软件工程阅读（中英文对照）之需求分析(一)

REQUIREMENTS ANALYSIS

　　The first questions a businessperson，such as the manager of a department，should consider are：“What needs to be done better in my business？”and“Will a computer help？”[1]．Of course，that person might have a difficult time specifying exactly what needs to be done more efficiently in his or her business．And，there are cases where managers introduce computers into their departments without understanding their applications．For example，suppose a small firm does not have a working manual accounting system but contracts the job to an accounting service because no one in the firm really understands accounting．A computerized accounting system might be difficult to implement or，worse yet，might aggravate the accounting problem．
　　However，thinking about a new computer system is an ideal opportunity for businesspeople to reexamine their business and the manner in which it is operated．The starting point for the requirements analysis is a review of the potential applications．
　　Making a requirements list of your applications can be done in a simple，nontechnical way．First，make a list of potential applications．Then，write a description of each applications and decide whether it can justify needing a computer system．Also include in the description how much time will be spent using the application．When people begin to describe their applications，it becomes easier to picture more concrete uses and functions for computer systems．The descriptions will serve as guidelines in later phases of the life cycle．
　　For example，let us examine the case of two secretaries：one is an executive secretary for the president of a firm and the other is a legal secretary for a law firm．The executive secretary is primarily interested in a word processing application to handle business correspondence，which consists of letters，memos，and brief proposals that flow through the office [2]．The secretary will use word processing on a daily basis，but only for brief periods during the day．As the secretary begins to describe the applications，he finds out that most of the documents are under three pages and that a word processing package that is easy to learn and use will satisfy most of his needs[3]．
　　On the other hand，the law firm’s secretary needs a word processing application to process the legal contracts and other documents that flow through the law firm’s office．In this case，the documents are lengthy and require extensive revisions．The word processor plays a central role in this secretary’s work，and it is used extensively．The simple，easily learned word processing software might suffice for the executive secretary，but the legal secretary needs word processing software geared to the legal profession that may be harder to learn but，in the long run，will be a more effective tool to solve the problem．

翻译：

　　一个实业家（比如一个部门的经理），首先应该考虑“让事业更兴旺需要做些什么？”、“计算机能提供帮助吗？”当然，要准确地说明他或她所经营的业务需要采取哪些卓有成效的措施是比较困难的，经营者没弄清楚计算机的具体应用就将它们引入其经营部门的情况是存在的。例如，假定一个小商行没有－个人真懂会计业务，而不用人工记账系统却把这一工作交给记账服务程序，而计算机记账系统可能难以完成，或者更糟，反倒增加了记账困难。
　　但是，考虑一个新的计算机系统对于经营者重新审查业务及经营方式是一个绝好的机遇。需求分析是从考察潜在的各项应用着手。
　　可以用一种简单而非技术性的方式列出所有应用的需求清单。首先，列出潜在的各项应用。然后，对每项应用作出说明，并决定是否有理由使用计算机系统；另外，该说明还包括应用的时间长短。这样，当人们着手描述应用时，勾画出计算机系统的具体用途和功能就变得得心应手。这份说明书将作为生存周期后期的指导原则。
　　例如，我们来看看两位秘书的工作情况：一位是一家商行经理的执行秘书，另一位是律师事务所的法律秘书。执行秘书感兴趣的主要是处理商业函件的字处理应用。这些商业函件包括办公室经手的信件、备忘录以及简要建议书。虽然秘书每天都需使用字处理系统，但它只占一天中很短的时间。当秘书着手描述应用时，他发现大多数文件在3页以内，一种易学易用的字处理软件包就能满足其大部分需要。
　　而另一方面，律师事务所的秘书则需要处理事务所的法律合同以及其他文件的字处理应用，这些文件冗长且需要反复修订，因此字处理在该秘书的工作中起着关键作用并得到广泛应用。简单易学的字处理软件对于执行秘书来说可能已经足够，但对法律秘书则要求适合法律职业的字处理软件，此软件可能不易掌握，但从长期使用的角度来看，它将是解决问题的一个更为有效的工具。