Collection of user requirements (you can call it inspired user needs, if you prefer the fancy name) is generally more difficult, let us consider why this process so difficult, when you face the problem What would you do approach. I think at this time, there are two issues you must consider: that is what is implied needs of users (that is not explicitly expressed need), what is a clear need to transform between them, and this transformation The significance?
Anyone who has ever worked on from scratch, application developers are aware of: the stated needs of the user or subject matter expert described the problem to be solved when the code, it is difficult to fully understand their purpose. As we all know, requirements gathering is a challenge; but why it is difficult to collect the appropriate demand, the approach taken, these problems even more difficult to understand.
In fact, the implied user needs and a clear concept of demand, similar to what our daily tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge of the concept, so clear and explicit knowledge, tacit knowledge and the meaning of the transformation of relations between them, for us needs of the user's implicit demand for meaningful and clear. Now, let's look at tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge of the concept of mutual transformation.
Tacit knowledge
Tacit knowledge refers to knowledge based on experience and observation. There are not inherited by the previous rules or procedures. It is only one way of doing things. Because of its relevance, it has a very powerful force, can be directly applied to solve the problem Shang future needs.
An example of tacit knowledge from one of my living by doing odd jobs for friends. As we are able to talk to, so he and I like to do things together. Recently, we are a church of my garage to do drum stand, he continued to show a variety of small knowledge. Let us do the framework, then put it together with the flat with; rather than a flat piece of wood to do in the framework. Why do this? The answer is so simple and more convenient. How did he know this? He did many of these activities (to do cabinets and platform), enough to know that knowledge.
He knew all kinds of knowledge, for example, convinced that the top board, all timber normal part of all the up slightly bent. Why? Because when it loads, it will produce distortion, flattening the curve back to the middle.
Another example is a few years ago I learned in college. It is with the loop structure. My mentor suggested that I use a loop on the implementation of the initial reading before the start of the cycle structure. I was beginning to use the structure only after reading in the cycle, so cycle block that contains a huge IF.
When she suggested that I use a loop to read the statement on the new structure before, I ask why. She replied: "Because this is a better way." Rule of thumb, she knew before the start of the cycle (and cycle after) the implementation of reading will be better.
In the apprenticeship learning is mainly tacit knowledge. From a more experienced than you were there, you learn to deal with things that way. In this way, we learn to create good products or to speed up the pace of the small and subtle ways, such knowledge is the official textbook you can not learn.
Some people just know to use their experience to do something. You may be difficult to explain to them the knowledge to others, or to write them down, but they do know based on experience over knowledge.
Explicit knowledge
Relative to the tacit knowledge, explicit knowledge is knowledge that can be quantified. You can write them down in communication between people. It is real, not the experience gained. It is the kind of knowledge has become the rule.
For example, a person to see the apple fell from the trees and shake the tree to get to know Apple - tacit knowledge - and he may also know the gravity of all objects together. Initially obtained by observing the tacit knowledge, and the conversion into a law, a clear knowledge.
Explicit knowledge through articles, books, seminars and video presentations to convey knowledge. Explicit knowledge we can always find in books business, there is no need to get direct experience of something associated with a clear knowledge. This is a newly graduated students are subject to the criticism of one of the reasons: they have a lot of "book knowledge" (explicit knowledge) but the lack of practical experience (tacit knowledge). We are well aware that no matter how important a clear knowledge that it can not always replace the tacit knowledge.
On the other hand, due to the emergence of printing press, a clear knowledge of a more rapid rate of spread. Since I am able to tacit knowledge into a set of rules you can apply, so you are reading these words, and learn a variety of knowledge.
Understand the transformation process between the two
Philosopher of science Thomas - Kuhn that science came from the "normal science", "crisis" and "revolutionary paradigm shift," the cycle. This model involves the development of new science shows that the tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge and relationships. We have the core of the scientific method - tacit knowledge - the beginning.
The first step is to observe the scientific method - in other words, to accumulate experience. Then we assume that the things we observe the mode of operation. Then again test the hypothesis, if the result is not correct, we tested again.
The results of the scientific method is explicit knowledge - the world how to operate the hypothesis proven or theoretical touchstone. This explicit knowledge without extensive experience, you can quickly and easily spread between people.
