The purpose of this workflow detail is to collect and elicit information from
the stakeholders of the project in
order to understand what their needs really are. The collected stakeholder
requests can be regarded as a "wish list" that will be used as
primary input to defining the high-level features of our system, as described in the Vision,
which drive the specification of the software requirements, as described in the use-case
model, use cases and supplementary
specifications.
Typically, this activity is mainly performed during iterations in the inception
and elaboration phases, however
stakeholder requests should be gathered throughout the project by using Change
Requests following the Change Request
Management Process.
The key activity is to elicit
stakeholder requests using such input as
business
rules, enhancement requests, interviews
and requirements workshops. The
primary outputs are collection(s) of prioritized features and their critical
attributes, which will be used in defining the system
and managing the scope of the system.
This information results in a refinement of the Vision
document, as well as a better understanding of the requirements
attributes. Also, during this workflow detail you may start discussing the
functional requirements of the system in terms of its use
cases and actors. Those non-functional
requirements, which do not fit easily into the use-case
model, should be documented in the Supplementary
Specifications.
Another important output is an updated Glossary
of terms to facilitate common vocabulary among team members.
How to Staff
The project members involved in understanding stakeholder needs should be
efficient facilitators and have experience in eliciting information. Of course,
familiarity with the targeted technology is desirable, but it is not essential.
Work Guidelines
The following are sample techniques that can be applied to make sure you
collect the correct and relevant information from the stakeholders:
Disciplines >
Requirements >
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