Participation in Systems Design

Many of those responsible for designing and developing new computer systems have yet to come to terms with the fact that their products are now likely to be used not by fellow specialists, but by front-line managers and others who cannot be expected to have any special expertise in computing or systems analysis. If business and industry are to fully realize the potential benefits of information technology, it is now vital that the users should be fully involved in the specification and design of new systems, right from the start. The papers presented in this book focus on how communication and understanding between systems designers and users can be developed and improved. New tools and techniques such as Fourth Generation Languages and structural systems design are discussed and the book concludes with two first-hand reports of experience in large organizations. This book should be of interest to systems designers, software engineers and DP managers in major companies.