How to analyze IT needs?

How to analyze IT needs? ActAD-based methods in PlugIT cases: Home care services Maternity clinic Application-specific case University of Kuopio (Shiftec, Dept. of Computer Science, HIS R & D Unit), Savonia polytechnic (Savonia Business) PlugIT seminar, Kuopio, 30 August 2004 Contact: Marika.Toivanen@uku.fi Structure of the presentation Activity-theoretic perspective, ActAD framework Why, What does it mean PlugIT cases with methods 1. IT needs exploration in an Activity Network of the Home care 2. IS needs study in an organizational unit of Maternity care 3. An outline of an activity-based method for software requirement specification Discussion: Challenges ahead 2 1

Why Activity Analysis and Development (ActAD) Information systems are there to facilitate purposeful work IS development means better facilitation to the workers to do their work ActAD-based method provides a holistic overview on the domain provides a checklist for studying various areas or systems 3 Analyzing an activity Individual action Means of work, instruments, facilities Work process: Object transforms into Outcome 4 2

Analyzing an activity Individual action Collective actor: group, team, community of practice Means of coordination and communication: division of work, rules, etc. Actors: subjects Work process: Means of work: mental, instruments, facilities, etc. Object transforms into Outcome 5 Analyzing an activity Contradictions Means of coordination and communication: Individual action Mode of operation, historical phases Collective actor: group, team, community of practice division of work, rules, etc. Actors: subjects Work process: Means of work: mental, instruments, facilities, etc. Object transforms into Outcome Elements of a work activity 6 3

Analyzing an activity: Checklist Relations with other activities, mediated by means of networking Contradictions Collective actor: Means of coordination and communication: Individual action Mode of operation, historical phases group, team, community of practice division of work, rules, etc. Actors: subjects Work process: Means of work: mental, instruments, facilities, etc. Object transforms into Outcome Elements of a work activity 7 Zooming in into an activity: Process and actions -> use cases Actor Work process: Means Action Means of coord. between actions Time Means of networking Describe from the oval model how the object of activity transforms into outcome through actions, using a notation common in quality management ( swimming lanes ). But depict the most important means/instruments of actions and of coordination also, preferably by symbols (information system X, phone, scalpel). 8 Actions (or parts?) using software are UML s use cases. 4

PlugIT cases 1. IT needs exploration => Home care services 2. IS development needs from the viewpoint of an organisational unit => Case maternity clinic 3. An outline of an activity-based method for software requirement specification => Application experiences from software engineering methods 9 IT needs exploration in a gray area of home care services Information needs Work development Information system requirements Software design 10 5

Method for requirements exploration in a gray area - Phases Phase I: Gathering, structuring and describing information needs Phase II: Aiming and focusing to the targets of development Phase III: Focusing to the software specification 11 Phase I: Gathering, structuring and describing information needs Gathering: Literature review, Interviews and observations Structuring: Relating elements to the wholeness and grouping the elements, Zooming in, Zooming out Describing: Results understandable to: actors in domain => inspection, work development software designers => utilization to software design and implementation Targets for focusing Key activities Developing points 12 6

VIE STI - VIHK O VIES TI- VIHK O päivystykseen Phase II: Focusing to the selected targets Zooming in into the work processes of activities BASIC SERVICES Käynti tiimituvalla Oma hoitaja As iakas Ambu lanssi "Ty ö- kansio" Various actors: PLANNING VISITS Team Privacy Protection FAX Herättelee ja kys elee vointia Kyselee vaivoja ja mittaa kuumeen Tarkistaa illan merkinnät Puhuu s ekavia Plan Kys yy neuvoja Ksh Home helper DOMESTIC AID Physio- Doctor therapist Relative/ Customer? Friend Cleaner On-call Nurse helper Home Helper Plan Soittaa ambulanssin Kertoo tilanteen, antaa Hopasun Kirjaa k äynnin Siirretään am bula nssiin Am b ulanssi saapuu Kirjaa tilanteen Kuljettaa as iakk aan Hätäke skus HOPA SU RN, MD: HOME HEALTH CARE Service Providing Ilmoittaa omais ille Ilmoittaa kpo:lle Kirjaa pois s aolon Omai nen Kpo Ateri apalv. POISSA- OLOT 13 Phase III: Actions of processes -> Use cases Kpo Asiakas Oma -hoit. Tilaus Tarkistaa perustiedot Tarkista perustiedot Asiakasrekisteri Kirjaa tiedot Kertoo tiedot Asiakas Tarkista sairaus- ja lääkitystiedot Terveyskertomusjärjestelmä Muita järjestelmiä: Hoitojaksojen tiedot Tarkistaa sairaus- ja lääkity stiedot Näy ttää epikriisin ja reseptit Ksh Pegasos Kartoita tarpeet ja toiveet Erikoissairaanhoito Kirjaa tiedot Kartoittaa tarpeet & toiveet Tekijä Tallenna Käynnistä palvelut Aluetietojärjestelmä Sosiaalitoimi Avuntarve aamutoimissa Tulosta Kirjaa tarpeet & toiveet A llekirjoittaa HOPA SUn Lisää käy nnin listalleen Jakele Yksityinen palveluntuottaja n jakelu eri tahoille 14 7

