requirements analysis requirements analysis is the process of elaborating and clarifying the...
Post on 22-Dec-2015
221 views
TRANSCRIPT
Requirements Analysis
Requirements analysis is the process of elaborating and clarifying the requirements
This involves: Identifying all functions of the software
In RUP, the artifact produced is a use case diagram (each function is a use case)
In XP, the artifacts are user stories Identifying how the users and the software interact to
accomplish a software function In RUP, the artifacts produced are use case descriptions In XP, details about user stories are captured by the customer
iteratively by giving the customer progressive versions of the software that implements them
RUP: Use Cases A use case is a description of a unit of functionality in a system For a travel kiosk:
Take a virtual tour of travel destinations See maps of travel destinations See pictures of monuments in travel destinations
Examine travel packages Find your ideal trip, using the customized vacation wizard Obtain contact information for ordering vacations
For a classroom desk: Learn
Take notes Nap
Snore Doodle
RUP: Use Case Boundaries A use case is some activity for which a user would potentially
use a system If an activity is not something a user would do by itself, it is
part of a larger use case e.g. In a bank system, generate transaction record is not useful
by itself, but is useful as part of the withdrawal use case (& others)
If part of an activity is something a user would do by itself, then that part is a use case by itself
e.g. In a department store, shop is made up of a few use cases, each of which could be done separately:
Browse products Purchase products
RUP: Use Case Diagrams
A use case diagram give three important pieces of information: A list of all use cases Relationships between use cases Participation between actors (normally, users) and use
cases
Use case scenario :
When a cardholder tries to withdraw cash from an ATM, it doesn’t always turn out the same way . Sometimes
He gets his money He might have insufficient funds ATM may be out of cash ..
All relate to the same goal & All are triggered by the same need
Use cases (Warning!)
Use cases must be independent of the technical implementation :
Instead of saying , ‘ the user presses the enter button’ , it is appropriate to say ‘ the user confirms his/her choice ‘
High-level interaction designs and Use cases are not system requirement documents
RUP: Use Case Diagrams
Customer
Take Virtual Tour
View MapView Photos
Travel Kiosk Functions
View Packages
View Contact Info
Find Ideal Trip
XP: User Stories User stories in XP serve a similar purpose to use cases
In XP, a user story is normally written on a small index card, including:
1 or 2 sentences describing the user story If the user story cannot be described in 1-2 sentences, it is likely too
large and should be separated into parts The priority of the user story
Highest priority (i.e. priority: 1) user stories are worked on first An identifier for the user story
User stories are sequentially numbered
User stories can describe: Functions provided by the software Improvements to functions Improvements to user interfaces Improvements to performance Bug fixes
XP: User Story Size A user story will typically take about one week to implement in
software The use of XP makes the possibility of having to change
how it was implemented more likely However, customers see an implementation very quickly
One technique for estimation involves assigning user story points to each user story More points means it should take longer to implement Estimation can start with rough estimates (per user story
point) As time goes by, estimation of project velocity can influence
the hours per user story point ratio to make better estimates
XP: User Stories
#32
Priority: 5
Customer can change his/her address in the system.
User story points: 5
XP: User Story Guidelines
User stories are described as benefits to the customer Good example: The tax calculator should correctly calculate
the total balance for a married couple, independent of the status of their individual files
Bad example: The stock ticker data structure should use an AVL tree internally to improve performance of lookups
User stories should be verifiable XP practitioners believe in acceptance tests, which are tests
that verify the correct implementation of a user story
Case Study: ATCSoft
The ATCSoft project was launched, and steady progress was made
When the team set out to integrate the ATCSoft application with existing RADAR equipment, however, they hit a snag The team members could not figure out how to integrate the
systems The RADAR system did not have appropriate physical
connections, nor was there an appropriate driver for the interconnection
The project manager had to hire engineering consultants to work out the integration details
This diversion took 2 months and cost a significant amount of money (additional labour, consultancy fees, and business value)
Case Study: PathFinder 2.0
The PathFinder project was started in August Rory Thompson was the star developer
His knowledge of neural nets inspired him to suggest that a neural net implementation of a PathFinder would be a good idea
He wrote up much of the foundation code for the neural network Initial tests showed a definite improvement in the PathFinder
performance, and more realistic, human-like, decisions Despite the large salary increase he was offered, Rory took a
good offer with another firm When some tests showed that the neural net was not fast enough
to make real-time decisions, the team had no immediate answers A bug was found that sent the avatars wandering aimlessly
around the maze in a circuit, when certain rare conditions were present
Again, the team had no idea how to approach the problem
What happened?
