6
Using group support systems and joint application development for requirements specification
Liou, Yihwa Irene,Chen, Minder.Journal of Management Information Systems.Armonk:Winter 1993-1994.Vol.10,Iss.3;pg.25,17pgs
Abstract
The increasing use of integrated computer-aided software engineering (CASE) environments is shifting the bottleneck of systems development from physical design and coding to upstream activities, particularly requirements specification. Analysis is presented of the use of group support systems (GSS) and joint application development (JAD) in the context of CASE environments to facilitate the requirements specification process. Examination is offered of the relevance of GSS, JAD, and CASE to requirements specification. An integrated framework is proposed that is augmented by a domain-analysis methodology. Results of a pilot study that evaluated 2 process models using tools of a GSS, GroupSystems, for requirements specification are discussed.
1. INTRODUCTION
The emphasis of systems development is shifting to the front end of the systems development life cycle[12, 20]. One of the major reasons is that errors made in the early stages of information systems development are costly. Most errors found in the systems building process can be traced back to incorrect system requirements or misinterpretation of the correct ones. The cost of correcting erroneous requirements of a system in its operation stage is at least a hundred times greater than correcting them at the requirements definition stage[3]. The advent of application generators and code generators greatly reduces the programming effort required for building information systems. The increasing use of integrated computer-aided software engineering (CASE) environments is shifting the "bottleneck" of systems development from physical design and coding to upstream activities, particularly requirements specification. Therefore, the challenge of systems development has become "building the right system by defining the right one" instead of "building the system right."
Many people are involved in developing a complicated software project because no one possesses all the knowledge required. Domain-specific knowledge about an application and its environment as well as technical knowledge about systems development have to be incorporated into a cohesive framework to create a good software requirements specification (SRS)[1]. The elicitation of requirements is a collaborative effort among managers, users, and system analysts. One of the major factors that causes misunderstandings in the systems development process is the complexity of the communication and decision making among members of a project team[5], and communication breakdowns are most likely to occur when requirements are elicited from a heterogeneous group.
Traditionally, the requirements specification process is conducted by systems analysts through a series of one-on-one interviews with users and/or managers. However, difficulties in conducting serial interviews with users/managers individually to identify system requirements include: (1) it is a lengthy and time-consuming process; (2) users and managers may have conflicting definitions and perceptions of a system's problems and objectives. These conflicts must be resolved by individual members through several iterations of follow-up interviews. Sometimes, as when one person misinterprets another's statements and assumes that they are in agreement, a conflict may not even be recognized to exist. (3) The integration of users' views into a coherent set of system requirements is particularly difficult because of the diversity of users' backgrounds and differing usage of terminology.
Since the development of information systems has long been recognized as a joint effort among systems developers, users, and managers, the need to support collaborative activities during the application development process is evident. Though CASE tools have been used in various stages during the systems development life cycle to improve software productivity, there is no direct support in most CASE tools for direct interactions among project team members. However, group support systems (GSS), an emerging technology designed to facilitate human interactions, may be used separately or in combination with joint application development (JAD), a facilitated systems development methodology, to support collaboration among project team members in the applications development process. The purpose of this article is to explore ways to integrate GSS and JAD with CASE tools to improve the effectiveness of requirements specification. Next, we discuss enabling technologies for requirements specification.
2. ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES FOR REQUIREMENTS SPECIFICATION
Several technologies are available for supporting the requirements specification process. CASE tools designed to support the system development life cycle include analysis, design, code generation, and documentation. JAD may be considered as a facilitation method for supporting systems development meetings. GSS address the need for an electronic meeting environment that provides support for collaboration in the systems development process. The current status of these technologies and their relevance to requirements specification are discussed in this section.
2.1. COMPUTER-AIDED SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
Upper CASE tools are designed to support systems planning, analysis and logical design[10]. They are used in the application of various structured techniques including data modeling using entity relationship diagrams, process modeling using data flow diagrams, and structured design using structure charts. Each structured technique supports the modeling of only one or two aspects of a system, however. Structured texts, structured graphics, and matrices are the representation formats used in most CASE products to present the specification of a target system. Structured graphics are used extensively to support the graphic notations employed by structured techniques while structured texts are very useful in listing detailed information about a system. Matrices can be used very effectively to show binary relationships between two types of entities used in information systems planning. Additional functions provided by several CASE tools are requirements traceability, consistency and completeness checking, and project repository. It is assumed by CASE vendors that systems analysts are able to elicit requirements from users in informal formats and then to translate and specify those requirements using the formal specification languages supported by CASE tools.
Most existing CASE environments, however, do not explicitly provide a mechanism to facilitate software project meetings[10]. They do provide version and configuration control mechanisms via check-in and check-out procedures that allow several systems developers working on the same project to share information stored in a repository. However, these mechanisms are only used by systems developers and are designed to prevent them from directly interacting with each other. Support for requirements elicitation (particularly in a group meeting) is a critical functionality missing from existing CASE research and products[9]. Davy[13, p. 15] stated that "current implementations of CASE tool technology encourage an individual approach to work, even if they provide multi-user capability. However, analysts improve the quality of their work by discussing and reviewing it with colleagues. CASE tools are useful, but they are no substitute for interactive group discussion. Until more responsive interfaces are available we will only be able to make limited use of them."
There is increasing use of JAD-like facilitated meetings for building systems using CASE tools. JAD workshops provide an interactive group discussion mechanism for project team members to define system requirements. Increasingly, CASE tools are used directly during JAD sessions at the back end to document the information generated during these sessions. The essentials of JAD are explained in the next section.
