Certified Business Analysis Professional Elicitation 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A BA is preparing for a complex elicitation effort involving multiple stakeholder groups. What is the MOST important preparation step?
- Drafting the initial requirements document
- Identifying the stakeholders, their roles, and the information needed from each (Correct answer)
- Selecting the project management methodology
- Building a prototype of the proposed solution
Correct answer: Identifying the stakeholders, their roles, and the information needed from each
Effective elicitation preparation requires knowing who will be engaged and what specific information each stakeholder can contribute before any sessions begin.
Question 2: Which statement BEST describes the relationship between elicitation and requirements analysis in the BA knowledge areas?
- Elicitation and requirements analysis are the same activity described differently
- Elicitation gathers raw information; requirements analysis interprets and structures that information into requirements (Correct answer)
- Requirements analysis always precedes elicitation
- Elicitation is only performed once, while requirements analysis is iterative
Correct answer: Elicitation gathers raw information; requirements analysis interprets and structures that information into requirements
Elicitation produces raw information from stakeholders, while requirements analysis transforms that information into well-defined, structured requirements.
Question 3: A BA is eliciting requirements for a system that automates a manual process. Several workers fear job loss and provide minimal cooperation. Which approach BEST addresses this challenge?
- Exclude uncooperative stakeholders from elicitation sessions
- Acknowledge concerns, emphasize how their knowledge is critical, and clarify that their input shapes the solution (Correct answer)
- Proceed without their input and use document analysis instead
- Escalate immediately to HR to resolve resistance
Correct answer: Acknowledge concerns, emphasize how their knowledge is critical, and clarify that their input shapes the solution
Addressing stakeholder fears directly and validating their expertise builds trust and encourages genuine participation in elicitation activities.
Question 4: Which of the following is an example of an UNPLANNED elicitation activity?
- A scheduled requirements workshop with an agenda
- An informal hallway conversation that reveals a new requirement (Correct answer)
- A structured survey distributed to all end users
- A formal interview with a subject matter expert
Correct answer: An informal hallway conversation that reveals a new requirement
Unplanned elicitation occurs spontaneously, such as an ad hoc conversation that surfaces requirements outside of a formal session.
Question 5: A BA uses a 'five whys' technique during elicitation. What is the PRIMARY purpose of this approach?
- To generate five alternative solutions for stakeholder review
- To iteratively ask why to uncover the root cause or underlying need behind a stated requirement (Correct answer)
- To identify five risk factors associated with each requirement
- To ensure five different stakeholders validate each requirement
Correct answer: To iteratively ask why to uncover the root cause or underlying need behind a stated requirement
The five whys technique drills down through successive 'why' questions to move past surface-level symptoms and identify the true root cause or underlying business need.
Question 6: When is it appropriate to use focus groups as an elicitation technique rather than individual interviews?
- When highly sensitive or confidential topics need to be discussed
- When the goal is to capture a range of opinions and group dynamics around a shared topic (Correct answer)
- When requirements must be elicited from a single domain expert
- When the BA needs quantitative statistical data
Correct answer: When the goal is to capture a range of opinions and group dynamics around a shared topic
Focus groups leverage group interaction and discussion to surface a diversity of perspectives and reveal consensus or disagreement on a topic.
Question 7: After an elicitation session, a stakeholder sends an email requesting significant changes to what was agreed upon in the session. What is the BEST course of action for the BA?
- Immediately update the requirements documents to reflect the email changes
- Ignore the email since the session decisions are final
- Acknowledge the request, evaluate the impact, and process it through the change management process (Correct answer)
- Schedule a new elicitation session and restart from scratch
Correct answer: Acknowledge the request, evaluate the impact, and process it through the change management process
Post-session changes should be evaluated for impact and processed through formal change management to maintain requirements integrity and stakeholder alignment.
Certified Business Analysis Professional Elicitation 5
A BA is preparing for a complex elicitation effort involving multiple stakeholder groups.
What is the MOST important preparation step?