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Functional Analysis of Office Requirements

Objetivo

The FAOR project aimed to develop a methodology to identify and evaluate the requirements which determine the design of office systems set up to achieve particular organisational objectives. The main aims were to:
-Develop and validate a methodology for understanding a client's objectives in improving the operation of their office.
-Apply the methodology, adapted for each client study and based on an understanding of the client's objectives, to assist the client in understanding the task in hand.
-Determine the client's IT requirements in order to improve their ability to meet their objectives.
-Develop a cost-benefit analysis method able to clearly and concisely demonstrate both the tangible and intangible costs and benefits to clients of alternative IT options.
-Develop a generic model of the office, together with a means of tailoring the model to reflect specific office categories. In the pre-analysis phase this helped synthesise a tailored version of the generic methodology.
-Define a formal approach to multi-client surveys. This involved the determination of mechanisms for abstracting, from a number of client studies, a generic or multi-client view of IT requirements. (These requirements could have been used to plan researc h and development for future IT products, though such product planning did not, however, form part of the FAOR project.)
The project aimed to develop a methodology to identify and evaluate the requirements which determine the design of office systems set up to achieve particular organisational objectives.

Several different methodological and modelling components were brought together to form a comprehensive approach to the analysis of information technology (IT) requirements. This approach was structured around a loose procedural framework of analytical activities called the activity framework. The main activities were: office exploration, method tailoring, and requirements analysis and evaluation. The soft system methodology (SSM) was employed as a general framework for coordinating the analytical activities and as a conceptual basis for determining requirements for changing the office organization.
A generic office frame of reference (GOFOR), supported by a library of perspectives, was developed. This made it easier to understand the different office perspectives and assist in the client specific tailoring of models and methodologies. GOFOR contains the reference base of office knowledge structured as multiple perspectives and formally described with the aid of Petri nets. Various instruments provided tools, techniques and applications guidelines for the practical application of the multiple perspectives in a client investigation. A benefits analysis framework was also produced to support the evaluation of requirements and changes represented by a proposed office system.
FAOR drew together several different methodological and modelling components to form a comprehensive approach to the analysis of IT requirements. This approach was structured around a loose procedural framework of analytical activities called the Activity Framework. The main activities were: office exploration, method tailoring, and requirements analysis and evaluation. FAOR employed the Soft System Methodology (SSM), developed by Peter Checkland, as a general framework for coordinating the analytical act ivities and as a conceptual basis for determining requirements for changing the office organisation.
A Generic Office Frame of Reference (GOFOR), supported by a library of perspectives, was developed. This made it easier to understand the different office perspectives (information, function, task, communication, resource, time and personnel) and assist in the client-specific tailoring of models and methodologies. GOFOR contains the reference base of office knowledge structured as multiple perspectives and formally described with the aid of Petri-nets. Various instruments provided tools, techniques and applications guidelines for the practical application of the multiple perspectives in a client investigation.
A benefits analysis framework was also produced to support the evaluation of requirements and changes represented by a proposed office system. Practical evaluation of the methodology was aided by a field study at Essex County Council in England.
Exploitation
A comprehensive final report covering the whole FAOR approach and including extensive application guidelines has been published as a book.
The results of the project were further developed in project projects 813, TODOS, and 1030, IT-UPTAKE.

Tema(s)

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Convocatoria de propuestas

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Régimen de financiación

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Coordinador

BNR Europe Ltd
Aportación de la UE
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Dirección
London Road
CM17 9NA Harlow
Reino Unido

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Coste total
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Participantes (3)