Object-oriented analysis and design

Assumptions and Dependencies...
Cost and Pricing...
Licensing and Installation...
Summary of System Features
Other Requirements and Constraints

Are We Solving the Same Problem? The Right Problem?

The Problem Statement

During early requirements work in the inception phase, collaborate to define a terse problem statement; it will reduce the likelihood that stakeholders are trying to solve slightly different problems, and is usually quickly created.

Occasionally, the effort reveals fundamental differences of opinion in what the parties are trying to achieve.

Table format of the Problem Statement

Rather than plain prose, a table format offered in the RUP templates for problem statements is:

The Key High-Level Goals and Problems of the Stakeholders

This table summarizes the goals and problems at a higher level than task level use cases, and reveals important nonfunctional and quality goals that may belong to one use case or span many, such as:

• We need fault-tolerant sales processing.
• We need the ability to customize the business rules.

What Are the Root Problems and Goals?

Sometimes stakeholder jump to solutions that are not the most appropriate or do not address the root underlying major problems.

Thus, the system analyst needs to investigate the problem and goal chain in order to learn the underlying problems, and their relative importance and impact, in order to prioritize and solve the most egregious concerns with a skilfull solution.

Goals levels

Group Idea Facilitation Methods

Some useful group facilitation techniques to discover root problems and goals, and support idea generation and prioritization:

mind mapping,	fishbone diagrams,
pareto diagrams,	brainstorming,
multi-voting,	dot voting,
nominal group process,	brainwriting,
affinity grouping