Document analysis is a powerful elicitation technique that can help you discover implicit and hidden requirements from existing sources of information. In this article, you will learn what document analysis is, how to prepare for it, how to conduct it, and how to analyze the results.
Document analysis is the process of reviewing and examining documents, such as business plans, policies, contracts, manuals, reports, diagrams, or code, to identify relevant information and requirements for a project. Document analysis can help you understand the current state, the desired state, the gaps, the constraints, and the assumptions of the stakeholders and the system. Document analysis can also reveal implicit and hidden requirements that are not explicitly stated or communicated, but are implied or expected by the stakeholders or the system.
Before you start document analysis, you need to plan and prepare for it. You need to identify the purpose and scope of your document analysis, the types of documents you need to review, the sources and locations of the documents, the criteria and methods for selecting and evaluating the documents, and the tools and techniques for recording and organizing the information. You also need to obtain the permission and access to the documents, and schedule enough time and resources for the document analysis.
To conduct document analysis, you need to follow a systematic and structured approach. You need to collect the documents that are relevant and reliable for your project, and sort them according to their categories, types, and formats. You need to read and analyze the documents carefully, and look for information and requirements that are related to your project scope and objectives. You need to use techniques such as highlighting, annotating, summarizing, cross-referencing, or tracing to extract and document the information and requirements. You need to verify and validate the information and requirements with the stakeholders and the system, and resolve any conflicts or ambiguities.
In my experience, effective document analysis is essential for achieving success in any project. To ensure this success, I recommend following these key points: take note of all existing system functionalities, identify any issues with the current system, review similar or competitor systems to identify necessary upgrades, communicate with stakeholders to understand their concerns, and continually update the document with new suggestions and versions. Remember to document any changes made, so future stakeholders can understand the evolution of the project.
After you conduct document analysis, you need to analyze the results and use them to inform your requirements specification. You need to synthesize and integrate the information and requirements from different documents, and identify the commonalities, differences, dependencies, and gaps. You need to classify and prioritize the information and requirements according to their types, levels, and importance. You need to evaluate and refine the information and requirements to ensure they are clear, complete, consistent, feasible, testable, and traceable. You need to communicate and review the information and requirements with the stakeholders and the system, and obtain their feedback and approval.
One of the main benefits of document analysis is that it can help you elicit implicit and hidden requirements that are not easily captured by other elicitation techniques. Implicit requirements are those that are implied by the context, the domain, or the standards of the project, but are not explicitly stated or documented. Hidden requirements are those that are unknown or unrecognized by the stakeholders or the system, but are important for the project success. To elicit implicit and hidden requirements, you need to use techniques such as asking probing questions, making assumptions explicit, applying heuristics or rules of thumb, using scenarios or use cases, or performing gap analysis.
Document analysis is not the only elicitation technique that you can use for your project. There are other elicitation techniques that have different strengths and weaknesses, such as interviews, surveys, workshops, observation, prototyping, or brainstorming. To compare document analysis with other elicitation techniques, you need to consider factors such as the availability and quality of the documents, the complexity and volatility of the requirements, the number and diversity of the stakeholders, the time and cost of the elicitation, and the level of detail and accuracy of the elicitation. Depending on your project situation and needs, you may need to use a combination of elicitation techniques to achieve a comprehensive and balanced view of the requirements.
My opinion is, document analysis should be used in conjunction with other elicitation techniques lest you implement a similar system to one existing, missing opportunities for innovation.