Business Analysis: The Elicitation Process

Requirements Elicitation. A Project's Foundation

Gathering the requirements that must be accounted for in order to achieve a project's goal is the process that forms the foundation for its success. The BA typically has responsibility for managing this phase. Requirements elicitation is the set of activities where information is given by stakeholders, users, and customers to be applied to the design of the initiative or the solution.

Elicitation is a perpetual process during a project development. It is not a stagnant, compartmentalized activity. As issues arise, information gaps occur or new requirements evolve, the BA must initiate or continue elicitation of stakeholder input. The project's success depends upon the accuracy, completeness, and detail of the stakeholder requirements. Eliciting requirements not only involves obtaining documented criteria but also uncovering latent or potential needs.

Though techniques for gathering requirements may be common, the deliverables are difficult (at best) to define. Typically the BA is dealing with a variety of input points (that is, IT, sales, and finance) where each has a different documentation and reporting structure, often along with a unique culture and language. Strong organizational and communication skills are required during this phase, as it is generally up to the BA to shape the information into models, diagrams, and other tools to communicate the findings to decision makers and to team members.

Enterprise opportunities, restrictions, assumptions, and current reality are all reflected by stakeholders during requirements elicitation. The BA must be able to resolve conflicts between requirements, eliminate the potential for conflicts (if possible), and achieve consensus among team members and stakeholders as requirements are defined and prioritized.

When considering elicitation activities, the BA must develop strategies for two primary functions: Preparing for Elicitation and Conducting Elicitation.

Elicitation Process

There are several effective techniques a BA can use to obtain requirements. Each method has strengths and weaknesses that affect the quality of the requirements that are elicited. The BA must base his decision on which techniques to employ by determining

1) what methods are appropriate for both the stakeholder and elicitor, and

2) what methods will capture the requirements most effectively and efficiently.