ELICITATION AND

COLLABORATION
Chapter 4, BABOK
 Interviews

WHY SHOULD YOU

ELICITE NEEDS,
REQUIRMENTS &
Document
Workshops
Analysis

COLLABORATE Elicitation
Techniques

EXCELLENTLY WITH
YOUR
STAKEHOLDERS?
Brainstorming Observation
 PREPARE FOR ELICITATION

CONDUCT ELICITATION

TASKS CONFIRM ELICITATION RESULTS

COMMUNICATE BUSINESS ANALYSIS

INFORMATION

MANAGE STAKEHOLDER COLLABORATION

TASK 1: PREPARE FOR ELICITATION
WHY?

Procure
Understand
Select appropriate
scope of
appropriate supporting
elicitation
techniques material and
activity
resources
HOW?
As a Business Analysts, you prepare for elicitation by :

Assessing the Considering the Defining the Determine work

products to produce
goals of the stakeholders desired outcomes using the elicitation
initiative. involved of activity results

Understand the
Deciding circumstances that
Establish the Supporting materials
techniques that elicitation logistics needed
foster collaboration
produce that result during an elicitation
activity.
PREPARE FOR
ELICITATION
INPUT/OUTPUT
DIAGRAM
INPUTS

Stakeholder Engagement
Approach: understanding
Needs :guides the preparation
stakeholders’ communication
in terms of the scope and
and collaboration needs helps
purpose of elicitation activities.
plan and prepare appropriate
and effective elicitation events.
ELEMENTS 1. UNDERSTAND THE SCOPE OF ELICITATION

WHY?
To determine the type of business
analysis information to be
discovered during the elicitation
activity and the techniques that may
be used.
ELEMENTS 1. UNDERSTAND THE SCOPE OF ELICITATION
HOW?
➢ Consider the business domain,
➢ Corporate culture and environment,
➢ Stakeholder locations,
➢ Who are the stakeholders and their dynamics,
➢ Expected outputs the elicitation activities will feed,
➢ Skills of the business analysis practitioner,
➢ Scope of future solution, and
➢ Possible sources of other BA information that might
feed into elicitation activity.
ELEMENTS 2: SELECT ELICITATION TECHNIQUES

Multiple techniques can be used during an elicitation activity

based on the understanding of the scope .

When selecting elicitation techniques, business analysts consider:

the tasks needed to prepare,
techniques commonly used in techniques specifically suited to
execute, and complete each
similar initiatives, the situation, and
technique.
ELEMENTS 3: SET UP LOGISTICS
Participants and their roles,

Scheduled resources,
including people, rooms, and
tools,

Communication channels,
techniques, and languages
used by stakeholders (oral and
written).
ELEMENTS 4: SECURE SUPPORTING MATERIALS

Information on people, systems,

historical data, materials and
documents existing system
documents, relevant business
rules, organizational polices,

regulations, and contracts.

Outputs of other analysis work,
such as draft versions
ELEMENTS 5: PREPARE STAKEHOLDERS
BAs may need to educate stakeholders on how an elicitation technique works or
what information is needed.

Explain elicitation technique to stakeholders.

Align elicitation activity's objective to their individual objectives.

The BA obtains buy-in from all necessary stakeholders.

BAs also prepare stakeholders by requesting that they review supporting materials
prior to the elicitation activity

Provide the agenda in advance to support stakeholders in coming prepared to the

activity with the necessary frame of mind and information.

Eliciting through research or exploration may be a solo activity for the BA and does
not require preparing other stakeholders
GUIDELINES AND TOOLS

Business Analysis Approach: Business Objectives:

sets the general strategy to be describe the desired direction
used to guide the business needed to achieve the future state.
analysis work. They can be used to plan and
prepare elicitation events, and to
develop supporting materials.

Existing Business Analysis Potential Value:

Information: describes the value to be realized by
may provide a better implementing the proposed future state
understanding of the goals of the and can be used to shape elicitation
elicitation activity, and aid in events.
preparing for elicitation.
SOME TECHNIQUES

Brainstorming Data Mining

TECHNIQUES

Stakeholder List, Map, Risk Analysis and

or Personas Management
 STAKEHOLDERS

Sponsor: has the authority to approve or deny a planned elicitation

event, and to authorize and require the participation of specific
stakeholders.

