Requirement gathering and Analysis
✅ 1. What is Requirement Gathering and Analysis?
📌 Definition:
Requirement Gathering and Analysis is the process of collecting, defining, and analyzing the needs and expectations of stakeholders for a new system, product, or process.
📊 Goal: Understand what the business needs, and translate those needs into clear, actionable requirements that guide system design and development.
🎯 2. Importance of Requirement Gathering and Analysis
Reason
Why It’s Important
Foundation of the project
Sets direction and scope for development.
Avoid scope creep
Clearly defined requirements prevent endless changes.
Improve quality of the solution
Ensures solution addresses actual business needs.
Align expectations
Keeps stakeholders, developers, and users on the same page.
Save time and cost
Avoids costly rework by identifying needs early.
✅ 3. Key Steps in Requirement Gathering and Analysis
Step
Explanation
1. Identify stakeholders
Determine who will be impacted or have input.
2. Collect requirements
Use techniques to gather information.
3. Analyze requirements
Review, organize, and prioritize requirements.
4. Document requirements
Create clear, unambiguous documentation.
5. Validate and get approval
Confirm accuracy with stakeholders.
✅ 4. Techniques for Requirement Gathering
Technique
Purpose
Example
Interviews
One-on-one conversations to explore needs.
Interview sales team to understand CRM needs.
Workshops
Group discussions to brainstorm and align.
Workshop with marketing and IT to define new campaign system.
Surveys and Questionnaires
Collect input from a large group quickly.
Survey customers about desired app features.
Document Analysis
Review existing materials (manuals, reports).
Study current process documentation.
Observation (Job Shadowing)
Watch users perform tasks to understand workflow.
Observe customer service reps handling calls.
Prototyping / Wireframes
Early models to gather feedback.
Sketch screens of a new mobile app.
Brainstorming
Generate ideas and solutions collaboratively.
Brainstorming session for e-commerce enhancements.
✅ 5. Types of Requirements
Type
Description
Example
Business Requirements (BR)
High-level goals and objectives of the organization.
"Increase online sales by 20% within one year."
Stakeholder Requirements (SR)
Needs of specific groups or individuals.
"Sales team needs a dashboard to track leads."
Functional Requirements (FR)
Specific behaviors and functions of the system.
"System must allow users to reset passwords."
Non-functional Requirements (NFR)
System qualities like performance, security.
"System must support 1,000 users simultaneously."
Regulatory Requirements
Compliance and legal needs.
"System must comply with GDPR data privacy."
✅ 6. Role of a Business Analyst in Requirement Gathering and Analysis
BA Responsibility
Activity
Identify and engage stakeholders
Set up meetings, define roles.
Elicit requirements
Use interviews, workshops, and other techniques.
Analyze and clarify needs
Filter conflicting or vague requirements.
Document requirements
Write BRD (Business Requirements Document), User Stories, Use Cases.
Validate requirements
Review and get approval from stakeholders.
Facilitate communication
Bridge gaps between business and technical teams.
✅ 7. Common Tools for Requirement Gathering and Documentation
Purpose
Tools
Documentation & Collaboration
Confluence, Microsoft Word, Google Docs
Task & Requirement Management
Jira, Trello, Azure DevOps
Process Modeling
Lucidchart, Microsoft Visio, Draw.io
Wireframing / Prototyping
Figma, Balsamiq, Adobe XD
Surveys and Forms
Google Forms, SurveyMonkey
Communication
Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom
✅ 8. Key Challenges and How to Address Them
Challenge
Solution
Unclear requirements
Use probing questions, workshops, visual aids.
Conflicting stakeholder interests
Facilitate alignment sessions, focus on common goals.
Changing requirements (Scope Creep)
Document scope clearly, use Change Control Process.
Limited stakeholder availability
Schedule early, prioritize critical stakeholders.
Lack of documentation
Analyze existing processes, interview SMEs (Subject Matter Experts).
✅ 9. Example of a Requirement Gathering Scenario
Project: Developing an online food ordering app.
Requirement Type
Example
Business Requirement
"Enable customers to order food online to increase revenue."
Stakeholder Requirement
"Restaurant managers need a dashboard to manage orders."
Functional Requirement
"Users can filter food by cuisine and price range."
Non-functional Requirement
"System must load pages within 3 seconds."
Regulatory Requirement
"Comply with online payment security standards (PCI DSS)."
✅ 10. Summary of Requirement Gathering and Analysis
Aspect
Explanation
Purpose
Understand and define what the business needs.
Key Activities
Identify stakeholders, gather, analyze, document, validate requirements.
Techniques
Interviews, workshops, surveys, document analysis, prototyping.
Requirement Types
Business, Stakeholder, Functional, Non-functional, Regulatory.
Role of BA
Lead the process, ensure clarity and alignment.
Tools
Jira, Confluence, Figma, Lucidchart, Google Forms.
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