A lot of initial uncertainty at the beginning of an IT project comes from not knowing how to approach stakeholders to get their requirements. Should you interview each stakeholder individually or in groups? Whom should you interview first? What can you do to guide stakeholders to give you the information you need to formulate the right requirements?

Unfortunately getting other stakeholders to express their needs and wants regarding a proposed IT solution is a non-trivial challenge. On top of that, you might be dealing with cross-functional needs which complicates the task even more.

To meet that challenge, we propose that you need to hone your interpersonal skills, in particular, your interviewing and facilitation skills. To succeed in any requirements interview or facilitated workshop, you also need a bag of requirements elicitation techniques which another book, Requirements Elicitation Techniques - Simply Put!, provides.

WHY SHOULD YOU READ THIS BOOK?

Since interviewing other people for requirements is not an intuitive skill, this book presents a wide range of techniques for planning, preparing, and performing requirements elicitation interviews and workshops as well as polishing and publishing the results. It defines the characteristics of a good requirements interviewer to help you recognize areas for personal growth.

To guide you through the intricacies of conducting group interviews, it includes expert advice on facilitating effective Requirements Workshops (JAD, RDW, User Story Workshops, Requirements Gathering Workshops, etc.), a powerful requirements elicitation technique for managing cross-functional group meetings on traditional and Agile software development methodologies.

Specifically, this book will help you get more and better requirements by teaching you how to:
-Define and distinguish five specific requirements elicitation approaches for interviewing stakeholders
-Evaluate the pros and cons of each approach for your organization and project
-Recognize the specific challenges and strengths of facilitated requirements workshops involving cross-functional groups of stakeholders
-Select the right requirements interviewing mode
-Prepare, perform, and manage effective requirements interviews and workshops
-Use informational and active listening to capture hidden requirements

The presented material is based on our experience gained in consulting contracts with organizations of every size, from small businesses to multi-nationals and governments. These topics are the core of extensive instructor-led training programs we have presented to tens of thousands of people around the world. As a value add-on, many of the presented ideas are not limited to IT projects; they can improve the outcomes of all of your personal and professional endeavors.

THIS BOOK IS PART OF A SERIES

Although this book has value on its own, “Requirements Elicitation Interviews and Workshops — Simply Put!” is book 6 in the series "Business Analysis Fundamentals - Simply Put!". This series gives you a basic understanding of many core concepts in business analysis. It also teaches how to do the most common business analysis activities.

Each book provides value on its own. It either is an overview or teaches specific business analysis techniques. We do not expect everyone reading the series to become a professional business analyst, but it is a great first step. The world sorely needs good business analysts. Get your start with the series today!

Book 1: Business Analysis Defined
Book 2: How to Write Effective Requirements for IT - Simply Put!
Book 3: Requirements Elicitation Techniques - Simply Put!
Book 4: Data Flow Diagrams - Simply Put!
Book 5: Functional and Non-Functional Requirements - Simply Put!
Book 6: Requirements Elicitation Interviews and Workshops — Simply Put!