to automate it.
Next, I would conduct user observation. I would want to see how they execute the
processes they told me about in the surveys. It is common when people describe how
things function or how they do things, that they may not explain it correctly or leave out
key details in the process that they didn't feel were vital in order for us to automate things.
The three different methods I would use to gather information are Interviews,
questionnaires/surveys, and user observation. I think the best way to get information is a
conversation. I like the openness of this approach as I feel you can get the most
information this way. It is also important to observe how they use the system now and
seeing what works and what does not. The last is a questionnaire or survey. My go to
would be an interview, there are situations where a yes or no is best.The two different
methods I would use to record the information I gathered would be Talk to the Right
Stakeholders and users and be transparent with requirements. As above with information
gathering. You need to talk to the right people. First, you need to talk to the stakeholders.
What is their understanding of what is needed? Then you need to talk to the people who
will use it. What are they expecting? What do they want? Then you need to need to talk to
everyone and make sure your understanding of what they want is correct. I deal with this
daily at my job. I create Tableau reports. I always ask if the end users have a sketch of
what they want. I find this helps A LOT in the design phase and it helps get us in the
same page. I tend to keep it all in an excel spreadsheet. I also use a Rocketbook for
sketches and notes. The first thing I would do is watch the librarians in their daily
activities to see their workflow and the workflow of the library. You can learn a good bit
about the function of the library or other system by observing the activity. The next thing I
would like to do is conduct interviews with the librarians to get their input about how they
do their job. I will also get their expectations of what the new automation will be and how
it will help them do their job. The last thing I would like to do is conduct a survey of the
customers of the library to get their expectations of the new system and any suggestions or
feedback of the new system. b
I would use audio visual recording of the observed workflow and the interviews so I could
go back and review them later. I would record the survey in a computer so they can be
searched and filtered to get a good overview of the data needed to complete the task. b
Methods to Gather Requirements:
1. Interviews
2. Questionaries or Surveys
3. User Observation
4. Document Analysis
5. Interface Analysis
6. Workshops
7. Brainstorming
8. Role-play
9. Use Cases and Scenarios
10. Focus Groups
11. Prototyping
Methods to Document Requirements:
1. Design Tools
2. Prioritize Requirements
3. Confirm, Confirm, Confirm
4. Talk to the Right Stakeholders and Users
5. Transparent Requirements Documentation
Gathering stakeholder requirements and communicating with them throughout the design
and development of the project helps to ensure that what you provide to them will meet
their needs. Designers and developers who ignore their stakeholders and don't include them
in the process significantly increase the risks of the design and development efforts
failing.I like to focus on confirmation. I can't underscore how important appropriate
confirmation with all of the stakeholders is. Proper communication and confirmation help
to ensure that there are no misunderstandings with the requirements definitions. It also
helps to ensure that all of the stakeholders and all of the project team members have a
shared vision of the requirements and how they will be implemented in the software
application. Software engineering, project management, project control, and
implementation will run much more smoothly, efficiently, and effectively with appropriate
confirmation and communication.
Interviewing and user observation are great ways to gather reequipments for a new project.
I did not even think about document analysis but it will have good information about the
current system and how it is spoused to operate. A excel sheet would be a good way to get
the observation and reequipment recorded. I would think automation of the circulation desk
at a library would be like self check out at the works largest retailer. One of the many
project teams that I manage is working on a software application development project and
is currently finalizing requirements definitions. We just had a requirements review meeting
this morning and before the meeting, I took a few minutes to examine existing documents
for one of the functional areas on the project. I was able to identify some key scoping and
requirements details that really benefited the team as I shared these findings with them in
the design review meeting. It is another example to me of why the activities we are
studying in this course are so important and key to successful software engineering.
Interviewing key users and stakeholders should always be included in the software
engineering requirements gathering process. I am glad that you are focusing on this
activity. Doing so will help you to better understand key user and stakeholder needs and
will help you to better identify their requirements and use these requirements to create a
software application design that will meet their needs.I think document analysis would be a
good way for gathering information and requirements. Based on the information we have it
seems that this library has been in place for a while and has a system that they are
currently using. Document analysis focuses on examining the existing system to
understand how it operates. It also examines the requirements that existed when the
original system was created to get a better understanding of why the original system was
designed the way it was. Conducting an interview would be a great start to gathering
information, especially when implementing the five Ws and one H. There are no right or
wrong answers but from their perspective and respectfully listening as they share their
views. It is good to have a reflection on topics of great importance for research purposes!
Being creative and having the innovation for an outside-of-the-box perspective is a good
understanding and usage when it comes to brainstorming an idea. Focusing on quantity and
trying to hold back on criticism is essential because it creates an environment for thought
production without worries of being told that the information is irrelevant. I agree that
communication is number one when it comes to managing a project. Performing risk
management and a plan for any conflicts that might occur. interviewing others are a great
of knowing what they do at their job and how you can benefit from them. I can agree with
you that by interviewing someone, it would allow you to focus on what they do at their
job, so that you know what to do depending on the task that is given to you. The interview
enables the employer to determine if an applicant's skills, experience and personality meet
the job's requirements. It also helps the employer assess whether an applicant would likely
fit in with the corporate culture. Part of brainstorming is experimenting with what is most
effective for your team and with the emergence of remote brainstorming, there are many
new exercises that teams can conduct to find new ideation methods says .Embracing new
brainstorming methods, including asynchronous collaboration, is something that is vital
when moving forward and helps everyone approach innovation with an open mind.
