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3. REPRESENTING TOP-LEVEL CONCERNS — THE RICH PICTURE

3.1. WHAT IT IS FOR

A large number of the computer systems developed for use in specific contexts are delivered but never used. The most common reason for this is that they prevent someone from doing their work. It may be that they support some aspect of the work of the person operating the computer but force them to adopt a new way of working which is incompatible with some other aspect of the job. Another common story is that the work of the person operating the computer is well supported but the design requires changes in work procedures that are incompatible with someone else’s responsibilities.

Implementing a new computer system is going to change the way people work. If it does not there would seem to be little point in providing that support in the first place. All too often the changes in work practices implied by a computer system are not properly thought through. Designing a computer system implies the redesign of existing jobs. This should be done explicitly at the start of the project rather than as an accidental by-product of system design when it is too late to change the new computer system. The developer has a responsibility to alert the user organization of the implications of the new computer system and to work with all relevant parties to ensure the system allows them to work in the way they need to. This is only possible if the developer has some understanding of the broad context of the work being carried out. It also requires that all parties who may be affected by the new system and procedures are consulted right at the start of the development process. The rich picture is a representation that serves the purpose of identifying these “stakeholders” their concerns and responsibilities. We have also found that developing a rich picture is a very effective way of getting all the developers in the design team up to speed with the aims of the design project.

3.2. WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

The rich picture provides a very broad but high level description of the work context to demonstrate that you have thought about the impact of the new system on everyone who might be affected by it. The representation consists of a diagram, a picture, with some supporting text. The idea comes from Checkland’s soft systems analysis and is a simplification of his scheme.

Figure 5.1 is the actual rich picture generated in the warehouse project. At the top left is the gate house where suppliers’ vehicles come in. At the bottom left is the loading bay where the vehicles taking food products to the stores are loaded. The central character whose work is to be supported is the computer operator who logs the flow of products in and out of the warehouse, represented here by the fictional name Jenny. Jenny’s job is to take the delivery notes from the drivers and enter them in to the computer. Tally cards are then printed and a checking procedure is carried out by the warehouse men with Jenny’s help. In this drawing the warehouse men are signified by stick figures wearing black hats.


Figure 5.1  An example of a rich picture.

The procedure as described this far is represented by the arrow from Drivers to Jenny and the two arrows between Jenny and the warehouseman on the unloading bay. Once the goods have been moved into cold or ambient storage (they claim this is the biggest fridge in England) there is another procedure using a second copy of the tally note used to record where the goods are. Picking notes for the loads to be taken to stores are automatically generated by the company computer.

The arrows then record the work in sufficient detail to act as a visual aid when explaining the setup to someone else. Thus far, drivers, warehousemen, and operators have been identified as stakeholders. Further stakeholders identified in the drawing are Jenny’s supervisor and fellow operators and directors of the company owning the stores. The clouds in the top right indicate a complex situation that arises because the storage facility is not owned by the same company as the stores. In fact, there were two computer systems involved, one belonging to each of these companies and the data all had to be entered twice. This made it seem an ideal candidate for redesign utilizing a PC that could communicate with the two mainframes.

The final feature of note is the thought bubbles coming from some of the stakeholders. These can be use to indicate “concerns” they may have. Clearly the primary concern of the drivers is to get home, also the supervisor was under some pressure to decrease the number of staff in the office. Concerns like these can be very important. Had the new procedures significantly delayed the drivers, for example, it is quite possible that suppliers would have refused to cooperate. The rich picture serves as a reminder of figures peripheral to, but possibly critical in, the specific operation one is designing. It is also a useful basis for identifying the stakeholders who need to be consulted about the final design. It served as a compact notation for recording and reasoning about the wider context of the job within the design team and also for checking with our informants that we had understood what was going on. For some purposes the drawing on its own may be a bit too compact and we recommend that three short paragraphs are generated for each stakeholder specifying, respectively, their responsibilities, an outline of their work, and their concerns.


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