Rich Pictures and Use Cases as analysis tool Article

Rich Pictures and Use Cases as analysis tool - Article Example Requirement analysis is carried out by using different techniques: one of these methods is Rich Picture. Rich Picture can be described as a graphical tool comprising of annotations and representations for different stakeholders in a system and the surrounding issues, their problems, conflicts, relationships, processes and motivation in a complicated circumstance. Peter Checkland developed this method as a way of collecting information about a complicated situation, and he termed it Soft System Methodology (Checkland 1981, p.37). system, actors are the stakeholders: these could include the end-users and other systems that operate in the environment of the main system in use. Stakeholders aren't naturally parts of the system, but their activities or actions are given optimal recognition as the system is developed. Therefore, Use Case method helps to analyse what the primary actor in a system is expected to be doing as it relates to the main system. Hence Case Modeling is generally employed in software application. Knowing fully the usefulness of Use Case could help in the application of UML and other related software development processes. comparing and contrasting its usages, merits and the problems that are associated with its application. Using a case study concerning a CHILD SUPPORT AGENCY, the two methods of analysis described above would be employed to highlight the principal actors in the agency's environment and the requirement expected of them. SECTION A: Soft Systems Analysis using Rich Pictures Rich Pictures emanate from the idea of Soft System Methodology (SSM), and they are used to indicate clearly how various problems, whether in the society, politics and among human being could be resolved. Concerning the CHILD SUPPORT AGENCY, the inherent "soft problems" could be identified and successfully resolved. Checkland (1990) explained that SSM comprises of seven stages: knowing the problem situation, expressing the problem situation through Rich Pictures (i.e., representations of organizational structure and processes pertinent to the problem situation), viewing the situation and producing root definitions, building conceptual models of what the system must do for each root definition, comparing the conceptual models with the real world, identifying feasible and desirable changes, to making recommendations to improve the problem situation. Below is the Rich Picture that explains the interrelationships among the main compositions of the CHILD SUPPORT AGENCY. This Rich Picture highlights the stakeholder, the structures in the system, their processes and their concerns. The Rich Picture above clearly explains the whole situation at the CHILD SUPPORT AGENCY, by outlining the major actors, their actions and what are expected of them in the suggested Management Information System (MIS). Having the knowledge of how such an Agency operates in the scenario described above would help to further understand its important expectation in the real world. The Rich Picture above shows the expected conflict, agreement and common solution to the social problem of attending to the medical needs of young, distressed people. However, the Rich Picture is silent on some important