SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND DESIGN-COLLECTING DATADiana Oommachan

Topics covered..• Introduction• Fact-finding interviews

• Planning the interview• Conducting the interview

• Questionnaires• Observation• Record Searching• Document Analysis

Introduction • Second stage in system analysis model-asking questions

and collecting data• To collect data and related information, following fact

finding methods can be used:• Interviewing• Questionnaires• Observation• Searching records• Document analysis

Interviews• Interview is defined as ‘a conversation with a specific

purpose’• Purpose can be :

• Selection in a recruitment interview• Counseling in a performance appraisal interview• Collecting information in a fact finding interview

• Two way communication • Interviewer should

• Have good interpersonal skills• Be a good listener• Skillful in using the questions so that conversation flows smoothly

3 stages of interview

1. Planning the interview

2. Conducting the interview

3. Recording the interview

I Planning the interview• In this, we are trying to answer 5 questions:

• Answer to • Question 1: helps to identify a set of objectives• Question 2: leads to a list of interviewees and the

sequence in which they will be interviewed

• Question 3: gives a format or structure for the interview• Question 4: gives the agenda• Question 5: gives the location of interview

• First stage is to set clear, specific and measurable objectives

• An objective can be : passive or active• Passive objective: concerned with collecting information from the

interviewee• Active objective: is about decisions or actions that the interviewee

must take

Structure of an interview• 4 stages :-

• Social chat• Overview• Questions and answers• Closing

• Length of each stage depends on • The individual being interviewed• Amount of detail required

1 Social chat• Interview begins with a casual, friendly opening to create

a relaxed atmosphere and put interviewee at their ease• In this stage interviewer can give the interviewee some

background information about the reasons for the investigation and answer any questions they have

• Early minutes of an interview are critical in building rapport with the interviewee

2 Overview

• Outlining the various parts of the interview• Also explains:

• Objectives of the interview• Time you will need• Main topics to be covered• Asking for interviewee’s permission to take notes

3 Questions and answers• Fact finding part of the interview• In this stage, we ask questions to find out as much as

possible about the interviewee and their role in organisation

• By listening carefully to the answers, making notes & checking understanding of the information collected, a lot of useful information can be gathered

• It is important to keep control and direct the interview to ensure objectives are met

• It is important to maintain rapport with the interviewee

Model for structuring question & answer stage

• Context questions:• Contains the words ‘tell’, ‘explain’, ‘describe’• Information about the background and work environment of the

interviewee within the organisation

• Detailed questions: • helps to obtain specific information about the areas explored in

step one• This contain facts & figures that indicate volume as well as

operational peaks and troughs

• Context and detailed questions helps to understand the current system & enables to identify the nature and cause of specific problems

• Once problems have been identified, ask further questions to find out what effects the interviewee believes each problem has on the organisation

• Next step ,which can take place alongside step three, is to explore user’s views about the solution to a problem and to find out what the user needs to correct the problem

• Then discover what the user’s real needs are so that any solution developed will be effective and efficient

4 Closing

• In closing the interview:• Summarize the points discussed• Checking key facts with the interviewee• Describe what will happen next as a result of the information

obtained

• As a final step in planning-• The location of the interview should also considered

• There is usually a choice of location-either on client premises or at analyst’s office

II Conducting the interview

• Listening • Is an essential component of any effective face to face

communication

• Questioning • Asking the appropriate question to obtain the information

required is central to fact finding interviewing

III Recording the interview• No matter how skilled the interviewer, or how good their

questioning and listening, the interview is likely to be less than successful if the recording techniques are incomplete or inappropriate

• Some general guidelines for note taking include:• Always asks for permission to take notes• Use an ‘open’ note taking style, and don’t hide what we are writing

from the interviewee • Pause during the interview while recording important information;

don’t try to listen and write at the same time• Check with the interviewee that the information recorded is correct

and make sure that any actions required by either party are accurately recorded

• A formal record should contain the following information as a minimum:• Date, location & duration of the interview• Names of attendees• Agenda or objectives• Main points discussed• Any conclusions• Any actions• The date of next meeting if appropriate

Questionnaires • Data can be collected from a lot of people without having

to visit them all• It is difficult to design a questionnaire that is both simple

and comprehensive• Questions should be kept short and clear otherwise it will

be misunderstood by those questioned, making data collected unreliable

• Questionnaire is most effective method of fact finding to collect small amount of data from a lot of people:• For eg: when staffs are located over a widely spread geographical

area,• When time is short etc..

Contd..• Questionnaire can also be used

• as a means for verifying data collected using other methods or • As the basis for question & answer section of a fact finding

interview

• When designing questionnaire, 3 sections are to be considered:• Heading section: describes the purpose of questionnaire and

contains the main references-name, staff identification no:, date etc..

• Classification section: for collecting information that can later be used for analysing & summarizing the total data such as age, gender, grade, job title

• Data section: made up of questions designed to elicit the specific information being sought by the analyst

Heading section

Classification section

Data section

• Open and closed questions can be used• One way of avoiding misunderstanding & gaining

cooperation is to write a covering letter explaining the purpose of the questionnaire & emphasising the date by which the questionnaire should be returned

Observation • Observation provide clues about why the current system

is not functioning properly• Observation is good for tracing bottlenecks and checking

facts that have already been noted• Analyst does planned or conscious observations-

watching an operation for a period to see exactly what happens

• Formal observation is done if agreement is given & users are prepared to cooperate

• Systematic activity sampling:- making observations of a particular operation at predetermined times• Time is chosen initially by some random device

Record Searching• Involves looking through written records to obtain

quantitative information, & to confirm information already supplied by user staff or management

• Information can be collected about:• Volume of file data & transactions, frequencies and trends• Frequency with which files are updated• Accuracy of data held in the system• Unused forms• Exceptions & omissions

• Using this information• Assessment of volatility of information can be made• Usefulness of existing information can be questioned

• If there is large number of documents, statistical sampling can be used

• Statistical sampling- sampling randomly or systematically to provide the required quantitative and qualitative information

Document Analysis• Involves collecting documents that show how the

information is organized in the system• Different documents include:

• Reports• Forms• Organisation charts• Formal lists

• Document analysis is powerful when used with other techniques

• Analyst must ask questions about how, where, why and when the document is used-helps in understanding the purpose of document and its importance to business