MC39 Lab 1: Requirements Analysis (Spring 1999)

Due: February 16, 1999

In this lab, you will develop some potential requirements for a system that would handle Gustavus students' course registrations. To really develop the requirements for such a system, you would need to have conversations with all the stakeholders: not only students, but also the registrar, faculty members, representatives from the advising center and the international education office, members of the administrative computing staff, etc. Since this is not possible in our lab environment, we will do the next best thing, which is have you work in pairs to brainstorm the requirements, so that at least you have the experience of developing requirements within the context of a conversation, rather than solitarily. Try as best you can, together with your partner, to imagine what all the requirements for such a system might be. Be sure you think about a wide range of different kinds of requirements:

Your goal is to do the initial brainstorming in pairs during the lab period (Wednesday, February 10th), and then working individually finalize a requirements document by the due date (February 16th). In your individual work, you will round out the list of requirements with any additional ones you think of, polish the ones you already have, and, most importantly, organize and clearly communicate the requirements, so that the requirements document has structure, rather than being a unorganized hodge-podge of assorted ideas.

Instructor: Max Hailperin