Link: http://www.etc-architect.com/?p=53
From ETC-Architect » Architect Global | Data Architect, Global | Enterprise Architect, Global
I trust you are all familiar with UML use cases as they are used by virtually all architects where you connect an actor with use cases. Well, you will find that same concept in many many other methodologies, but the strange thing is that very few people have ever followed through systems build on an actor lead system. The problem to spot this is our own way of thinking as we start with the actor lead system requirement and then develop the system accordingly all checks out well in the V Model of quality control. The problem is just that we never think about the fact that the first model maybe flawed.
But this is actually exactly what is happening. When you compare systems that are not build on actor lead system thinking such as some ERP systems you will see that they had a clear success over many of the systems that where actor lead. To some smaller extend you will also see this with some agile systems. Usually the most successful ones are those designed with active group user design.
This concept also called conference piloting has been around since the 60s and while it is successful it does often not fit in our organisational layout. It relies that someone just starts to put up a straw man of software and then all the lowest levels of user start to play around with it with the architects and consultants listening and is then taken in an iterative process with practical input by all stakeholders. The main problem is that this is often far too pragmatic with too reliance on business process owners and experts, so this is why we will not use it. The funny thing is that users will however sill often accept these systems more ready even if their GUI design is often horrible as any architect who has ever worked on most ERP systems will easily confirm.
