Improving the quality of collaboration requirements for information management through social networks analysis

Abstract

The right choice of the method of organizational analysis to use is a key factor in the process of requirements analysis and specification of an information system. Although a high number of approaches of organizational analysis exist, the choice of the most appropriate option for each concrete case will influence the quality of the results obtained in the analysis of requirements and consequent specification. This paper presents a new way for organizational analysis to improve the quality of the requirements of systems that support information management and where collaboration is an important aspect. This is achieved through the application of the social network analysis approach, applied to refine, classify and prioritize the requirements for collaboration and information management in an organization. The paper begins by analysing shortly content management systems and wiki systems as IT platforms for collaboration and information management. After having described the method, a practical case of application of SNetCol method to an R&D institution is presented. The paper finishes by presenting the results of the evaluation of the two particular technological options considered for satisfying the specified requirements are described.