As ia ka s Te kij ä Ta rki sta pe ru stie d ot Ta rk ista sa ira u s- j a l ää ki ty stie do t Ka rto ita ta rp e et ja to ive e t Ta ll en n a HOPA SU Käy nn is tä pa lve l ut Tu lo sta Jakele A sia ka s- r ek iste ri Te rve ysk er tomu s- jä rje ste lmä Eri ko iss ai ra an - h o ito Sos ia al ito imi Yk sityi ne n p al vel u ntu otta ja Phase III: Use cases & Sequences Muita järjestelmiä: Asiakas Tekijä Asiakasrek isteri Terveysk ertomus ATJ Aluetietojärjestelmä tarkista tied ot hae perustiedo t kirjaa muu to kset etsi rekisteristä p alau ta tiedot h ae lääkitys - ja s airaustied ot etsi terv eyskerto muks esta Use Case 3: Use Case -Summary: 2: Use -Summary: Case -Actors: 1: -Summary: -Actors: -Preconditions: -Actors: -Preconditions: -Steps: -Preconditions: -Steps: -Post-conditions: -Steps: -Post-conditions: -Exception: tarkis ta tiedo t kysy toiveet ja tarpeet etsi tietoja ATJ: kautta kirjaa tarvittav at tiedo t kirjaa toiveet ja tarpeet kirjaa käy nnistettävät p alv elut tallen na tulosta palauta tiedot näytä tiedot lähetä v iite -Post-conditions: -Exception: -Exception: 15 The outcomes of IT needs exploration method Phase I: The problem domain Activity network, activities in detail and certain clusters of information Phase II: The targets of development Work processes and information architecture Phase III: Towards the software specification Use cases, sequence diagrams, preliminary software architecture 16 8

PlugIT cases 1. IT needs exploration => Home care services 2. IS development needs from the viewpoint of an organisational unit => Case maternity clinic 3. An outline of an activity-based method for software requirement specification => Application experiences from software engineering methods 17 IS development needs from the viewpoint of an organisational unit A flexible and rapid low-threshold method for e.g. feasibility studies. To be used in concurrent IS development and work development. Can be utilised by Service-providers / employers SW producers / vendors Employees / professional groups 18 9

IS development needs from the viewpoint of an organisational unit Three phases: Preliminary literature review Two collaborative group sessions for describing the activity network, its information system and the development needs in it, and The actors suggestions about possible improvements Analysis and refinement phase Results: visual, understandable and utilisable in further development, e.g. RE 19 IS development needs from the viewpoint of an organisational unit Examples of result forms: -problem lists -textual descriptions of activity, its problems and suggested improvements 20 10

PlugIT cases 1. IT needs exploration => Home care services 2. IS development needs from the viewpoint of an organisational unit => Case maternity clinic 3. An outline of an activity-based method for software requirement specification => Application experiences from software engineering methods 21 Starting point: applied methods Method ActAD-framework for analyzing and improving the activity (Toivanen&al, 2004) Cheesman&Daniels (Cheesman&Daniels, 2001) GUIDe project model (Laakso, 2003) The central idea Activity-based approach. How the outputs use cases and concept model are derived from process modelling. Placing user interface design in requirement specification phase. Techniques and tools Work activity model, interview themes, notation for work process modelling UML use case and class diagram notation for describing the software requirements Goal-based use cases 22 11

Preliminaryresearch An outline of an activity-basedmethod for software requirement specification ActAD-framework Defining a work activity A general view of the presentsituation A list of goals GUIDe project model Cheesman & Daniels Deepening the level of understanding Designing the user interface Conceptmodel, UML Goal-based use cases Type model, UML User interface specification Software design, coding and testing 23 Advantages On the basis of the understanding of the activity the actual software requirements are understood better. User interface specification concretizes the intended software system for all stakeholders. Customer and user satisfaction. Resource of know-how. decreases costs and release-time (at least in the long-term). 24 12

Discussion: Challenges ahead How can the methodological potential of AT be realized? Develop IS-specific, operationalized versions of generic AT concepts, frameworks and methods ( AT in IT cookbook ) Involve IS practitioners to analyze and develop their own work activities, with researcher participation Collaborative action research & work development is the most challenging issue 25 Work and IS development in parallel Health care organization services and processes business Software Company 1. IT needs - activity networks -information system The tool of communication 2. Information management Information system development needs - processes, information architecture Activity networks 3. Requirement specification development -Use case descriptions -Workflows, task descriptions introductions software changes in the activities Health care organization 26 13

Thank you! More information available in Finnish, Studies and reports of the PlugIT project: Toimintalähtöisyys tiedon tarpeiden, tiedonkulun ja ohjelmistovaatimusten selvittämisessä, nro:11 Kotihoidon tiedon tarpeet, nro:12 Soveltamiskokemuksia ohjelmistotuotannon menetelmistä, nro:13 More information: http://www.plugit.fi Marika.Toivanen@uku.fi Heidi.Hakkinen@uku.fi Pauliina.Ikavalko@uku.fi Annamari.Riekkinen@uku.fi 27 14