Needs to Know: Validating User Needs for a Proposed FBI Academy Knowledge Management System

Large organizations have trouble keeping their ever-changing business processes and policies aligned with their training programs, which are largely based on learning content locked inside static lesson plans. One particular large organization recognized the need for a knowledge management (KM) solution and took steps to elicit user needs from a group of training experts. A subsequent study was conducted to enable the validation, fine-tuning, and prioritization of the natural language software requirements, accomplished by reaching consensus among eight of the most important training stakeholders in the organization - all without having to conduct any face-to-face meetings. The successful validation and prioritization of the 33 user-based requirements were achieved using techniques derived from Hybrid Delphi, preference-based goal modeling, and hierarchical cumulative voting.