The grounded theory as a base for business requirements analysis

conference paper

English

Purpose of the research: The objective of this paper is to identify the qualitative research and grounded theory aspects as a helping tool for business analysis in terms of business requirements definition and analysis in the area of information systems implementation. The grounded theory is strongly positioned as an approach to qualitative research in the research direction from the known inputs to an unknown results based on inductive techniques. This approach can be used in practice in various industry areas. For example information technology area and its part of business analysis can be chosen as a common area of implementation. Implementation of new or innovated information systems has always several phases in which business requirements collection and analysis have an important role. Information technology people are interacting together with business people so different views into the future information systems should be managed through a strong methodical approach. In the information technology area the business analysis is the technique which is used for business requirements definition and analysis in order to define the required information system behavior for the future implementation into common environment. Its objective is to precise functions and features of the future information system to fulfill strategic business goals of the overall organization. There are several approaches which are used in the business analysis but they are based on the best practices. The theoretical base is the subject for future research for the setting up of common method which can be adopted in the business. In this paper I am focusing on the basic aspects of the grounded theory and theirs implication to business analysis as a practice. The goal is to find concrete steps and to analyze them from the point of their usability to set up the business analysis as a common method to be used in the information technology business. The results of this analysis should serve as one of inputs into the theoretical part of my thesis which is focused on business analysis method creation, mainly in telecommunications. The thesis should be found on the qualitative research and grounded theory as a main qualitative approach. Research methodology employed The research methodology which I use for this paper consists of two chosen approaches. The first approach is to provide a secondary research when academic and business journals and magazines have been used. I take into account also the information related to grounded theory which is accessible in the publications of B.Glaser and A.Strauss, the founders of the grounded theory. From that I set up the scope definition and boundaries framing in this article. Then the method of induction based directly on the grounded theory roots is used to define main steps and assumptions for business analysis performing mainly in case of business requirements definition. Conclusion The business analysis and business requirements definition based on the qualitative research approach define the direction how to provide an efficient preparation for information systems implementation. To increase the efficiency the right qualitative approach should support this effort. If we look into ground theory steps to achieve the research result and to business analysis steps to achieve the efficient assignment of the future information systems which need to be performed, we can find several similarities and that is why the grounded theory is the right way to support performing of business analysis. So after comparison these steps and assumptions and their discussion there is base of theoretical framework of the business analysis method found.

Grounded theory, business analysis, business requirements, TOGAF, BABOK, information technology, information system

NENICKOVÁ, H.

2012

20. 9. 2012

VUT v Brně

Brno

978-80-214-4581-9

Trends in Economics and Management for the 21st Century

n/a

n/a

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