Project Manager: ensures that the appropriate resources are

available to conduct the elicitation.

Domain Subject Matter Expert: provides supporting materials as

well as guidance about which other sources of BA information to
consult. May also help to arrange research, experiments, and
facilitated elicitation.
OUTPUT

Elicitation Activity Plan:

Used for each elicitation activity.

It includes logistics, scope of the elicitation

activity, selected techniques, and supporting
materials
TASK 2: CONDUCT ELICITATION
WHY?

To draw out, explore

Identify information
relevant to the change
HOW?..... Types of Elicitation
Collaborative: Research: Experiments:

• Involves direct • Discovering and • Controlled test used

interaction with studying when information
stakeholders, and information from cannot be drawn
relies on their materials or sources from people or
experiences, that are not directly documents—
expertise, and known by because it is
judgment. stakeholders involved unknown.
in the change.
• Experiments
• Data analysis of include
historical data to observational
identify trends or past studies, proofs of
results. concept, and
prototypes
INPUT/OUTPUT
DIAGRAM
INPUTS
Elicitation Activity Plan includes the:

planned elicitation activities and techniques,

activity logistics (for example, date, time,

location, resources, agenda),

scope of the elicitation activity, and

available sources of background information.

ELEMENTS 1: GUIDE ELICITATION ACTIVITY

The elicitation activity goals and agenda,

Ensure that the elicitation

activities are focused on Scope of the change,
producing the intended
information at the desired level
What forms of outputs the activity will
of detail.
generate,
To guide and facilitate towards
How the output integrates into what is
the expected outcomes,
already known,
business analysts considers:

Who provides the information

ELEMENTS 2: CAPTURE ELICITATION OUTCOMES
If the elicitation activity is
Conducting elicitation is
unplanned, outcomes are
often iterative and takes
captured and integrated
place in either in parallel
into the appropriate
or in sequence.
planned outcomes.

Capturing the elicitation

outcomes helps to ensure
that the information
produced during elicitation
activities is recorded for
later reference and use
GUIDELINES AND TOOLS
Business Analysis • Influences how each elicitation activity is performed,
as it identifies the types of outputs that will be
Approach : needed based on the approach.

Existing BA • May guide the questions posed during elicitation and

Information: elicitation approach used

Stakeholder
• Provides collaboration and communication
Engagement approaches that might be effective during elicitation.
Approach:

• Prepare both the business analyst and participants

Supporting Materials : before elicitation, as well as any information, tools,
or equipment to be used during the elicitation.
TECHNIQUES

Interviews: Survey or
Benchmarking and Questionnaire:
Market Analysis: Business Rules used to ask
Analysis: used to Data Mining: questions of used to elicit
used as a source of used to identify business analysis
business analysis identify the rules stakeholders to
that govern relevant uncover needs, information,
information by information and
comparing a decisions identify problems,
patterns.
specific process,
system, product,
service, or
structure with
some external
baseline. Prototyping: Mind Mapping:
used to elicit and validate used to generate ideas
stakeholders' needs through from a group of
an iterative process that stakeholders in a short
creates a model or design of period, and to organize
requirement. and prioritize those ideas.
STAKEHOLDERS

• Any stakeholders:
could have relevant knowledge or
experience to participate in elicitation
activities.
OUTPUT

Elicitation Results
(unconfirmed):

Captured information in a
format that is specific to the
elicitation activity
TASK 3: CONFIRM ELICITATION RESULTS
WHY &HOW

To check the information

Identify any problems and resolve
gathered during an elicitation
them before resources are
session for accuracy and
committed to using the
consistency with other
information.
information.

