How to Gather Requirements for Your Project – Part I

Gathering requirements from your customer is one of the most important things before you write your requirement document, and hence which enables the subsequent activities like High Level Design or Detailed/Low Level Design during project execution.

You need to have a preliminary set of requirements for the complete project (similar to preliminary scope statement in PMP) during your project ignition stage. These requirements help you do build the final requirements (similar to project scope statement in PMP).

However, how you go for it in a practical realistic way. Here are some of the tips:

1. Send the customer a project brief

This will detail the need of the project being taken, what are the technologies being involves, the stakeholders etc. However, it is important to have it the main aim of the projects and what you are trying to have it in here in a detailed format.
In this document you can have the project charter as reference and emphasize on the core elements which you are going to discuss. By this you help the customer in stimulating the though process.

2. Have a comfortable environment for your discussion

Start off with something which is informal. Like the weather, the current market in this case and move into the relevant topic. This creates an element of informality, which should make both parties comfortable.

3. Start with open ended questions

Open ended questions are those which does not result in a YES or NO answer. Rather, here you give the customer to provide as much information as possible with least possible questions. Like:
- What do you think of this architecture for the project?
- What is your suggestion about the current technologies that we are using?

4. Ask pointed questions

From each open ended question you need to move into a probing sort of questions. Like say you want to know which particular technology will be suitable for communication - say for to hook up a legacy Java application with a new one can have many choices such as Java Messaging Service, HTTP, Socket or Remote Method Invocation etc.


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5. Validate your understanding

Here the idea is to put the customer understanding in your own words. You can say that; “If I understand correctly, is this what you meant to say …?”

6. Digest and put it in your own words

Sometimes it happens that you get a lot of information, which is does not get organized in your thought process. Here, you can use the technique number 5 and put down your thoughts in an organized way.
In management terms, it is also called “paraphrasing”.

7. If you do not understand, inform them clearly

This helps and if the other person is truly a professional, it is really appreciated.

8. Keep the discussion on track

You may deviate from the original topic sometimes. However, politely put back on track, like saying – “This is a good point; however I want to know…”

To be continued . . .

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