What is a JAD session?

This term is referred to often in job postings and seems like some kind of
brainstorm you carry out with a client to define IT specification/requirements. What does it stand for?
And what does it mean?
JAD stands for Joint Application Development. It's one of those software engineering techniques that
some folks with lots of time on their hands sat around and dreamed up. You've summed it up in your
question. All the design methodologies like this are complicated replacements for a huge dollop of
common sense. Sit down with the client and design a paper UI that they can see what the application
will look like and behave like. Give the user a chance to work through common scenarios and see if the
application will work for them. Keep refining until the user feels the application is doing what they want
it to do. As you get functionality implemented, bring the user in and have them work through those
scenarios and see if it still works. If they want a change, have a solid estimate of how long the change
will add to the schedule and how much it will cost. I've shipped plenty of very successful applications
following these simple rules. I never bothered with JAD or anything else, just treated the clients like I
wanted to be treated and kept them clearly in the decision loop

How to Set Up a JAD Session

As a business analyst, the first task is to come up with a set of needs that the
business or the end users must have to function properly. This is not the easiest
of tasks, but the Joint Application Development (JAD) Session is as good a place
to start as any
Instructions
Things You'll Need:

 White board or poster board

 Multiple colors of dry erase or permanent markers
 Conference room with large enough table
 Administrative assistant to take notes

1. 1

Know who the project sponsor is. This is usually where the buck stops. The project
sponsor is the one person who deems this project a success or failure. As sponsor,
this person needs the project to be a success. Most other people in the organization
either looks up to the sponsor or report directly to the sponsor. So your first goal is to
get the sponsor involved in the only piece of the project where he will more than
likely have any involvement beyond receiving status updates. The purpose of his
involvement here is to bring everyone that you need input from to the table.

2. 2

Tell the project sponsor that you need to call a JAD session to get everyone involved
together. This will usually require the program manager, the project manager, the
 business unit (area) leaders, the subject matter experts (SME), end users, various
developers (programmers) and possibly some others to attend. You are basically
looking for input from everyone with whom this project will have a direct or indirect
effect. The project sponsor will then need to send an email or other form of
communication to all those identified to attend. This is usually more effective than a
directive from a business analyst at this point.

3. 3

Acquire a large enough conference room with plenty of comfortable accommodations

for everyone attending. Make sure to have plenty of white board space or note pad
paper and an official note taker who is not involved other than to capture everything
in this meeting.

4. 4

Explain to all in attendance that the purpose of the meeting is not to come up with
the solution, but to get input from everyone and their respective needs. Make sure
that everyone knows that there is no hierarchy in the room. Each person's role is just
as important as the next. The end user doesn't understand how back end processes
integrate, nor do the system administrators understand how functionally something
needs to work for the end user to use it successfully.

5. 5

Direct the project sponsor to explain his vision. The role of everyone else is to
explain how their job will function within that vision. Start with the end user as you
would do tracking the actual piece of work that comes through the organization.
Follow the work from start to finish. It is imperative that you capture this data, and it
will illustrate the importance of each step. It is important to make it clear that the best
technology is only as good as it is usable to the person utilizing it.

6. 6

Create a workflow diagram of the process from start to finish. It need not be in great
detail, but it does need to capture each functional point in the process. Everyone in
attendance must sign off on this workflow to ensure that all the basic and high level
functions of this new process have been accurately captured. The meeting is now
adjourned.