The Challenge of Requirements Elicitation

Barriers to Elicitation The “yes, but” syndrome The “undiscovered ruins” syndrome The “user and the developer” syndrome

The “Yes, But” Syndrome Often users like what they see when evaluating the system, BUT they immediately identify additional features they would like, or things they would like changed. Unlike mechanical devices software doesn’t become “real” to the users until it is finished. Developers need to discover the “buts” early in the process.

The “Undiscovered Ruins” Syndrome How do you find requirements that no one has thought of? The more you find, the more you know exist. Making sure to talk to all stakeholders is one way to address this.

The User and Developer Syndrome Users and developers usually come from different worlds and speak different languages and have different backgrounds, motivations, and objectives. Few developers have had any training in elicitation techniques

The User and Developer Syndrome (Cont’d) Problem Solution Users do not know what they want, or they know what they want but cannot articulate it. Recognize and appreciate the user as domain expert; try alternative communication and elicitation techniques. Users think they know what they want until developers give them what they said they wanted. Provide alternative elicitation techniques earlier; storyboarding, role playing, throwaway prototypes, etc. Analysts think they understand user problems better than users do. Put the analyst in the user’s place. Try role playing for an hour or a day. Everybody believes everybody else is politically motivated. Yes, its part of human nature, so let’s get on with the program.