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By Jonathan G. Geiger

MAY 4, 2012 10:39am ET

COLUMN

BI Requirements Gatheringthrough Observation

By Jonathan G. Geiger

MAY 4, 2012 10:39am ET

In my last column, I described some requirementsgathering techniques that are based onunderstanding the existing environment – analysisof existing queries and reports, spreadsheetinventory and extract inventory.

Observation also leverages the existing environment for determining the requirements

going forward. Observation is defined as “paying attention” and “careful watching and

recording of something” (Encarta World Dictionary). The first definition is somewhat

passive – it’s the second definition that explicitly requires action on behalf of the observer.

Since observation does not directly delineate requirements, it is up to the BI analyst to

structure the surveillance so that it can be used as the basis for gleaning requirements. For

transaction processing systems, observation pertains to the actions being taken to perform

a business processes. Business intelligence is about analytics and decision-making – the

first step is determining the process that needs to be observed. Examples include:

A sales analyst establishing the forecast for the upcoming period.A manager analyzing the variance between actual sales and the forecast.The vice president for strategic planning reviewing progress on attaining the strategicgoals.

Sales Analyst

Observation of the sales analyst is likely to reveal various sources of information that are

obtained and reviewed, steps taken to verify the data, steps taken to understand the data,

and steps taken to actually create the forecast. At each of these points, it is important to

understand what the analyst is doing, how long it is taking, and the issues encountered.

That understanding will provide information on the current data requirements and the

outputs of the process. With that understanding, it will be important to shift to a technique

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such as interviewing to gain insight into the accuracy of the sales forecasts, feedback

received on the format and timeliness, etc.

Manager

The manager is likely to reveal that he/she receives a report each period, showing the

actual sales, the forecast, the variance and possibly additional data. Observing what the

manager does with that report reveals BI needs. For example, if the manager looks at a

cover sheet, then goes to page 25, then back to page 12, it is likely that the manager found

a positive or negative exception and is then navigating through the data to understand the

reasons. This should be explored further and will likely provide input into designing OLAP

capabilities. Another approach that could be observed is that the manager, after reviewing

the report and making notes, convenes a meeting to discuss it. Further exploration of this

observation may lead requirements pertaining to annotation and collaboration. If there are

multiple sales managers involved, a facilitated session to discuss their use of the report

may be useful.

Vice President

The vice president for strategic planning is charged with establishing the strategic goals

and tracking progress. This person is likely receiving a dashboard or report with key

performance indicators. If the report is at a summary level only, then observation will likely

expose techniques (e.g., looking at additional inputs, calling others to provide explanations,

querying other systems) the VP uses to understand the KPIs. The BI analyst, who

understands how BI operates, can use this information to glean the requirements for data

content and navigation requirements. An important part of this process, as described in one

of my earlier columns, is to talk with the VP and try to understand why the information is

needed, and possibly why the strategic targets are at a particular level. A dialogue at that

level enables a synergistic process that may help the company adjust its strategic goals.

One of the commonalities of the three situations described is that observation is not the

only technique that was used. In each case, it was combined with additional information

gathering techniques to provide a more complete picture of the requirements. While

observation does not stand on its own, it often provides a good nonintrusive starting point

for gathering information requirements.

Throughout my last few columns, I explained some of the differences between traditional

requirements gathering and requirements gathering for BI. One of the key distinguishing

factors is that the requirements for BI are often not known in advance, and the BI analyst

must help the businessperson discover them. We also explored several techniques,

including interviewing, facilitated sessions, understanding existing techniques, and finally

observation. These and other methods should be appropriately combined to get the best

requirements definition possible. But remember, even with the best approach, the nature of

business intelligence is that requirements evolve. The BI analyst must determine when he

or she has enough information to move forward and recognize that progress toward

satisfying a full set of requirements will be made through a series of initiatives.



I welcome your input – please send me your thoughts (at [email protected]).

Jonathan G. Geiger is executive vice president at Intelligent Solutions, Inc. Geiger has

been involved in many corporate information factory and customer relationship

management projects within the utility, telecommunications, manufacturing, education,

chemical, financial and retail industries. In his more than three decades as a practitioner

and consultant, Geiger has managed or performed work in virtually every aspect of

information management. He has authored or co-authored numerous articles and three

books, presents frequently at national and international conferences, and teaches several

public seminars. Geiger may be reached at [email protected].

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