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146 Part 2 • InformatIon requIrements analysIs

Systems analysts need to investigate current and archival data and forms, which reveal where the or-
ganization has been and where its members believe it is going. Both quantitative and qualitative documents
need to be analyzed. Because documents are persuasive messages, it must be recognized that changing them
might well change the organization.
Analysts use observation as an information-gathering technique. Through observation, they gain in-
sight into what is actually done as users interact with information technology. One way to describe how
decision makers behave is to use an analyst’s playscript that documents each of the major players’ activities.
In addition to observing a decision maker’s behavior, a systems analyst should observe the decision
maker’s surroundings for important clues as to how well the system fits the user. One method is Structured
Observation of the Environment (STROBE). A systems analyst uses STROBE in the same way that a film
critic uses a method called mise-en-scène analysis to analyze a shot in a film.
A systems analyst can observe and interpret several concrete elements in the decision maker’s environ-
ment. These elements include (1) office location, (2) placement of the decision maker’s desk, (3) stationary
office equipment, (4) props such as handheld devices and PCs, (5) external information sources such as
trade journals and use of the Web, (6) office lighting and color, and (7) clothing worn by the decision maker.
A systems analyst can use STROBE to gain a better understanding of how decision makers actually gather,
process, store, and share information in order to get their work done.

Keywords and Phrases

analyst’s playscript purposive sample
business-to-business (B2B) ecommerce sample population
business-to-consumer (B2C) ecommerce sampling
cluster sampling simple random sample
complex random sample stratified sampling
confidence level STROBE
convenience sample systematic observation
corporate websites systematic sampling
external information sources
office lighting and color

Review Questions
1. Define what is meant by sampling.
2. List four reasons a systems analyst would want to sample data or select representative people to
interview.
3. What are the four steps to follow to design a good sample?
4. List the three approaches to complex random sampling.
5. Define what is meant by stratification of samples.
6. What effect on sample size does using a greater confidence level have when sampling attribute data?
7. What is the overriding variable that determines how many people a systems analyst should interview
in depth?
8. What information about a decision maker does an analyst seek to gain from observation?
9. List five steps to help an analyst observe a decision maker’s typical activities.
10. In the technique known as the analyst’s playscript, who is the actor?
11. In an analyst’s playscript, what information about managers is recorded in the right-hand column?
12. Noting that the idea of STROBE originally came from the world of film, what does the systems
analyst’s role resemble?
13. List the seven concrete elements of a decision maker’s physical environment that a systems analyst
can observe by using STROBE.

Problems
1. Cheryl Stake is concerned that too many forms are being filled out incorrectly. She feels that about
8 percent of all the forms have errors.
a. How large a sample size should Ms. Stake use to be 99 percent certain she will be within 0.02?
b. How large a sample size should Ms. Stake use to be 90 percent certain she will be within 0.02?
c. Explain the difference between parts a and b in words.
d. Suppose Ms. Stake will accept a confidence level of 95 percent that she will be within 0.02. What
will the sample size of forms be now?