Project Toolkit

Requirements Capture

Requirements Capture

Techniques and approaches for eliciting and capturing requirements from stakeholders.

Requirements Capture

Requirements capture (elicitation) is the process of gathering requirements from stakeholders and other sources.

Elicitation Techniques

Technique Description Best For
Interviews One-on-one discussions Detailed understanding, sensitive topics
Workshops Group sessions Consensus building, complex areas
Observation Watching users work Understanding actual behaviour
Document analysis Reviewing existing materials Background, existing processes
Surveys Structured questionnaires Large groups, quantitative data
Prototyping Building models to explore UI/UX requirements, validation

Workshop Facilitation

Effective requirements workshops need:

Element Description
Clear objectives What decisions/outputs are needed
Right participants People with knowledge and authority
Structured agenda Logical flow of activities
Visual techniques Diagrams, models, sticky notes
Skilled facilitation Keeping discussion on track
Documented outputs Capture decisions and actions

Interview Best Practices

  1. Prepare - Research the interviewee and topic
  2. Open questions - Encourage detailed responses
  3. Listen actively - Focus on understanding
  4. Probe - Ask follow-up questions
  5. Confirm - Verify understanding
  6. Document - Capture key points promptly

Common Challenges

Challenge Mitigation
Stakeholders don’t know what they want Use prototypes, examples
Conflicting requirements Facilitate prioritisation
Hidden assumptions Ask probing questions
Scope creep Maintain clear boundaries
Missing stakeholders Stakeholder analysis upfront

Outputs

  • Requirements documentation
  • Process models
  • User stories / use cases
  • Prioritised backlog
  • Assumptions log
  • Open questions / issues
Last updated: 13 January 2026
Themes

Planning

Analysis