Training to capture software requirements by role playing
Pablo Delatorre, Alberto Salguero · 2016
Capture client requirements is considered one of the most important steps in the field of information technology projects. In University courses related to Computer Sciences, this subject is sometimes trained through interviews with real companies. However, voluntaries of companies participating in the interviews do not act like real interlocutors, as their interest is not the project itself, but just the interview. In this regard, we miss custom dynamics such as conflicts or demanding requests, which are inherent parts of interviews. To include these conditions for a more realistic experience, we propose the students themselves to also take the role of clients, randomly playing different characters that are based on a set of features that define their personalities and technical skills. In this way, teams of analysts interview teams of customers, generating scenarios not only derived from the project requirements, but also the personal and strategic interests of each part. Results show that the main problems of analysts to handle meetings are precisely related to the emotional behaviors, which influenced quality, fluency, empathy and appropriateness in the analyst's conduct. Moreover, results show that after this experience the students achieved a strong improvement of abilities to dynamically manage an interview process, self-control skills, adequately express their ideas and anticipate client needs, compared to those who performed classical pre-designed interviews with real costumers. Students reported a gain of auto-assessment and a better empathy with clients, which increased the chances to successfully capture and prioritize requirements.