Scope and Quality · tool 4 of 9
Requirements Elicitation
Requirements Elicitation: finds out what people need, which is rarely what they first ask for.
Best for: Early scoping · Time: Days, in short sessions
Domain: Scope · Focus area: Planning
How it works
Stakeholders usually describe solutions. Your job is to find the need behind them, using interviews, workshops, observation and prototypes.
- Ask why until you reach the outcome.
- Watch people work; they’ll skip what they take for granted.
- Capture non-functional needs such as speed, security and accessibility.
How to apply it
- Identify who uses, pays and supports.
- Interview a few from each group.
- Play back what you heard in plain words.
- Prioritize and get it agreed.
In practice
“We need a dashboard” became “I need to know by 9 am which orders are at risk”. A daily email solved it.
Pro tip
Show something early, even a sketch. People find it far easier to react than to imagine.
Quick check
A stakeholder says “we need a dashboard”. Best first move?
Sources
- PMBOK® Guide, 8th edition, and The Standard for Project Management (PMI, 2025)
- IIBA, BABOK® Guide, version 3 (2015)
Last reviewed 2026-11-02 against the PMBOK® Guide, 8th edition · Practitioner review pending · How this guide is made