2.2. JOINT APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT (JAD)
While the need to support collaborative requirements elicitation exists, there are very few systems development methodologies that directly support group interactions in face-to-face meetings. Joint application development (JAD), also known as joint application design, a group-oriented analysis and design methodology originally developed by IBM in 1977, is an exception [2, 6, 34]. This methodology features an intensive structured workshop where participating end users are assisted by information systems personnel and guided by an experienced session leader. The leader has previously interviewed managers and users to define the scope and objectives of the project and determine who should be participants of a JAD workshop.
A JAD workshop usually lasts for three to five days and consists of many sessions. It is usually initiated by an executive sponsor who is the owner of the system project and who also is responsible for resolving major conflicts, if any, during a JAD session. Typically, JAD session leaders use overhead projectors to present information collected during the JAD preparation phase and use flip charts and magnetic cards to capture informal requirements generated by the soup. Scribes translate and document the requirements captured in the session, using standardized forms. Many organizations recently have started using prototyping tools or CASE tools to support JAD workshops[4, 6, 24].
The success of a JAD workshop relies mainly on the skills of the session leader in managing processes, applying structured techniques to facilitate the group's deriving requirements, and handling the group's dynamics. Documents generated from the workshop include screen and report formats, definitions of entities and data elements, a description of work flows, and specification of systems functions. JAD not only provides an environment for more thorough recall of key requirements but also encompasses perspectives from different functional areas and from users and managers[33].
In summary, the essentials of JAD are (1) a focused workshop facilitated by JAD leaders and scribes, (2) users' participation and management's commitment, (3) the development of shared requirements and design specifications, (4) application of structured procedures and methods, and (5) an accelerated approach to meeting a specific time frame. Moreover, JAD provides the following benefits: (1) reduced time and cost in requirements elicitation, (2) improved communication among project team members, (3) provision of appropriate channels to resolve conflicts and build consensus, and (4) improved quality of workshop outcomes, such as flow charts, screen designs, and systems specifications.
There are some problems with the traditional JAD, however. First, all JAD participants may not be equally involved. Only the comments of the most vocal may be captured. Second, analysts are limited in their ability to judge group consensus in real time. Third, the products of the workshop have to be compiled and documented manually which can be very time-consuming. These problems would largely be resolved by using GSS during facilitated JAD sessions. First, participation would be encouraged and enhanced with the anonymity feature of GSS, at the same time the communication bandwidth is expanded by adding an electronic communication channel to the verbal communication channel. Second, evaluation tools such as rating and voting can be used to assess group consensus in a timely fashion. Third, the discussions and deliverables of the workshop can be captured by GSS. Compilation and documentation become unnecessary.
2.3. GROUP SUPPORT SYSTEMS (GSS)
Group support systems (GSS) are integrated computer and communication systems that support group work. Other common terms referring to the same concept include, but are not limited to, groupware, group decision support systems, and collaboration technology. GSS facilitate communications, coordination, and decision making by structuring the processes and contents of teamwork. The goals of a GSS are to reduce the process loss associated with disorganized activity, member dominance, social pressure, inhibition of expression, and other difficulties commonly encountered in groups and, at the same time, to increase the efficiency and quality of the end results [14, 28, 31]. Research findings on the impacts of GSS on groups have shown that the use of a GSS increases task-oriented communication [16, 31], the quality of decisions, and group members' satisfaction and confidence[15].
There is an increasing trend toward using computer and communication systems to support such group techniques as brainstorming. Recent developments in CSCW and GDSS are rooted in earlier efforts to support collaborative work in software development [14, 18]. GSS have been proven useful in such tasks as idea generation[25, 26], business planning[15], crisis management[27], and knowledge acquisition[22, 23]. GSS technologies make group meetings more productive by supporting rapid access to information and message exchanges, by providing better group memory management and feedback, and by facilitating more structured group interaction processes[29]. Groups supported by GSS technologies are able to use more complex group modeling tools to create and explore a wider range of alternatives[17]. In addition, using a GSS often increases participation, reduces meeting time, and improves the quality of meeting results, especially when large groups are involved in complicated tasks[14, 15].
Examples of commercialized GSS include Ventana's GroupSystems VTM, Lotus NotesTM, and VisionQuestTM. GroupSystems VTM provides a set of tools to facilitate electronic meetings, same time/place or different time/place. These tools include Electronic Brainstorming, Idea Organization, Voting, Group Matrix, GroupOutliner, Team Graphic, and GroupWriter[19]. Lotus NotesTM is a group communication product that allows people to create, assemble, organize, distribute, and access shared information. Notes is appropriate for the development of document-oriented and mail-enabled applications, such as customer tracking and group discussion[30]. VisionQuestTM provides tools organized under an executable agenda to facilitate face-to-face as well as dispersed group meetings[32]. These tools include Brainwriting, Comment Cards, Rating, Ranking, and Scoring. Most GSS are designed to provide collaboration support to business teams in communication, coordination, planning, decision making, project management, and document preparation. In addition, they have been used to elicit requirements from project team members and acquire knowledge from experts[22].
3. USING GSS TO SUPPORT JAD AND CASE
Research results indicating positive outcomes of using GSS for systems development activities have made it appear that an ideal approach would be to employ the JAD methodology with appropriate GS S tools to support requirements elicitation. Therefore, equal participation may be achieved, group consensus may be assessed in real time, and semiformal specifications may be generated in group meetings and recorded electronically [21]. Moreover, results from requirements elicitation sessions can be exported and transformed into specific formats supported by existing CASE tools to speed up the systems development process.
3.1. A FRAMEWORK
The trend toward user involvement in systems development, particularly in requirements analysis and specification, has been accelerated by the advent of CASE tools and the use of prototyping in systems building. Requirements elicitation calls for intensive interactions among system developers and users in face-to-face meetings in the software development process[11]. Systems developers are better able to work closely with users in defining system requirements when it is possible to show them CASE tools-generated graphical models that represent the system's functionality and structures.