What happened in both of these case studies? In the ATCSoft scenario, a technical problem ended up
stalling development This could easily have become a complete disaster, if
it were not possible to integrate the systems
What happened?
What happened in both of these case studies? In the ATCSoft scenario, a technical problem ended up
stalling development This could easily have become a complete disaster, if
it were not possible to integrate the systems In the PathFinder scenario, a personnel problem was
at fault The team’s over-reliance on a hero was their downfall Taking the hero out of the equation stalled
development
What happened?
What happened in both of these case studies? In the ATCSoft scenario, a technical problem ended up
stalling development This could easily have become a complete disaster, if it
were not possible to integrate the systems In the PathFinder scenario, a personnel problem was at
fault The team’s over-reliance on a hero was their downfall Taking the hero out of the equation stalled development
In both scenarios, the team neglected their risks It is critical for a project team to understand and plan for
risks
Risk Mitigation
In the ATCSoft project, the team should have investigated the integration of various systems at the start of the project Given adequate time, the integration could have been
worked out before it was needed
Risk Mitigation
In the ATCSoft project, the team should have investigated the integration of various systems at the start of the project Given adequate time, the integration could have been
worked out before it was needed In the PathFinder project, Rory should have been the project’s
neural network consultant He could have thoroughly documented the neural network
code as it was developed He could have had seminars for team members, explaining
the concepts of neural networks Understanding neural networks, the team would have a
better chance of carrying on without Rory
Risk Assessment
The following describes the risk assessment process:
Once risks are assessed, a project manager should plan for them
1. Identifying risks 1. Identifying risks
2. Estimating a risk’s cost/effects2. Estimating a risk’s cost/effects
3. Estimating a risk’s likelihood 3. Estimating a risk’s likelihood
4. Identifying alternatives4. Identifying alternatives
5. Evaluating/comparing alternatives5. Evaluating/comparing alternatives
Risk Identification
The first step in risk analysis is to identify the project’s risks Each project has its own set of unique risks
Identifying risks seems like a dark art How do you identify something that could potentially be
hidden until it is too late? However, risk identification can be made easier using
categories of risk This leverages the knowledge of many project
managers who have experienced risks
Categories of Risk Here is one way to categorize risks:
Technical risks (related to using a particular technology) Performance Reliability Availability Complexity
Project management risks Poor resource allocation Poor planning Poor prioritization
Organizational risks Lack of support or resources Inadequate or inefficient management Interference from other projects & management agendas
p.65
Categories of Risk
Here is one way to categorize risks (continued): Constraint risks
Deadlines Resources
Business risks Marketability Timing Vendor delays Economic conditions
External risks Changing laws and regulations Dependence upon suppliers and contractors
p.65
When do we identify risks?
There are a two major approaches to risk identification Identify risks before the planning phase
Some risks may be difficult to spot when looking at requirements at a high level
Identify risks after the planning phase It is useful to know risks before the planning phase, so that
extra time can be dedicated to their mitigation A good compromise is to perform risk identification during the
planning phase: After creating the work breakdown structure Before creating the schedule
Common Risks
These risks are related to schedule: Feature creep
New features are frequently added after development has started Requirements gold-plating
Too much documentation Implementation gold-plating
Developers are working on the perfect implementation Inadequate design
Too little attention has been paid to design Overly optimistic schedules
Management pushed schedules down, rather than schedules work their way upward from developers
Poor motivation/weak personnel Developers are working at a less-than-optimal pace
Silver-bullet syndrome A trendy technology was expected to produce the equivalent to 10,000
lines of code in only 50 lines of code Contractor failure
A contractor lacked expertise/commitment needed to do the job on schedule
Estimating Risk Costs & Effects
Estimating the costs & effects of a risk is dependent upon the risk e.g. A project using a new technology might realize
that the technology is inadequate or unreliable Now, the application must be retrofitted to another
(trusted) technology Much of the software may need to be replaced The cost in this case is the cost of developing the
obsolete components In addition, there may be hidden costs due to delays
(such as customer confidence or personnel availability)
Estimating Risk Costs & Effects
Estimating the costs & effects of a risk is dependent upon the risk e.g. In some projects there is a risk that a key developer will
leave the project If the key developer leaves, what will it take to replace her? Given market conditions, you might estimate a replacement
in 2 months Some project deliverables might be delayed by up to that
amount in her absence Also, you may have to consider signing bonuses, relocation
expenses, travel expenses, and other hiring costs It depends on the project whether or not these costs are
considered high
How to estimate cost?
