Do Document Archaeology (Process Notes 2.1.6)


Document archaeology entails determining the underlying processes and requirements by inspecting the documents and files that the organization uses. It should not be used on its own as a requirements-gathering technique, but as a prelude to more intensive interviews and as the basis of modeling efforts.

In document archeology, you begin by collecting samples of all documents, reports, forms, filesin fact, anything that is used to record or send information. Regular telephone calls should not be excluded.

Inspect the document (for simplicity's sake, the term "document" here means all of the above) looking for nouns, or "things." These can be column headings, named boxes on forms, or simply the name of a piece of data on the document.

For each noun, ask these questions:

  • What is the purpose of this thing?

  • Who uses it, why, and what for?

  • What are all the uses the system makes of this thing?

  • If I have thing A, must I also have thing B, and must I not have thing C?

  • Can this thing have a value? For example, is it a number or a code or quantity?

  • If so, to what collection of things does it belong? (Data modeling enthusiasts will immediately recognize the need to find the class that owns the attribute.)

  • What is that thing used for?

  • Does the document contain a repeating group of things?

  • If so, what is the collection of things called?

  • Can I find a link between things?

  • What process makes the connection between them?

  • What are the rules attached to each thing? In other words, what piece of business policy covers the thing?

  • What processes ensure that these rules are obeyed?

  • Which documents give the users the most problems?

These questions will not in themselves reveal all the requirements for the system. They will, however, give you plenty of material and direction for further investigation. We also suggest that you use document archeology as part of your data modeling approach.




Mastering the Requirements Process
Mastering the Requirements Process (2nd Edition)
ISBN: 0321419499
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 371

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