Certified Business Analysis Professional Elicitation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A business analyst is eliciting requirements from a group of stakeholders who have conflicting priorities. Which technique is BEST suited to surface and resolve these conflicts during elicitation?
- Brainstorming
- Focus groups
- Facilitated workshops (Correct answer)
- Document analysis
Correct answer: Facilitated workshops
Facilitated workshops bring conflicting stakeholders together in a structured setting to negotiate and reach consensus on requirements.
Question 2: Which elicitation technique relies on observing end users in their natural work environment without interrupting their tasks?
- Passive observation (Correct answer)
- Prototyping
- Shadowing
- Ethnographic study
Correct answer: Passive observation
Passive observation means watching users perform their work without asking questions or interfering, capturing actual behaviors.
Question 3: During an elicitation session, a stakeholder repeatedly refers to undocumented tribal knowledge about a legacy process. What is the BEST elicitation response?
- Skip the topic and focus on documented processes
- Ask probing follow-up questions to capture and formalize the knowledge (Correct answer)
- Escalate to the project sponsor to mandate documentation
- Replace the stakeholder with someone who has formal process knowledge
Correct answer: Ask probing follow-up questions to capture and formalize the knowledge
Probing questions help surface and formally capture implicit knowledge that stakeholders hold but have never written down.
Question 4: A BA needs to elicit requirements for a new regulatory compliance system from 40 geographically dispersed stakeholders. Which technique is MOST efficient for gathering initial input?
- One-on-one structured interviews
- Survey/questionnaire (Correct answer)
- Facilitated workshop
- Prototyping
Correct answer: Survey/questionnaire
Surveys and questionnaires allow simultaneous input collection from large, distributed groups with minimal scheduling overhead.
Question 5: What distinguishes an 'elicitation result' from 'elicitation information'?
- Elicitation results are raw notes; elicitation information has been analyzed (Correct answer)
- Elicitation information is gathered before preparation; elicitation results are gathered during sessions
- Elicitation results are the immediate output of an elicitation activity; elicitation information is the raw input before the activity
- There is no practical distinction in the BABOK framework
Correct answer: Elicitation results are raw notes; elicitation information has been analyzed
Elicitation results are the unanalyzed raw outputs captured during elicitation; elicitation information has been reviewed, confirmed, and organized.
Question 6: A BA is using prototyping as an elicitation technique. Which type of prototype is BEST for quickly validating workflow sequences with stakeholders before investing in development?
- High-fidelity digital prototype
- Throwaway/paper prototype (Correct answer)
- Evolutionary prototype
- Functional beta prototype
Correct answer: Throwaway/paper prototype
Throwaway (paper) prototypes are fast and inexpensive, ideal for early validation of workflows without implying commitment to a design.
Question 7: Which output is produced during the 'Confirm Elicitation Results' task in the BABOK?
- Elicitation activity plan
- Confirmed elicitation results (Correct answer)
- Stakeholder engagement approach
- Business requirements document
Correct answer: Confirmed elicitation results
The 'Confirm Elicitation Results' task produces confirmed elicitation results after stakeholders have reviewed and agreed on the captured information.
Certified Business Analysis Professional Elicitation 2
A business analyst is eliciting requirements from a group of stakeholders who have conflicting priorities.
Which technique is BEST suited to surface and resolve these conflicts during elicitation?