However, Kuhn realized that this is not the final result. Eventually, the assumptions defects, gaps or errors. This will form a clear knowledge of the crisis in question. This is a clear knowledge of the concerns the verification of tacit knowledge, began to challenge the world seems a clear knowledge of its operation.
Finally, the new tacit knowledge of the stress to produce a revolutionary paradigm shift, the shift to establish a new explicit knowledge, it has become known all new foundation for tacit knowledge.
This process repeated continuously in order to place all sizes. This simple discovery of quantum physics radically changed our view of Newtonian physics. Because we are trying to a hypothesis - a thorough verification of the hypothesis - is applied to a field does not apply, so the emergence of a crisis.
The actual result, two kinds of knowledge are necessary. However, explicit knowledge is easier to spread.
Knowledge Transfer
Tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge conversion is a real skill - a leap of faith. It allows people who have vision beyond what observation and experience. A bit like magic, like the requirements into the design or the caterpillar into a butterfly.
Conversion may not be as simple to connect. Way we deal with some problems of information, our brain structure also hindered our ability to make these connections.
In the "instant" book, Malcolm? Gladwell made some interesting point of view. In Chapter 4, "Paul - Van - Rip tremendous success" in the language of Gladwell referred to the shadow of Jonathan - Schooler's work. His research is important to understand why we were going to recognize faces before described. His work explores how the brain's language part of the mental part of the combination, so that it is difficult to describe in words how pictures, and tried to deal with seems to have reduced the credibility of the original image.
In Chapter 5, "Ken was the problem", the Gladwell share with us how we adjust to suit their own preferences specious reasons, review of the subject. Jonathan - Schooler and Timothy - Wilson did an experiment. In this experiment, they invited experts and students describe their favorite kind of objective and strawberry jam. The preferences of experts and students of the same. Once asked students to quantify their rankings, experts and students will disappear before the line.
This example illustrates the tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge into question. When asked their views on a clear jelly, they are more like a jam for the establishment of plausible reasons, and adjust their perceptions to adapt to these specious reasons. In other words, they changed the way they remember what they did to match the description.
Jonathan - Schooler continue to point out that for unknown reasons, the experts in part through the establishment of a more precise evaluation of the way of food, which seems to plague a small number of experts to overcome the restrictions. The structure of the students came up with did not have the experience necessary to accurately describe their credibility.
In software development, the creative world, is sometimes difficult to get a real smooth software development best practices, rules, guidelines and techniques. No doubt there were various problems, such as different language will be subtle changes in best practices, make it more difficult to identify. But fundamentally, the problem has not changed; we must learn to demand for normative knowledge into actual demand.
For conversion
If the food testing experts to quantify the difference between jam, but the result is the same. So how can we develop the same software can tacit knowledge into the entire development team - or an entire organization - the exchange of explicit knowledge.
After the assessment, the Food and testers have a very accurate balance and precision characteristics. Similarly, we can clearly define excellence in software development must exist in the typical behavior; we can evaluate those defined way.
In addition to simply say that you and the developer, "keep in touch", you can also define a measure can be "informal communication" feature. Define the characteristics, you can define the characteristics of the discontinuity. From this we can build a viable agreement. For example, dial 100 on the 0 that you never talk with other team members. 100 on the dial that you may share office space with them.
You choose the actual value for the organization and special features may not be very important, but is essential to quantify the ability. You may learn, for example, to make your team unity and cooperation, they have some degree of informal, unstructured exchanges.
Explicit knowledge into a set of basic observations support the cyclical behavior of the event. Explicit knowledge, which should be set aside each quarter, 4 hours of time so that team members for unlimited exchanges. Clearly, this ignores the basic knowledge of how to form a team, and group collaboration required for effective level of cooperation - but, in most cases, this tacit knowledge is unnecessary. We need to know how to do - to establish an informal exchange - without having to understand why.
Break the rules
Sometimes we need to break the rules - out of the clear knowledge, this is interesting from Kuhn received one of the conclusions. No experience of life than the more real the things. A set of rules or guidelines for the establishment of things to make them sound good. These rules do not have much experience of those people who particularly useful. They simplify the conversion process to make it easy to manage.
However, experienced people often break (or a serious breach of) the rules to meet their own needs. Although you never want to stage a noisy use a large diaphragm condenser microphone, but an experienced recording engineer just do. He does so because he does not need explicit knowledge has become the rule, only through their own tacit knowledge to know how to deal with it.
So to create some clear knowledge - and then break the rules.