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.

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🎯 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.

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✅ 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.

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✅ 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.

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✅ 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."

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✅ 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.

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✅ 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

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✅ 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).

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✅ 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)."

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✅ 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.