Workshop: Joint Application Development Training

Duration: Two Days

Description: Joint Application Development (JAD) sessions are an industry proven tool for gathering customer requirements and gaining consensus at the beginning of a software project. Effective use of JAD techniques accelerates the project schedule and dramatically improves project team communication and effectiveness. Since JAD is a structured process, it is comprised of specific steps, and well-defined team roles and responsibilities. This workshop presents the skills and techniques necessary to implement structured JAD sessions on a project. Participants learn these steps and practice role playing on a JAD session of their own products.

Audience: Software project managers, functional managers, technical consultants, developers or programmer/analysts, and business analysts

Workshop Topics:

1. JAD Definition and Overview

1. Motivation and definition of JAD
2. Uses of JAD sessions
3. JAD process overview
4. JAD team roles and responsibilities

2. Facilitation Techniques

1. Qualities of a good facilitator
2. Facilitation techniques for opening a session
3. Facilitation techniques for brainstorming
4. Gathering general information from the group
5. Requirements elicitation techniques
6. Group decision making
7. Handling disruptive behaviors
8. Techniques for closing the session

3. Planning and Preparing for the JAD Session

1. Defining the JAD focus
2. Interviewing participants to collect preliminary information
3. Creating the agenda
4. Scheduling and JAD logistics
5. JAD session materials checklist

4. Conducting the JAD Session

1. Opening the session
2. Scribe’s role
3. Collecting information
4. Keeping the session on track
5. Ensuring involvement of all attendees

5. Documenting the JAD

1. Minimal document contents
2. Determining the document structure
3. Gaining draft document consensus
4. Finalizing the document