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Why gather requirements? Requirements gathering is crucial to project success because it ensures that a project has an accurate understand of what the user want and need. It also helps increase the level of stakeholder involvement on a project. In short:
- Requirements clearly define the business need
- Requirements form the basis for development, testing and training
- Requirements reduce rework and revisions
Steps:
- Gather: communicate with stakeholders (customers and users) to determine what their requirements are. This is also called elicitation.
- Analyze: determine whether the stated requirements are unclear, incomplete, ambiguous, or contradictory, and then resolve these issues.
- Document: scribe final requirements in various forms, such as word documents, use cases, user stories or process specifications.
The approaches and techniques you employ to gather requirements are equally as important as gathering the requirements themselves. Certain approaches are more successful and produce more accurate requirements when used at the right time and under the right circumstances. Always make sure that there is enough time to plan and conduct the desired approach.
Below is a matrix to help you determine what approach or combination of approaches to use and when. *
Approach | Description | Audience | Skill Set | Time | Best To Use When… |
Surveys | Questionnaires (paper or electronic) | Large number of stakeholders | Interviewing skills Technical writing skills Usability Team as additional resource | Weeks | - Type of project: enhancements or need to cover large or diverse group of stakeholders
- High level understanding of stakeholder needs is required
- Before interviews and workshops are conducted
- After interviews to validate assumptions
|
Focus Groups | Moderated discussion of selected group of participants | 10-12 stakeholders across the business | Facilitation Interpersonal skills Interviewing skills Observation and listening skills Usability Team as additional resource | Days to weeks | - Type of project: focused line of business, standard use case or group of end users
- Analysts are trained in both design and moderation of focus groups
- Stakeholders are available and willing to collaborate
|
Interviews | Information collected by asking questions and documenting responses | Individuals or groups of stakeholders | Interpersonal skills Interviewing skills Observation and listening skills | Days to weeks | - Type of project: generally all
- Follow up on surveys
- Analysts are trained in interviewing techniques
- Stakeholders are knowledgeable and available
|
Brainstorming | Process for generating, validating and prioritizing ideas | Group environment where all stakeholders have the opportunity to participate | Facilitation Interpersonal skills Organizational skills | Days to weeks | - Type of project: requirements are relatively unknown and participation, collaboration and consensus between stakeholders is key
- Done in conjunction with prototyping and workshops
- Stakeholders are committed to the process
|
Prototyping | Storyboards and mock ups used to build a model of the desired service Focus is on what and when | Stakeholders, customers and end users | Facilitation skills Technical skills | Weeks to months | - Type of project: requirements are relatively unknown and incremental models will help discovery
- Visual representation will help clarify stakeholder understanding
- An experimental method must be validated
- Expectations are clear and understood
|
Workshops | Sessions in which participants jointly analyze the problem and contribute to the solution | All stakeholders | Facilitation skills Interpersonal skills Observation and listening skills | Weeks | - Type of project:
- Stakeholders are committed to the process
- Consensus about requirements and prioritization is needed
- Skilled facilitators are available
|
Job Shadowing | First hand observation of performance of routine tasks and daily activities | Individual stakeholders | Interpersonal skills Observation and listening skills | Days to weeks | - Type of project: user needs are undocumented and insight into stakeholder environment is needed
- Stakeholders are committed to the process
|
Business Process Flow Diagrams | Graphic representation of a collection of related, structured activities tasks | Subject matter experts across the business | Interviewing skills Technical documentation skills | Days to weeks | - Type of project: current process needs to be analyzed, improved and/or automated
- Insight into stakeholder environment is needed
|
Help Desk Comments | Customer feedback and/or input | Customer Support staff | Research skills Interviewing skills | Days to weeks | - Type of project: information regarding current or similar services is available
- Help desk staff are available to provide context
|
Analytics | Measurement, collection, and analysis of user interaction with existing applications | N/A | Research skills Observation skills | Days | - Type of project: web application development
- Understanding of usage and trends is needed and accessible
- Existing problems need to be identified
|
Document Analysis | Review of existing documentation | N/A | Research skills | Days | - Type of project: existing documentation is available, accurate and current
|
Interface Analysis | Identification, analysis and management of external interfaces | Primary providers and receivers of system information | Research skills Technical skills | Days to weeks | - Type of project: existing web applications
- Scope of project includes several external interfaces
- Accurate documentation is available or can be readily compiled
|
Reverse Engineering | Analysis of current system to determine requirements or design on which it was based | N/A | Research skills Technical skills | Weeks to months | - Type of project: proposed system is not significantly different from current or existing system
- Copyright laws do not prohibit reverse engineering
- Insight is needed into proposed requirements
- Automated tools are available to facilitate the analysis
|
*Based on the Business Analysis Book of Knowledge (“BABOK”) and Boston University Corporate Education Center “Core Competencies for the Business Analyst”
Please stay tuned for more information, tools, tips and templates over the coming months. Staff should feel free to post to the_ Community Sandbox space or send contributions and ideas to ist-cop@mit.edu.
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