Requirement Elicitation: Gathering Business Requirements

Hi guys! Gathering business requirements is the first and foremost task in a BA's requirement management process. In this post, we'll explore the basic steps involved in gathering requirements in general.

1. What is Requirement Elicitation?

Before diving into the main content, I want to talk a bit about the concept of "gathering requirements." Often, people think of gathering requirements using terms like "Gather Requirements" or "Requirements Gathering", and most people are more familiar with these two terms. But for BAs, "gathering" isn't enough; it has to be about evoking, exploring, and digging deeper. BAs use their skills to uncover problems, understand stakeholder desires, and identify the real requirements hidden behind what clients initially provide. Therefore, "Requirement Elicitation" is the accurate term for "Gathering requirements" in the BA world, which includes the act of "gathering requirements" itself.

2. Identifying What to Ask About

In this step, asking questions is a crucial skill for BAs. Asking the right questions helps you gather information more accurately, saving both your time (as the asker) and the time of the respondents (stakeholders).

Many BAs, when starting a new project, might feel overwhelmed by how much you don't know. Or perhaps the project has so many aspects to inquire about that you don't even know where to begin. In these situations, BAs should categorize the issues into modules or categories and prioritize which one to tackle first. (For example, prioritize the human resources module, then the payment module, etc.)

3. Finding the Right People to Ask

You need to know exactly who to ask for the specific issue you've identified, unless you only have a single point of contact. For example, if you have questions about payments, reach out to the finance team or accounting department, not customer service.

4. Preparing Questions

Once you have your objective and the right people to talk to, the next step is to prepare a set of questions around the issue you want to address. Consider where this issue originates (how is it created?), what problem it solves, and what happens after it's created.

The more thoroughly you prepare, the less likely you'll run out of questions during the requirement elicitation process with clients.

Practice makes perfect. The experience gained from each elicitation session will help you start better with other modules and projects. Try to avoid repeating the same mistakes.