Collaborate with stakeholders

If the results are inconsistent,
to ensure their inputs are
additional elicitation might
correctly captured and that
need to be conducted to resolve
they agree with the results of
the discrepancies.
non-facilitated elicitation.
INPUT/OUTPUT
DIAGRAM
ELEMENTS 1: COMPARE ELICITATION RESULTS AGAINST SOURCE
INFORMATION

Task Conduct Elicitation

describes sources from The business analyst may
which elicitation results lead follow-up meetings
may be derived, including where stakeholders correct
documents and the elicitation results.
stakeholder knowledge.
ELEMENTS 2: COMPARE ELICITATION RESULTS AGAINST OTHER
ELICITATION RESULTS

BAs compare results collected through multiple elicitation

activities and/or historical data to confirm that the recent
information is consistent and accurately represented.

As comparisons are drawn, business analysts identify

variations in results and resolve them in collaboration
with stakeholders.

Inconsistencies in elicitation results are often uncovered

when business analysts develop specifications and
models.
GUIDELINES &TOOLS

Elicitation Activity Existing Business

Plan: Analysis Information:
• Used to guide which • Used to confirm the
alternative sources results of elicitation
and which elicitation activities or to
results are to be develop additional
compared. questions to draw out
more detailed
information.
TECHNIQUES

Document Analysis: Interviews:

used to confirm the business
used to confirm elicitation results
analysis information and to confirm
against source information or other
that the integration of that information is
existing documents.
correct.

Workshops:
Reviews:
used to conduct reviews of the drafted
used to confirm a set of elicitation elicitation results using any level of
results. Such reviews could be informal formality. A predetermined agenda,
or formal depending on the risks of scripts, or scenario tests may be used to
not having correct, useful, and relevant walk through the elicitation results, and
information. feedback is requested from the participants
and recorded
STAKEHOLDERS

A N Y S TA K E H O L D E R :

All types of stakeholders

may need to participate in
confirming elicitation
results
OUTPUTS

Elicitation Results (confirmed)

Integrated output that the business analyst and other stakeholders

agree correctly reflects captured information and confirms that it
is relevant and useful as an input to further work.
TASK 4:
COMMUNICATE BUSINESS ANALYSIS INFORMATION
WHY? HOW?
❑ Toensure stakeholders have a ❑ Communicate appropriate
shared understanding of information to stakeholders at
the right time and in formats
business analysis information.
that meet their needs.
❑ Business analysts engage
❑ Communication of business stakeholders to ensure they
understand the information and
analysis information is bi-
gain agreement.
directional and iterative
❑ BA acts on any disagreements.
COMMUNICATE BA INFORMATION INPUT/OUTPUT DIAGRAM
INPUTS

Business • any kind of information at any level of

Analysis detail that is used as an input or output
Information: of business analysis work.
• describes stakeholder groups, roles,
Stakeholder
and general needs regarding
Engagement
communication of business analysis
Approach:
information.
ELEMENTS 1.
DETERMINE OBJECTIVES AND FORMAT OF COMMUNICATION
Communication of requirements and designs to stakeholders,

Inputs to solution design,

BA Information
Formal reviews and approvals,
packages may
be prepared Evaluation of possible alternatives,

for several Conformance to contractual and regulatory obligations,

reasons : and

Early assessment of quality and planning,

Maintenance for reuse.

 FORMATS OF COMMUNICATION

• Presentations:
• Formal Documentation: • Informal Documentation: deliver a high-level overview
is usually based on a template used may include text, diagrams, or appropriate for understanding
by the organization and may matrices that are used during a goals of a change, functions of a
include text, matrices, or diagrams. change but are not part of a solution, or information to
It provides a stable, easy to use, formal organizational process. support decision making.
long-term record of the
information.
ELEMENTS 2. COMMUNICATE BUSINESS ANALYSIS PACKAGE
To provide Group collaboration:
stakeholders with the • Used to communicate the package to a group of relevant
appropriate level of stakeholders at the same time. It allows immediate
detail about the discussion about the information and related issues.
change so they can Individual collaboration:
understand the
• Used to communicate the package to a single
information it contains, stakeholder at a time. It can be used to gain individual
review, question and understanding of the information when a group setting is
raise concerns. not feasible, most productive communication platform.

