Identifying and Defining
Problem Definition
Identifying and Defining
The first stage of almost any system development approach relates to a project team gaining an understanding
of what existing systems are already in place within an enterprise, in particular:
● What does a system do?
● How does the system work?
● Who uses the system?
● What requirements need to be met for clients?
in order to make informed decisions. This is achieved through accumulating data about an existing system by
interviewing and surveying both participants and users who interact with a system, as well as a project team
making their own observations and analysing a system itself in order to determine its functionality. Ultimately this
stage of development involves investigating and establishing the requirements and issues of an existing system
as the foundations for developing or deciding whether a new system is necessary.
Identifying
Identifying is the process of recognising and documenting the elements,
stakeholders, requirements and potential issues related to an existing system.
This stage of development involves gathering information on what needs to be
accomplished, who will be involved, what resources are required and what
constraints or risks may exist. The purpose of identifying all these elements is
to develop a comprehensive understanding of all factors that will influence a
project's success.
Defining
Defining involves clearly establishing a system's objectives, scope, deliverables
and requirements based on the information gathered during the identifying
phase of system development. This includes documenting a project's goals,
outlining the tasks and activities needed to achieve them, establishing criteria
for success and setting parameters to ensure a project stays within scope.
Defining ensures that everyone involved with a project will have a shared
understanding of what the project aims to accomplish and the means by which
it will aim for it to be achieved.
Tools and Processes used to Manage and Document
the Development of an Enterprise System
Throughout the development lifecycle, documentation plays a crucial role in recording system requirements, which are the specific features a
system needs to have or objectives it needs to achieve. Managing and documenting the development of an enterprise system involves a
comprehensive set of tools and processes that support development teams in understanding a systems purpose and functionality in the area of
requirements. A variety of different system development tools are used by project teams to gain and document their understanding of a system,
as well as support the communication of ideas and ensure decisions being made meet the specific outcomes of a project. Tools and processes
that may be used to manage and document the development of an enterprise system during this identifying and defining stage include:
● Problem Definition
● Time & Resource Management
● Using Iterative Approaches
● Production Process & Technical Skills
● Testing & Evaluation
At this stage of system development, processes and tools that are going to be used to support a project need to be established so that they can
be factored into a projects development plan and scheduling.
Problem Definition
A problem definition involves understanding the requirements and challenges faced by an enterprise. Tools and processes such as observations,
interviews and surveys help in the collecting of data related to an enterprises existing issues or potential opportunities, supporting a
development team in defining a specific problem. A problem definition will be developed as a summary of text detailing the needs of a required
project to essentially solve a problem, assisting a project team in documenting a specific problem and establish its’ scope. The documentation
may provide context to a new system in the areas of:
● Purpose
● Design elements
● Needs of users
● Time frame
● Budget
● Required technology
● Enterprise requirements
A problem definition outlines what needs to be achieved by a project and highlights what requirements need to be met in a concise format. It
then acts as a starting point for teams who will work on the project.