How Do You Collect Requirements?
There are several ways to collect requirements. Interviewing stakeholders one-on-one is
often very effective, although it can be very expensive and time-consuming. Holding focus
groups, facilitated workshops, and using group creativity and decision-making techniques
to collect requirements are normally faster and less expensive than one-on-one interviews.
Questionnaires and surveys can be very efficient ways to collect requirements as long as key
stakeholders provide honest and thorough information. Observation can also be a good technique
for collecting requirements, especially for projects that involve improving work processes
and procedures. Prototyping is a commonly used technique for collecting
requirements for software development projects. There are also several software tools available
to assist in collecting and managing requirements, as described later in this chapter and
in the following What Went Right? example