Mrs Kylie Davies1, Mrs Jessica Holliday2, A/Prof Bernard Pope2
1Australian Access Federation, Brisbane, 4000, 2Australian BioCommons, Melbourne, 3000
AAF is a partner in the Human Genomes Platform Project (HGPP), a $3.2M nationally funded collaboration, investigating best practice technologies for human genome data sharing. Kylie is part of this team who are working to develop a services toolbox to de-silo human genome data.
The requirements analysis process is well understood in commercial environments but is not always applied in the research environment.
The process involves identifying a project’s requirements through stakeholder engagement and understanding business, legal, policy and technical constraints. This occurs during the discovery phase but the outputs play a crucial role throughout the project lifecycle and can build the case for subsequent projects.
In this presentation, we describe the requirements analysis techniques used for the Human Genomes Platform Project (HGPP). We demonstrate how outcomes and insights derived from this process have produced a solid foundation for the project.
Situation
The HGPP is a $3.2M nationally funded collaboration, investigating best practice technologies for human genome data sharing. The project brings together partners representing major human genome research efforts in Australia. The team is delivering outcomes that are aligned with partners’ strategic objectives and piloting a harmonised approach to human genomics data sharing. A shared understanding of requirements is necessary to prioritise activities across a heterogeneous landscape.
Task
Implement a requirements analysis process for the HGPP.
Action
We implemented a five-step process:
-Identifying stakeholders (internal and external)
-Interviews
-Shared documentation
-Group review and approval
-Monitoring progress against requirements.
Result
A common understanding of requirements enabled our development teams to develop suitable solutions. The process created trust among stakeholders. We review our requirements regularly to ensure work remains aligned with stakeholder needs.
The framework used is highly transferable to other projects in the eResearch domain. We have made project documentation available via Zenodo.
Biography:
Kylie Davies is a Business Analyst with over twenty years’ experience spanning systems and software development for IT firms, manufacturing, utilities and more recently, academic research. Working at the nexus of technology and people, Kylie’s career has progressed to the current role she has with AAF, a not-for-profit organisation enabling access to online resources for the research and education sectors,
Kylie is a strong advocate for the role good business analysis practice plays in making sure project outcomes are best fit for the people and organisations using them. She champions requirements as the underpinnings of any viable project.