Using Factor Analysis Techniques to Identify SME Information ...

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Abstract

Information systems are key to the success of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for developing business. SMEs have difficulty using enterprise class information systems due to different working structures and limited resources. The software development life cycle (SDLC) and traditional requirement engineering may not be appropriate for SMEs. Requirement engineering refers to collecting data from users, translating it, and executing programming. SMEs have limited digital literacy. In most cases, entrepreneurs fail to identify requirements clearly and developers fail to understand respondents in terms of business details. The matter becomes more difficult working with users’ requirements. The wrong identification of user requirement generates system failure. This article’s research objective is reforming the method of elicitation in the requirement engineering process from face-to-face interviews to electronic surveys. After collecting user requirements, factor analysis techniques are used in place of the requirement gathering and business analysis procedure in SDLC; presently, these two processes are based on system analyst consideration. 221 SME companies in Thailand responded to the electronic survey. The research results highlight four factors with the highest influence on SME information systems’ functionality requirements: 1) easy access and data interconnection, which has the highest influence; 2) easy operation with security, which has the second highest; 3) knowledge network for self-study and variety, which is third; and 4) connection with a customizable prototype, which is fourth.