Bababa: A Case of Communication Disparity

Do you understand what is being illustrated in the dialogue above? I can, because I am Filipino. However, if you have no understanding of the Tagalog language, then this would seem to be just a ridiculous cartoon to you. I thought this was a good example of the importance of effective communication. Notice that I have emphasized the word "effective." Person A might have said something to Person B, but if it was not effectively communicated, then the message is lost in the process.

Displayed below is the translation of the Filipino conversation:

Now, it makes more sense, doesn't it? Likewise in Systems Analysis & Design, communication is essential. As Brother Brian Smith has reiterated in class, communication is one of the four vital concepts we need to understand in this IS242 class (along with balance, iterative, and incremental). Sometimes, analysts and programmers get so technical in their terms and wording that the end-users fail to comprehend how and what to do with the project. For a project to be developed effectively, all stakeholders must have a good understanding of the project scope and specifications.

As we learned last week in class, joint application development (JAD) is "a popular systems development technique that uses a cross-matrixed task group of users, managers, and IT professionals that work together to gather information, discuss business needs, and define the new system requirements." This is a good means of including users in the process of the project design and in ensuring that the needs of the various users are met. Successful systems must be user-oriented and the JAD approach accomplishes this objective.