E-mail or other non-verbal methods:

HOW? • Used to communicate matured information that will need
little or no verbal explanation to support it
GUIDELINES AND TOOLS

Business Analysis Approach: Information Management

Approach:
• Describes how the various types of
information will be disseminated rather
than what will be disseminated. • Helps determine how BA
Information will be packaged and
• It describes the level of detail and communicated to stakeholders.
formality required, frequency of the
communications, and how
communications could be affected by the
number and geographic dispersion of
stakeholders.
TECHNIQUES
Interviews: Used to individually communicate information to
stakeholders.

Reviews: Used to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to express

feedback, request required adjustments, understand required
responses and actions, and agree or provide approvals. Reviews can
be used during group or individual collaboration.

Workshops: Used to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to

express feedback and to understand required adjustments,
responses, and actions. They are also useful for gaining
STAKEHOLDERS

• Any stakeholder:

All types of stakeholders will

likely need to be
communicated with at some
point during the change
initiative.
OUTPUT

Business Analysis Information (communicated):

Business analysis information is considered communicated

when the target stakeholders have reached an
understanding of its content and implications
TASK 5: MANAGE STAKEHOLDER COLLABORATION
● The more visible or significant
the impact of the change is
within the organization; the
more attention is directed to
managing stakeholder
collaboration.

● The business analyst should

constantly monitor and assess
each stakeholder’s attitude to
that might affect their
involvement in the business
analysis activities.
 failure to provide quality information,

Poor relationships strong negative reactions to setbacks

with stakeholders and obstacles,

can have many

resistance to change,
detrimental effects
on business lack of support for, and participation
in, business analysis work, and
analysis, including:
business analysis information being
ignored.
 DO YOU AS A BA HAVE TO MANAGE ALL
STAKEHOLDERS ON AN INITIATIVE?
Stakeholder provide services to the business analyst, including
inputs to business analysis tasks and other support activities.

depend on services provided by the business analyst, including

outputs of business analysis tasks

participate in the execution of business analysis tasks.

WHY? HOW?
To encourage stakeholders Managing stakeholder
to work towards a collaboration is an
common goal. ongoing activity.

Managing stakeholder
Stakeholders are an
collaboration begins once
important source of needs, stakeholders have been
constraints, and identified and analyzed.
assumptions

Stakeholders hold various As new stakeholders are

identified, their role,
degrees of influence and
influence, and relationship
authority over the to the initiative are analyzed
approval of work products
MANAGE STAKEHOLDER COLLABORARTION
INPUT/OUTPUT DIAGRAM
INPUTS

Stakeholder Business Analysis

Engagement Performance
Approach: Assessment:
Provides key information
Describes the types of
about the effectiveness of
expected engagement with
business analysis tasks
stakeholders and how they
being executed, including
might need to be
those focused on
managed.
stakeholder engagement
ELEMENTS 1. GAIN AGREEMENT ON COMMITMENTS

BA works with The specific Dialogue and Both parties

stakeholders details of the negotiate the must agree on
early on to commitments terms and the
gather can be conditions of the commitment.
commitments, communicated commitments.
expectations and formally or
desired informally.
outcomes.
ELEMENTS 2. MONITOR STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
BAs monitor the participation and
Business analysts continually
performance of stakeholders to
monitor for such risks as:
ensure that:

the right SMEs and other stakeholders stakeholders being diverted to other
are participating effectively, work,
elicitation activities not providing the
stakeholder attitudes and interest
quality of business analysis
are staying constant or improving,
information required, and
elicitation results are confirmed in a
delayed approvals.
timely manner, and

agreements and commitments are

maintained
ELEMENTS 3. COLLABORATION

Stakeholders are All stakeholders Collaboration Collaboration

more likely to involved should feel involves regular, promotes a shared
support change if that they are heard, frequent, and bi- effort to resolve
business analysts their opinions matter, directional problems and achieve
collaborate with and their communication. desired outcomes
them and encourage contributions are
the free flow of recognized.
information, ideas,
and innovations.
GUIDELINES & TOOLS
• Business Analysis Approach:
describes the nature and level of • Business Objectives: describe the
collaboration required from each desired direction needed to achieve
stakeholder group to perform the future state.
planned business analysis activities.

