The work that analysts do: a systemic functional approach to elicitation

Authors

Rodney J. Clarke, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

16479

Publication Details

Clarke, R. J. (2006). The work that analysts do: a systemic functional approach to elicitation. In A. Nilsson, R. Gustas, W. Wojtkowski, W. Wojtkowski, S. Wrycza & J. Zupan i (Eds.), International Conference on Information Systems Development (pp. 325-336). New York, USA: Springer Science + Business Media.

Abstract

In this paper we advocate the view of systems analysis as an activity where communication and social interaction within the developer community and between developers, users and other stakeholders is central. Analysis involves a complex bridging process (Quintas 1993) between IS professionals and users implying different backgrounds, knowledge, agendas and social relations of power. We need to study communication in organisational contexts to better understand how we can conduct effective systems analysis and also in order to improve our pedagogic practices. However while there is a general recognition of the importance of communication it is none-the-less a complex social phenomena that is not well understood within the IS discipline and not explicitly addressed in traditional methods and methodologies despite growing interest and recognition in various qualitative, interpretive and ethnographic approaches (Easterbrook 1993).