Steps in Problem Analysis

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Chapter 5. The Five Steps in Problem Analysis Key Points * Problem analysis is the process of understanding real-world problems and user's needs and proposing solutions to meet those needs. * The goal of problem analysis is to gain a better understanding of the problem being solved, before development begins. * To identify the root cause, or the problem behind the problem, ask the people directly involved. * Identifying the actors on the system is a key step in problem analysis. | This chapter focuses on ways in which the development team can understand the real-world needs of the stakeholders and users of a new system or application. As most systems are built to solve a particular problem, we'll use problem analysis techniques to make sure we understand what the problem is. But we should also recognize that not every application is developed to solve a problem; some are built to take advantage of opportunities that the market presents, even when the existence of a problem is not clear. For example, unique software applications, such as SimCity and Doom, have proved their worth to those who like computer games and mental challenges or who just enjoy modeling and simulating or playing games on their computers. So, although it's difficult to say what problem SimCity or Doom solved—well, perhaps the problem of "not having enough fun things to do with your computer" or the problem of "too much spare time on one's hands"—it seems clear that the products provide real value to a large number of users. In a sense, problems and opportunities are just flip sides of the same coin; your problem is my opportunity. It's a matter of perspective. But since most systems do address some identifiable problem, we can simplify the discussion and avoid the problem/opportunity schizophrenia by focusing on the problem side of the coin only. After all, we like to think of

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