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--- David Neeley <dbneeley -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
<snip> When you become involved in dataflow diagrams,
you are in large measure involved in system
architecture...which implies an understanding of what
is possible programmatically.
Tony Markos:
DFDs are a tool for end-user requirements discovery.
They were first used over fifty years before the
discovery of the computer. Back in the early 1890's
there were no computer system architectures - just
users and their tasks.
David Neely:
They [Data Flow Diagrams]cannot be expected to be
accurate or even meaningful to the customers,
though...and should be done late enough in the
requirements process that they only confirm the
understanding already arrived at.
Tony Markos:
In walking through Data Flow Diagrams with end-users,
I have had the guy on the recieving dock - wearing old
blue jeans and a T shirt with holes and tansmission
fuild stains - grab my diagram, say "Thats not how it
is done; let me show you how it is.". He then -
without any training what so ever on the technique -
performed very significant edits to the DFD. This guy
probably made $8.50 to $9.00 per hour. So, when you
say that DFDs are "beyond" users, I have to wonder
about who your users are.
Daivd Neely:
Frankly, in your enthusiasm for this one skill, I am
often reminded of the old saw that "when you only have
a hammer, every problem resembles a nail!".
Tony Markos:
Data Flow Diagrams are uniquely rigorous for
functional requirements discovery. I recently got
confirmation on this on the Requirements Engineering
listserv (great listserv!) from James Robertson (a
truely great author on Requirements Engineering), the
person who runs that listserv, and a senior
professor-type from Carnegie Mellon. More
importantly, more than once, I have been able to run
circles around a small army of requirements analysts
who tried other techniques.
Tony Markos
Focused On The Essential Like A Laser
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