Eliciting Requirements - Elicitation Techniques

7 important questions on Eliciting Requirements - Elicitation Techniques

What factors influence the choice of elicitation techniques?

- Distinction between conscious, unconscious, and subconscious requirements that are to be elicited
- time and budget constraints, as well as the availability of the stakeholders
- the experience of the requirements engineer with particular technique
- the chances and risks of the project

What are the elicition techniques available?

  1. Surveytechniques (e.g.interviews,questionnaires)
  2. Creativitytechniques (e.g.brainstorming, brainstorming paradox, change of perspective, analogy technique)
  3. Document-centric techniques (e.g. system archaeology, perspective-based reading, requirements reuse)
  4. Observation techniques (e.g. field observation, apprenticing)
  5. Support techniques (e.g. mind mapping, workshops, CRC cards, audio and video recordings, use case modeling, prototypes)

Describe the survey technique?

  • Good for eliciting explicit knowledge (satisfiers, performance factors):
  • interview, questionaires
  • Higher grades + faster learning
  • Never study anything twice
  • 100% sure, 100% understanding
Discover Study Smart

Describe the creativity technique?


Advantage: Good for eliciting excitement factors. (delighters, unconcious requirements).
Disadvantage: Creative techniques are not suitable for specific functions about system behavior.
  1. brainstorming
  2. brainstorming paradox (what can go wrong)
  3. change of perspective
  4. analogy technique (how other branche fix it)

Describe the document-centric technique?

Good for elicting basic factors (dissatisfiers; subconscious requirements). This technique ensures that all functions of the old system are adopted. The document techniques must always be combined with other techniques to validate the requirements for the new system.
Three options:
  • system archaeology
  • perspective-based reading
  • requirements reuse

Describe the observation technique?


Well suited to elicit detailed requirements and dissatisfiers; is not suited for the development of new processes.
  • Advantage: to be used if the domain specialists are not available or only for a short time.The requirements engineer observes the stake brochure.
  • Requirements engineer observes and documents the system and the processes that the system must be able to handle. Just like potential risks and errors.

Describe support technique?

Addition to the elicitation techniques which try to balance out the weaknesses and pitfalls of the chosen elicitation technique:
  • mind mapping
  • workshops
  • CRC cards (Class responsibility Collaboration)
  • audio and video recordings
  • use case modeling
  • prototypes

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

  • A unique study and practice tool
  • Never study anything twice again
  • Get the grades you hope for
  • 100% sure, 100% understanding
Remember faster, study better. Scientifically proven.
Trustpilot Logo