Requirements Elicitation Flashcards

What is the main limitation of using surveys as a requirements elicitation technique?

Answer: Surveys do not allow follow-up questions to clarify ambiguous or unexpected answers

Surveys cannot dynamically follow up on interesting or unclear responses the way interviews can, which limits the depth of information that can be obtained.

What is 'mind mapping' used for in the context of business analysis?

Answer: Visually organizing and connecting ideas, themes, and requirements to explore relationships

Mind mapping creates a visual diagram branching from a central concept, helping BAs and stakeholders explore and organize requirements, themes, and relationships intuitively.

What is the purpose of conducting a focus group in requirements elicitation?

Answer: To gather qualitative feedback and diverse perspectives from a representative group of stakeholders

Focus groups bring together a small, representative group of stakeholders to discuss topics in depth, surfacing varied perspectives and uncovering shared needs through group interaction.

Which factor most commonly causes requirements elicitation to fail?

Answer: Poor stakeholder identification and insufficient engagement

Failing to identify and engage the right stakeholders is the most common root cause of elicitation failure, resulting in missing, incomplete, or incorrect requirements.

What is the 'five whys' technique used for in business analysis?

Answer: Identifying the root cause of a problem by repeatedly asking 'why' to drill deeper

The five whys technique iteratively asks 'why' (typically five times) to move beyond symptoms and uncover the true root cause of a business problem.

What is the difference between 'stated requirements' and 'derived requirements'?

Answer: Stated requirements are explicitly expressed by stakeholders; derived requirements are inferred from analysis of stated requirements

Stated requirements are directly communicated by stakeholders, while derived requirements are logically inferred by the BA through analysis of those stated needs.

Which elicitation technique is specifically designed to reveal requirements by presenting stakeholders with an incomplete or deliberately flawed version of a system?

Answer: Provocative prototyping

Provocative prototyping intentionally introduces flaws or incomplete features to provoke stakeholder reactions, making it easier for them to articulate what they actually need.