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ChaPter 4 • InformatIon GatherInG: InteraCtIve methods 115

COnsUlting OppORtUnity 4.3

A Systems Analyst, I Presume?

“Know what I think of the work the last systems analyst team of a systems teams who worked here a dozen years ago. I still
did? The proliferation of PDF reports created a jungle on my desk- keep them because you never know when you’ll need them as
top. To figure out the cost of raw materials to us, I have to cut my a guide. It’s definitely survival of the fittest around here.”
way through the overgrowth of data, hacking my path with drill- Identify the overriding metaphor Henry is using to
down capabilities that I have had to create for myself. I delete describe the reports he is receiving and the accessibility of
everything that’s irrelevant. Sometimes I rip out the excess veg- information in them. In a paragraph, describe how this step
etation until I see the numbers I need on my screen,” says Henry helps you understand Henry’s attitude toward any work pro-
Stanley, accounting supervisor for Zenith Glass Company. As you posed by your systems analysis team. In a paragraph, adopt
interview him, he points unhappily to an untidy stack of old print- Henry’s metaphor and extend it in a more positive sense dur-
outs sprouting beside his desk. “Those were output from the work ing your interview with him.

Planning for the Use of Questionnaires
At first glance, using questionnaires may seem to be a quick way to gather massive amounts
of data about how users assess the current system, about what problems they are experiencing
with their work, and about what people expect from a new or modified system. Although it is
true that you can gather a lot of information through questionnaires without spending time in
face-to-face interviews, developing a useful questionnaire takes extensive planning time in its
own right. When you decide to survey users via email or the Web, you face additional planning
considerations concerning confidentiality, authentication of identity, and problems of multiple
responses.
You must first decide what you are attempting to gain through using a survey. For instance,
if you want to know what percentage of users prefers a FAQ page as a means of learning about
new software packages, a questionnaire might be the right technique. If you want an in-depth
analysis of a manager’s decision-making process, conducting an interview is a better choice.
Here are some guidelines to help you decide whether the use of questionnaires is appropri-
ate. Consider using questionnaires if:
1. The people you need to question are widely dispersed (as in different branches of the same
corporation).
2. A large number of people are involved in the systems project, and it is meaningful to know
what proportion of a given group (for example, management) approves or disapproves of a
particular feature of the proposed system.
3. You are doing an exploratory study and want to gauge overall opinion before the systems
project is given any specific direction.
4. You wish to be certain that any problems with the current system are identified and
addressed in follow-up interviews.
Once you have determined that you have good cause to use a questionnaire and have pin-
pointed the objectives to be fulfilled through its use, you can begin formulating questions.

Writing Questions
The biggest difference between the questions used for most interviews and those used on ques-
tionnaires is that interviewing permits interaction between the questions and their meanings. In
an interview, the analyst has an opportunity to refine a question, define a muddy term, change the
course of questioning, respond to a puzzled look, and generally control the context.
Few of these opportunities are possible on a questionnaire. Thus, for an analyst, questions
must be transparently clear, the flow of the questionnaire cogent, the respondent’s questions
anticipated, and the administration of the questionnaire planned in detail. (A respondent is the
person who responds to or answers the questionnaire.)