Kickoff
Requirements gathering begins with a kickoff meeting that explains an initiative to stakeholders including elements such as a business case and mission statement.Brainstorming
At first, some stakeholders may have few ideas. Brainstorming is a common early stage technique that encourages people to throw out the first ideas that come to mind.Interviews
Interviews led by a business analyst that are designed to explore requirements.User Stories
Asking users to state their expectations for the project in the format "As a role, I'd like to capability, so that I can goal". For example, as a manager I'd like to be able to reassign tasks so that I can manage employee absences.Business Rules
Asking users to document business rules. For example, "if a customer leaves their session idle for 30 minutes then their session expires."Non-Functional Requirements
Non-functional requirements in areas such as design, infrastructure, architecture and technology may be contributed by a variety of subject matter experts. The example, "The site shall use brand colors according to the brand style guide."Workshops
Meetings that work through open questions and issues. For example, requirements may be inconsistent or infeasible.Prototypes
Getting stakeholders using simulations or working prototypes tends to lead to better requirements. Stakeholders often have new ideas when they see things implemented.Requirements Management
The ongoing process of prioritizing, maintaining and refining requirements. In order to reduce project risk, it is common to implement a small number of requirements in short release cycles. In this case, requirements are viewed as a backlog that may grow with time. This can be a positive thing as it allows all ideas to be captured while only implementing the best ideas you have for each implementation cycle.| Overview: Requirements Gathering | ||
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Definition | The process of eliciting requirements from stakeholders and refining their quality. | |
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