Entry Certificate in Business Analysis Elicitation Techniques 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A focus group is BEST used when a business analyst needs to:
- Understand attitudes and perceptions from a representative user group (Correct answer)
- Define detailed technical requirements
- Document as-is system processes
- Prioritize requirements with executives
Correct answer: Understand attitudes and perceptions from a representative user group
Focus groups are designed to capture opinions, attitudes, and perceptions from a carefully selected group of participants.
Question 2: Which elicitation technique compares an organization's processes or products against industry best practices or competitors?
- Benchmarking (Correct answer)
- Prototyping
- Brainstorming
- Observation
Correct answer: Benchmarking
Benchmarking identifies performance gaps by comparing current practices to recognized standards or leading competitors.
Question 3: During brainstorming sessions, the business analyst should ensure that:
- All ideas are captured without judgment during the generation phase (Correct answer)
- Only senior stakeholders contribute ideas
- Ideas are evaluated immediately after being stated
- The session is limited to five participants
Correct answer: All ideas are captured without judgment during the generation phase
Deferring judgment during idea generation prevents self-censorship and encourages creative thinking from all participants.
Question 4: What is the purpose of interface analysis as an elicitation technique?
- To identify and define interactions between a solution and external systems or users (Correct answer)
- To create UI mockups for developers
- To test system performance under load
- To document internal business rules
Correct answer: To identify and define interactions between a solution and external systems or users
Interface analysis examines the boundaries between systems, people, and processes to ensure integration points are fully understood.
Question 5: Which elicitation output documents the topics covered, participants involved, and information gathered during an elicitation event?
- Elicitation notes (Correct answer)
- Business case
- Solution scope statement
- Stakeholder register
Correct answer: Elicitation notes
Elicitation notes capture raw information from sessions and serve as the basis for further analysis and requirements documentation.
Question 6: A business analyst is designing a survey to gather requirements. Which question type provides the most flexibility for respondents to express nuanced opinions?
- Open-ended questions (Correct answer)
- Rating scale questions
- Yes/No questions
- Multiple choice questions
Correct answer: Open-ended questions
Open-ended questions allow respondents to express ideas in their own words, capturing nuance that closed formats cannot.
A focus group is BEST used when a business analyst needs to: