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SYS366

Week 4, Lecture 2Requirements Part 4: Constraints,The Problem Statement

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Today Constraints The Problem Statement

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Constraints: The Grim Reality Developers are not given all the

time in the world, all the money in the world, and all the best resources that money can buy so that they can build the best system ever built!

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More Reasons to Involve Stakeholders and Users “…you must understand the

economic, technological, political, and business environment into which the system will be introduced and how that environment will be changed by the new system.” *

* Use Case Modeling by Bittner and Spence, page. 15.

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Constraints “are restrictions on the degree of freedom

the developers have in providing a solution….” *

come directly from the economic, technological, political, and business environment into which the system will be introduced

* Use Case Modeling by Bittner and Spence, page. 16.

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Stakeholders & Users

are the ones who can tell you the economic, technological, political, and business environment into which the system will be introduced and how that environment will be changed by the new system.

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Constraints “Constraints are not related to the

fulfilling the stakeholders’ needs; they are restrictions imposed on the project by external forces.”

Use Case Modeling by Bittner and Spence, page. 77.

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Constraints Include

Business and Economic:Cost and pricing , availability, marketing and licensing issues

Use Case Modeling by Bittner and Spence, page. 77.

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Constraints Include

Environmental:External standards and regulations that are imposed on the development project

Use Case Modeling by Bittner and Spence, page. 78.

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Constraints Include

Technical:The technologies that the project is forced to adopt or the processes that the project has to follow

Use Case Modeling by Bittner and Spence, page. 78.

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Constraints Include

System:Compatibility with existing systems and operating environments

Use Case Modeling by Bittner and Spence, page. 78.

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Constraints Include

Schedule and Resources:Dates the project has been committed to or limitations on the resources that the project must use

Use Case Modeling by Bittner and Spence, page. 78.

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Why Stakeholders Impose Constraints

PoliticsConstraints my be placed on the project by the relationships among the stakeholders rather than the technical or business forces shaping the project

Use Case Modeling by Bittner and Spence, page. 78.

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Why Stakeholders Impose ConstraintsOrganizational Policies

may be in place that constrain the way that the product can be developed. A company may have made a policy decision to move toward specific techniques, methodologies, standards, or languages

Use Case Modeling by Bittner and Spence, page. 78.

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Why Stakeholders Impose Constraints

Strategic Directionsmay be in place that constrain the way that the project is to use specific technologies and suppliers (such as the decision by the Dealer Principal to outsource all IT to your company)

Use Case Modeling by Bittner and Spence, page. 78.

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Why Stakeholders Impose ConstraintsOrganizational Culture

may itself constrain the project by limiting the way that the project must address the project must address the problem. (There is a limit to the amount of change that people can cope with at any one time.)

Use Case Modeling by Bittner and Spence, page. 78.

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Constraints Constraints = Reality Checks!

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Project Initiation Document PRJ566 Summer 2003

Team 2 Team 10

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Today Constraints The Problem Statement

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The Problem Statement “A problem can be defined as the

difference between things as perceived and things as desired

OR as a question or matter to be

worked out” *

*Use Case Modeling by Bittner and Spence, page. 69.

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The Problem Statement “If you want to satisfy

[Stakeholders’] real needs, you must understand the problem that they are trying to solve.” *

*Use Case Modeling by Bittner and Spence, page. 69.

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The Problem Statement “The best way to capture the

problem is to construct a problem statement.” *

*Use Case Modeling by Bittner and Spence, page. 69.

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The Problem Statement “is a solution-neutral summary of

the stakeholders’ shared understanding of the problem to be solved.” *

*Use Case Modeling by Bittner and Spence, page. 69.

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The Problem Statement “Often, the stakeholders have

different perspectives on the problem…, but it is important that they reach agreement on a shared problem” *

Use Case Modeling by Bittner and Spence, page. 71.

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The Problem Statement The Problem Statement Template

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The Problem Statement Let’s fill in that Problem Statement

Template for Building Maintenance.

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The Problem Statement Now it’s totally over to you as you

write the problem statement for your business area!