To estimate the cost, imagine a scenario where the event occurs e.g. Ok, Sarah has left the company. What do we do now?
We could promote Gerard to team leader We would need one more developer with technological
expertise Our corporate headhunter estimates hiring will take 10 weeks
e.g. PHP didn’t solve the problem. What now? We could use Ruby on Rails We would need to send our developers to training courses
In-depth RoR training courses are 4 months
Estimating Risk Likelihood
Like risk cost, risk likelihood also depends on the risk e.g. The likelihood that a technology will fail can usually be
estimated accurately Tristan: “How likely is it that the technology (e.g. PHP) will fail
to meet our expectations?” Carlos: “PHP has been used for many projects successfully.
There have been many failed PHP projects, but very few cite the technology as the cause of the failure. On the other hand, there have been many very high-profile PHP projects.”
Carlos: “Consider FaceBook, which has similar (but more complex) functionality to our GroupWare application.”
Tristan: “FaceBook uses PHP? That is similar to our project.” Carlos: “I can’t forsee any features we will need that will be
impossible in PHP.”
Estimating Risk Likelihood
Like risk cost, risk likelihood also depends on the risk e.g. How likely is it that Sarah Windermere will leave the project?
Her project manager may be aware of her job satisfaction, or her peers However, a face-to-face meeting to assess her job satisfaction has no
substitute Example:
Tristan: “Sarah, we’ve been very happy with your performance on previous projects. You will be an integral part of this upcoming project. Are there any concerns you have about this project or your job?”
Sarah: “Not really. I like the challenges.” Tristan: “If you do have any concerns, I want you to tell me right away.
Your satisfaction and motivation are very important to me.” Sarah: “Actually, I have been having a tough time working with Gerard.
He doesn’t respect my leadership, and tries to rally the team against me.”
Tristan: “How does the rest of the team feel about his actions?” Sarah: “Many of them either have confronted him about or have told me
they don’t agree with him.” Tristan: “I’ll have a talk with your team to confirm what you’ve said, but it
sounds like Gerard and I need to have a talk about each of your responsibilities.”
How to estimate likelihood?
The best way to estimate is to ask the people closest to the problem e.g. For Sarah, the best person to ask would be her
(followed by her direct supervisor) e.g. For PHP technology, anyone who has used PHP
for a previous project
Identifying Alternatives
e.g. Are there alternatives to Sarah? Gerard Lepalme: Has leadership, but lacks the
technological expertise Helen Driskoll: Knows some of the technology, but is
very inexperienced
Evaluating & Comparing Alternatives
e.g. Let us examine the alternatives to PHP: JSP/J2EE
Much of our existing staff is familiar with this technology Using this technology would require a few days of training Architecture should be more robust
ASP.NET We have no in-house personnel trained in this technology Using this technology would require at least one month of training Development of user interfaces, however, should be made easier
Ruby/ROR We have only a few in-house developers trained in this technology Using this technology would require weeks of training Development should be made easier Architecture should be more robust
Perl We have no in-house personnel trained in this technology Using this technology would require at least one month of training
Evaluating & Comparing Alternatives
e.g. Let us examine alternatives to Sarah: Gerard Lepalme: Has leadership, but lacks the technological
expertise Gerard is a take charge kind of person He is also a get it done kind of person However, he is not familiar with XML and many other
technologies we plan to use Helen Driskoll: Knows some of the technology, but is very
inexperienced Helen knows XML and a few other technologies we plan to use However, Helen is just starting her career She has difficulty being assertive and taking charge She doesn’t command respect from her colleagues Her development itself is slow
Assigning Probabilities
There are many approaches to assigning probabilities It often doesn’t matter if you only care about the value
relative to other risks However, this is a good rule of thumb:
Very low: 0.05 Low: 0.20 Medium: 0.40 High: 0.60 Very High: 0.80
Risk Assessment
Ok, we’ve collected data What is next?
