New system request requirements and considerations
When considering a new system please read the following information to help identify how it will be used and how it should be implemented.
Users
Who is intended to use the system?
- Split into user types
- Roughly how many of each type
- Where will they be physically based? E.g. always within a particular building, uni only, global?
- Access levels
- Universal privileges
- Privileges based on unit etc
- Methods of accessing the system
- Computer/phone etc
- Browsers
- Physical locations
- Authentication e.g. none needed, SSO, standalone username and password
Tasks
What are the tasks users will perform in the system?
- Consider the logical flow of each task
- flowchart representation is ideal
- User inputs that the task requires
- Actions the system will take
- Storing information entered, performing processing of some sort?
- Screens displaying information tables, graphs etc
- Producing outputs such as spreadsheets, pdfs etc.
- Performing functions such as sending emails, interfacing with another system
- Which user types will perform which tasks?
Data
What are the data objects that are to be stored?
- Objects that are to be modeled
- e.g. people, tasks, publications…
- Data to be stored for each object
- e.g. task has a title, requesting person, creation date etc.
- Data types
- e.g. title is text, limited to 100 characters
- unit is chosen from a dropdown of options,
- reporting date is a date time value chosen by calendar that must be in future
- Links between objects
- e.g. people author publications
- tasks are assigned to units
- grants belong to PIs