Analysis, carried out by the systems analyst, is the process of finding out exactly what the system will entail. It is critically important that the result of analysis is as complete as it can be. At the end of analysis the requirements specification is produced. This document will contain exactly what the new system will contain.

To ensure that the requirement specification is as complete as it possibly can it is important that the analyst performs some fact-finding. There are four main fact finding methods listed below.

• Observation
• Questionnaire
• Document collecting
• Interview

These methods are meant to be used on their own but as collective entity. It is impossible to gather a complete picture of the system to be produced by only using one method. Also it is impossible to gather the complete picture by only talking to a single person. The key to success is to try and understand the business problem from the view of the company as a whole rather than an individual.