Requirements Gathering

The purpose is to examine the different methods in gathering requirements. Requirements are
one of the most vital pieces to ensuring the success of a system or project. To ensure the optimal
requirements are received, the methods in which those requirements are obtained are equally
important. Through this paper, we will look at what requirements are, as well as the different
methods in gathering them.

Questionnaires/Surveys:
Questionnaires, or surveys, allowed us to collect information from many people in relatively
short amount of time. This is especially helpful when stakeholders are spread out geographically,
or there are dozen to hundreds of respondents whose input will be needed to help establish
system requirements. When using questionnaires, the questions were focused and organized by a
feature or project objective. Questionnaires was not too long, to ensure that users will complete
them. When constructing the questionnaire, we used general guideline to determine the questions
would be to ask “how, where, when, who, what, and why.” For how: “How will you use this
feature?” “How might we meet this business need?” “How will we know this is complete?” For
where: “Where does the process start?” “Where would the user access this feature?” “Where
would the results be visible?” For when: “When will this feature be used?” “When will the
feature fail?” “When will we be ready to start?” For who: “Who will use this feature?” “Who
will deliver the inputs for the feature?” “Who will deliver the outputs of the feature?” For what:
“What do I know about this feature?” “What does this feature need to do?” “What is the end
result?” “What must happen next?”

Brainstorming
It is one of the most widely used techniques to identify risks in a project. Project team usually
performs brainstorming, often with subject matter experts, risk management experts and other
important stakeholders who can contribute to the risk identification. It allowed us to come up
with risks. During brainstorming sessions were there with no criticism of ideas. The main focus
was to open up possibilities of risk. Judgments and analysis at this stage inhibit idea generation.
Ideas were evaluated at the end of the brainstorming session. Brainstorming sessions had led our
team and help turn their ideas into a list of risks

The four general rules of brainstorming followed are:

Focus on quantity: This rule is a means of enhancing divergent production of ideas, and
removing inhibitions, the aim is to facilitate problem solving through the maxim quantity breeds
quality. This worked because the session was focused on one problem and where there is a time
limit.
2. Withhold criticism: In brainstorming, criticism of ideas generated should be put 'on hold'.
Instead, participants we focused on extending or adding to ideas, reserving criticism for a later
'critical stage' of the process. By suspending judgment, participants felt free to generate unusual
ideas.

3. Welcome unusual ideas: To get a good and long list of ideas, unusual ideas were welcomed.
These were generated by looking from new perspectives and suspending assumptions. These
new ways of thinking provided better solutions.

4. Combine and improve ideas: Good ideas may be combined to form a single better idea. It is
believed to stimulate the building of ideas by a process of association

Interviewing
We held a face-to-face meeting that includes question and answer sessions. The interviews are
conducted with project manager, project team, stakeholders, subject-matter experts, and
individuals who may have participated in similar, past projects. Interviews help us to get first-
hand information about others' experience and knowledge.

Rules of interview followed:

Doing our research

Researching the company before the interview and learning as much as possible about its
services, products, customers and competition for understanding and addressing the company's
needs.

Being prepared

Bring along a folder containing extra copies of resume, a copy of references and paper to take
notes. Questions were prepared to ask at the end of the interview.

Be on time:

Enter the building 10 to 15 minutes before the interview.

Listening

Making sure to not only listening, but also reading between the lines.