Prior to class generate the scenario sheets. There should be 6 total versions of the scenario sheets. The only difference between the versions is the last section titled “Your Role.” There are two versions of this section for development team members and four versions of this section for focus group members. When printing each version of the scenario sheet only have one version of the “Your Role” section visible. Make sure you have enough copies for distribution and be sure you can tell the difference between them so you can hand them out correctly.
Divide the class up into groups. At a minimum there must be two groups. Ideally you want the groups small enough to get everyone involved during the requirements gathering phase. It is best not to allow the students to group themselves.
Within each group assign some of the students to the development team role and assign the rest to the focus group participant role. There should be more focus group participants than development team members. The development team should at least have two members but three or more is ideal depending on the size of the groups. Do not allow students within the group to volunteer for the development team role. Assign roles to ensure a more random mix.
Once roles are assigned, hand out the scenario/role sheets. Be sure half of the development teams get version one of the scenario sheet and the other half get the second version. When handing out the focus group participant scenario sheets, be sure each focus group has members with different versions of the scenario sheet. If the role play must be spread across multiple class meetings ask the students not to share their scenario sheets or wait to pass out the focus group participant roles until the day of the requirements gathering phase.
Allow the development teams to have some time to prepare for the requirements gathering exercise. If you are trying to do this in one class period allow 5 to 10 minutes for preparation. If this is spread over two class periods you may want students to meet outside of class to prepare to save in-class time. While the development teams are preparing together, the focus group participants should be preparing individually.
After preparation, allow the development teams to meet with their focus group participants to gather requirements. At a minimum instruct the development teams to record the names of all participants and the requirements generated by each focus group member. Try to give the groups enough time to get everyone involved and get some decent requirements. Typically students lose interest after 30 minutes. After the requirements gather phase, hand out the follow-up questions. Let the groups work together and answer the follow-up questions (this can be done during the next class). After all the groups have answered the follow up questions, lead a class discussion on the follow up questions. Ask each group to answer each question. After the discussion you could collect the answers, but the real value of the exercise comes from the discussion..