5. Interviews or meetings

Interviews are good for obtaining information from selected individuals or small groups.

Interviews may the preferred method for :-

• Key users of the system
• Management staff
• Key customers

The main problem with interviews is that they take up a lot of time and may be difficult to arrange in the time available to the analyst.

Because they are limited, each interview should be carefully structured in order to be as effective as possible. Consider:

• The questions to be asked
• Predict likely answers and have a plan for follow up questions to elicit more details.
• Encourage open answers that questionnaires have not already covered
• Gather opinions on the current system and perhaps broader issues such as how the system will impact other parts of the company.
• Elaborate on certain details if need be.

Although quantifiable questions can be asked in an interview, such as a check list, the main focus should be on getting answers to broader questions. It would be a lost opportunity if the interview merely consisted of the analyst reading out a list of multiple choice questions - a good questionnaire could have done that.