Review of "SEMINAR: Structured Requirements Definition, from Ken Orr & Associates."

Abstract

The Ken Orr seminar dealing with Structured Requirements Definition is one which strives to teach the participan t a unique way from the traditional approach systems development . Emphasis is placed on viewing a system from th e required OUTPUTS so that the analyst can understand from the beginning of the study precisely what the system i s supposed to do . A strong case is made for the necessity t o rethink traditional approaches; that discussion is followed by the presentation of the tool of the Warnier/Orr diagra m to accomplish the systems task . This is accomplished in fou r heavily packed days of the combination seminar and work shop format . The seminar is held at various location s around the country and is also available for in-house presentation . The seminar is structured on providing the ground rule s for "Outthinking," and then explaining the necessary tool s with which to accomplish the thinking task . The methodology is based on the traditional structured approach usin g hierarchy, repetition, alternation, and sequence of event s identification and isolation. However, in the process, the analyst begins by looking at the desired output of a system (subsystem) and then decomposes (via Warnier/ Orr diagrams) the components that make up the entity to find th e input requirements . Thus, the output goes to the input in th e process of design . The processing requirements are identified as a natural process of the decomposition . The Orr system tools include: entity diagrams, assembly line diagrams, in-out diagrams, Warnier/Orr diagrams , data dictionary, and logic diagrams . The major problem with the seminar, which is true for many intensive instructional workshops, is the lack of time to adequately develo p an in-depth understanding to both the Orr approach t o requirements definition and all the supporting tools . While this is the beginning seminar, the concepts should be used i n the systems environment on a trial basis with additiona l seminars for depth . Additional seminars are available whic h focus on teaching the tools required to support the methodology. The need for the analyst to be exposed to alternate ways of systems development makes the seminar one wort h attending.