BusinessObjects Board

Report Requirements Gathering

general discussion
#1

Does anybody have standards for report requirements gathering? Would you mind sharing how you get the requirements from your users into reports that they like?

I’ve spent weeks putting together a universe and reports…and getting the requirements from two different users. Now, neither one is happy with the reports… :wah:

Eileen King :us: (BOB member since 2002-07-10)

Need help with best practices in gathering report req's
#2

Just a few very general guidlines:

See if the requirements from your 2 users are contradicting. If so try to get both users together in a meeting and offer them alternatives (maybe they actually need 2 different universes for example).

Document the requirements during the initial analysis phase.
Try involving the users early in your development/design process.

Preferrably, have only ONE sponsor (the person who is making the final call if you have two or more viable alternatives for implementing a solution).

Andreas :de: (BOB member since 2002-06-20)

#3

Eileen,

I tend to force the end-users to either provide an example of the report they’d like to see (if we are automating or reproducing a report), or allow them to provide a mock-up when possible.

It’s good to also get them to list the variables they’d like included in the report, and any calculations that are going to be used (or at least included) in the initial report.

Once they provide this, we generate the report and submit it for approval with the aforementioned requirement. Additional changes have to come via change control requests, providing that our generated reports match the examples.

-RM

digpen :us: (BOB member since 2002-08-15)

#4

I got a mock up…and it’s for my boss and another coworker…nothing worse than IT people being users! :crazy_face:

Eileen King :us: (BOB member since 2002-07-10)

#5

Has there been any development on this since 2003 ?

Anybody developed a “standard” form; or anything else that could be used to ask the proper questions to the user?

thanks,
Benoit

benoitd (BOB member since 2004-06-30)

#6

That was the subject of my presentation at the user conference this year…that was going to happen and then got cancelled.

It’s still something that I may develop…then I’ll present to my user group and share with others!

Let’s see how long it takes for me to get bored and do it!

Eileen King :us: (BOB member since 2002-07-10)

#7

Hi

Its better to demand the requirement specification for any work product which we are going to deliver…Its helps to understand what they wanted on the report and even the users also know what they are going to ask…If there is no requirement specification has given, chances that we needs to re-work again and again until meeting the users…

Regards

Siva.M

looksmee :uk: (BOB member since 2006-02-08)

#8

Our users typically have two types of request, either a direct report that the have in mind, or the ability to report on things - the latter would involve the inclusion of new classes and objects in the universe without the immediate production of a report.

Part of your job as a developer should be suggesting reports to the great unwashed, especially if they are new to the reporting world.

#9

I bred a mutant from a template I had and Report Design Specification Template

MikeD :south_africa: (BOB member since 2002-06-18)

#10

The beauty of Business Intelligence is being able to have the users do their own ad hoc reporting. If you only create a universe that allows them to answer those questions, you are doing them and the product a disservice.

Real business intelligence designers figure out what objects will be of value to them that they haven’t thought of yet. It’s your job to suggest to them the objects that will bring them benefit that are not necessarily a part of the requirements.

Eileen King :us: (BOB member since 2002-07-10)

#11

I know this topic is relatively old but we’ve been struggling with requirements for a while now, trying various techniques with some success and some failures.

A few of the obstacles we’ve encountered are:

  1. Users are not trained in the BO tool set
  2. Users are used to Excel, Acess DB or simple web based reporting
  3. Few understand BI
  4. The same people are involved in eliciting BI requirements
  5. These same users will be the consumers of new BI reports
  6. We’ve come from a very operational oriented requirements background (fixed columns, heading equals this, font equals that, etc)

I’ve come to the realization that applying the same requirement gathering approach to both types of reports (Analytic / Operational) has not been successful for us.

What I really crave is a proven “industry agnostic” approach to gathering and documenting “Analytic” requirements from a user base not accustomed to analytic reporting and how it functions. A step in the right direction is incorporating JAD sessions early on but even that process has hit road bumps as we figure out what we are doing.

Kind regards,

Keith

boneclub (BOB member since 2005-03-07)

#12

You’ve hit the nail on the head re having to educate the business as to the methodology and the improtance of a strategy / roadmap, prior to just jumping in and tackling solutions.

There were a number of presentations that covered this a few years back that I often use as tenplates for orgs new to BI / DWH etc.

I’ll have to see if I have them on my staorage device out here and will respond back with a list of what I think would help.

Note: I have also taken them and turned them into living documents and strategies for org’s and will see if I have any of those around as well.

MikeD :south_africa: (BOB member since 2002-06-18)

#13

I would love to see these if you have them around anywhere…

monster1313 (BOB member since 2008-04-21)

#14

We have run into similiar issues as well as was curious if you had any solutions to the issues since you posted.

monster1313 (BOB member since 2008-04-21)