A refresher in data flow diagramming: An effective aid for analysts

During the requirements analysis phase of information systems development, the user and analyst attempt to come to an agreement on the purpose of the system and the needs of the future users. When completed effectively, this process leads to the cre-ation of an information system that fulfills the intended purpose and meets the needs of users and their organization, on time and within budget [3]. This, of course, is dependent on the successful completion of the rest of the development process including the designing, coding, and testing of the system. Problems unsolved in the requirements elicitation phase may worsen during the remainder of the systems development project. As over 50 % of the errors in systems design and development are a result of inaccurate requirements, it is imperative this phase be completed accu-rately [6]. Often, information systems are designed and created that do not meet the needs of the users or fulfill their intended purpose [3, 6]. The deficiencies of these systems are often the result of problems such as miscommunication between the users and the analysts, poor elicitation of requirements, poor conversion of requirements to designs