We need to crunch some numbers to determine which option is the best
Qualitative assessment Risks are evaluated and planned for if they have significant
likelihood and significant costs Dynamic risk assessment
Risks are given a score for each development phrase The stage scores are totaled to calculate the risk’s score
Risk exposure assessment The risk likelihood is expressed in percentages The risk cost is expressed in weeks These two are multiplied to calculate an expected loss
Risk impact assessment Similar to risk exposure, but percentages are also used for cost
Qualitative Risk Assessment
Low Medium High
Low Ignore Ignore Consider
Medium Ignore Consider Take action
High Consider Take action Take action
Dynamic Risk Assessment
A B C Score
Requirements 1 3 1 5
Design 2 2 2 6
Implementation 3 1 2 6
Testing 3 1 4 8
Integration 2 1 4 7
Score 11 8 13 32
Risk Exposure Assessment
Probability of Loss
CostRisk
Exposure
Technology Failure
5% 20 weeks 1 week
Key Developer Attrition
40% 10 weeks 4 weeks
…etc…
Risk Impact Assessment
Probability of Loss
ImpactRisk
Exposure
Technology Failure
0.05 0.60 0.03
Key Developer Attrition
0.40 0.40 0.16
…etc…
Evaluating Alternatives When considering alternatives, you can apply the same techniques to all
alternatives e.g. J2EE vs. ASP.NET vs. RoR
Probability of Failure
Cost Risk Exposure
J2EE 0.05 1 week 0.05 weeks
ASP.NET 0.05 5 weeks 0.25 weeks
RoR 0.05 3 weeks 0.15 weeks
Risk Planning1. Learn about the risk 1. Learn about the risk
2. Plan to avoid the risk 2. Plan to avoid the risk
3. Move the risk 3. Move the risk
4. Create a risk-management plan 4. Create a risk-management plan
5. Mitigate and control the risk 5. Mitigate and control the risk
6. Tolerate the risk 6. Tolerate the risk
7. Document the risk 7. Document the risk
8. Monitor the risk 8. Monitor the risk
Common IT Project Risks Feature creep Requirements gold-plating Developer gold-plating Shortchanged quality Overly optimistic schedules Inadequate design Silver-bullet syndrome Research-oriented development Weak personnel Demotivated personnel Contractor failure Friction between developers and customers
Adapted from Rapid Development, by Steve McConnell
Number Originator Open Date Risk Description
Probability Impact Respond?
Master Risk Identification List
Number Originator Open Date Risk Description Probability Impact Respond?
1 Course
Developer
10/1 There are 5 of us set up to do the work for this project What happens if one of us gets sick ?
2 CSR Supervisors
10/1 When the CSRs go through new training, there is always a spike in the time it takes to handle a customer while the new training is learned . Will this spike create customer complaints > 2 % ?
3 Reproduction facilities
10/1 We’ve been having problems with our paper supply. We might not be able to have enough paper on hand to create the textbooks in the time frame you want.
4 Reproduction facilities
10/1 We are planning a remodeling project of our facilities during the time u are requesting the creation of textbooks. We might not be able to meet the time frames you are requesting.
5 Graphic artist 10/1 I’m pregnant and due right after the 1st class is scheduled
Number Originator Open Date Risk Description Probability Impact Respond?
1 CourseDeveloper
10/1 There are 5 of us set up to do the work for this project What happens if one of us gets sick ?
3 5
2 CSR Supervisors 10/1 When the CSRs go through new training, there is always a spike in the time it takes to handle a customer while the new training is learned . Will this spike create customer complaints > 2 % ?
4 5
3 Reproduction facilities
10/1 We’ve been having problems with our paper supply. We might not be able to have enough paper on hand to create the textbooks in the time frame you want.
2 2
4 Reproduction facilities
10/1 We are planning a remodeling project of our facilities during the time u are requesting the creation of textbooks. We might not be able to meet the time frames you are requesting.
5 2
5 Graphic artist 10/1 I’m pregnant and due right after the 1st class is scheduled
4 1
Number Originator Open Date Risk Description Probability Impact Respond?
1 CourseDeveloper
10/1 There are 5 of us set up to do the work for this project What happens if one of us gets sick ?
3 5 Mitigate - be ready to hire a contract course developer to work with the other course developers.
2 CSR Supervisors 10/1 When the CSRs go through new training, there is always a spike in the time it takes to handle a customer while the new training is learned . Will this spike create customer complaints > 2 % ?
4 5 Transfer – Develop an agreement with the outsourced call center for overflow calls on Mondays for 6 months
3 Reproduction facilities
10/1 We’ve been having problems with our paper supply. We might not be able to have enough paper on hand to create the textbooks in the time frame you want.
2 2
4 Reproduction facilities
10/1 We are planning a remodeling project of our facilities during the time u are requesting the creation of textbooks. We might not be able to meet the time frames you are requesting.
5 2 Avoid – Find another reproduction vendor .Be sure to test their quality of work
5 Graphic artist 10/1 I’m pregnant and due right after the 1st class is scheduled
4 1 Mitigate : Hire a contract course developer with Graphic skills.