Information requirements analysis and multiple knowledge elicitation techniques: experience with the pricing scenario system

It is well understood that large percentage of software development costs are incurred during the earlier phases of the software development process, namely the information requirement analysis. Given the importance of information requirements analysis during software development process, it is surprising that there is limited research in this area to advance the knowledge for better equipping information systems project managers and analysts. This paper examines a software prototyping project held by one organization through use of structured interviews, group sessions, and scenario analysis techniques. As suggested by Davis (1982) and Byrd et al. (1992), combining multiple elicitation techniques at more than one level in the organization allowed explicit and tacit knowledge to be surfaced. A discussion of gathering information requirements by tapping into upper management, middle managers, and end-users' knowledge is provided leading to a development of an effective information system.