(Note: this ArgonDigital blog post was contributed by Weston Eidson, who knows much more about fantasy football than the author listed on the post.)
Office conversation recently turned to fantasy football, as it will when the football season wraps up. This led, as it often does, to a “nonsense” question asked. In a modeling diagram delirium, I asked my coworkers which model would be their first round pick in a ArgonDigital Requirements Model draft day showdown.
As silly as the discussion was at first, it was interesting to listen to my colleagues compare and personify the various models, and to frame them differently while still tying to their use.
Here’s what we came up with in our fantasy football of software requirements models, when we chatted about what model is best represented by which football role…
Organization Chart = Coaches: With few exception, without the coach the plays can’t get called. These guys are the knowledge holders, but not the on-field executers; they hold the information that must be elicited for better on-field execution. In the world of fantasy football software models, this role is played by Organization Charts. The org chart is necessary to know who to talk to, or which SME (subject matter expert) holds what information, and is critical to the product manager’s “on-field” success.
Process Flows = Quarterbacks: The quarterback has to know the ins and outs of everything that is happening on the field. Like a quarterback, the process flow focuses on the actions people take and works to find the smoothest and most efficient way from point A to point B, keeping an eye on everything in between.
DAR Models = Linemen: In football linemen work tirelessly on the field and in the weight room, often without individual thanks or accolades; they are, however, some of the most important people on the field. Like linemen, DAR Models are the nitty-gritty-attention-to-detail models; when they are done correctly, a website is put together seamlessly, but when they are wrong is when they really stand out, and for all the wrong reasons. DAR Models are the unsung heros, or the public goat, much like football lineman.
User Stories = Receivers: Always happy to tell a story, receivers tend to talk a lot, and a lot about themselves. Receivers resemble User Stories, and their role speaks to their goals: “As a
System Context Diagrams = The Defense: If a football defensive team is a synergistic aggregate of very different roles adapting on the fly to keep the other team from scoring, the System Context Diagram, used when there is a lot of interaction between many systems, might be our fantasy football requirements model for defense. Much like a defensive team, System Context Diagrams contain information on the detailed interactions among the various systems at work in a given story.
Now that I’ve had my fun, what software models would you pick for your fantasy football team, and why?