• Recommended Actions:
• Future State Description: defines communicating what needs be done
the desired future state and the to improve the value of a solution
expected value. can increase stakeholder support on
a common goal.

• Risk Analysis Results: stakeholder-

related risks will need to be addressed
to ensure stakeholder collaboration
activities are successful
TECHNIQUES
Collaborative Games: used to stimulate teamwork and collaboration by temporarily
immersing participants in a safe and fun situation e.g. product box ,affinity map etc.
https://businessanalystmentor.com/collaborative-games-business-analysis/

Lessons Learned: used to understand stakeholders' satisfaction or dissatisfaction.

Risk Analysis and Management: used to identify and manage risks as they relate to
stakeholder involvement, participation, and engagement.

• Stakeholder List, Map, or Personas: used to determine who is available to

participate in the business analysis work, show the informal relationships between
stakeholders, and understand which stakeholders should be consulted about different
kinds of business analysis information.
STAKEHOLDERS

• All stakeholders:

all types of stakeholders who

might be involved in
collaboration during change.
OUTPUTS

Stakeholder Engagement:

Willingness from stakeholders to engage in business

analysis activities and interact with the business analyst
when necessary.
TA S T E O F C B A P ! ! !
1. A business analyst (BA) facilitated
elicitation activities with subject matter 2. In a software implementation project, the
experts and end users using observation, designated business analyst (BA) has conducted
workshops, and interviews. all the elicitation activities and now needs to
confirm the elicitation results.
After comparing the results, how should
the BA resolve the variations? What is used by the BA Professional to guide
which sources of information and which results
A. Identify a few key stakeholders to are to be compared?
resolve the conflicts
A. Information management approach
B. Set up additional activities to
collaboratively resolve the issues B. Business analysis plan

C. Remove requirements that cause C. Elicitation activity plan

differences D. Business analysis approach
D. Weight the results from the observation
because it is more reliable
3. In a requirements elicitation effort, 4. A business analyst (BA) has been assigned
the business analyst (BA) needs to to manage the ongoing stakeholder
define boundaries for business domains, collaboration after completing a project. The
categorize and create a hierarchy of BA needs to understand the stakeholders'
items, and show data sources and their level of satisfaction and wants to offer
relationships for specific audiences. stakeholders an opportunity to help improve
the working relationships based on this
Which of the following modeling
information.
formats should the BA use?
Which technique should the BA use?
A. Diagrams
A. Risk analysis and management
B. Graphics
B. Brainstorming
C. Matrices
C. Collaborative games
D. Prototype
D. D. Lessons learned
5. The business analyst (BA) is 6. A multi-domain project has stakeholders
facilitating a requirements workshop with different technical backgrounds. The
with a large group of diverse presentation prepared by the business analyst
stakeholders, some of whom are not (BA) for domain 1 was also used for domain
entirely familiar with the goals and 2 but the presentation was not clear and
objectives of the project. caused concerns for stakeholders in domain
2.
The BA must understand the business
domain, corporate culture, group What can the BA do to alleviate the
dynamics, and expected outputs to concerns of the stakeholders in domain 2?
adequately communicate the
A. Create a survey applicable for the
__________.
stakeholders in domain 2.
A. change strategy.
B. Produce an estimation applicable for the
B. requirements prioritization. stakeholders in domain
C. elicitation scope. C. Present a model applicable for the
stakeholders in domain 2.
D. enterprise architecture.
D. Develop a backlog applicable for the
stakeholders in domain 2.
• 7. A floral company wants to gather 8. Contracts are currently managed by more
information about each of its 30 than 20 contract owners across the
international facilities to determine organization, each happily managing in their
whether employees are satisfied with own way. A business analyst (BA) is tasked to
their jobs. elicit requirements for centrally managing
software maintenance and license contracts.
Which of the following elicitation
techniques should the business analyst Which of the following does the BA need
(BA) use? to carry out first?
A. Survey A. Identify business requirements
B. Decision analysis B. Identify future state conditions
C. Observation C. Recommend an off the shelf product
D. Concept modelling D. Complete an enterprise readiness
assessment
9. A project is implemented using a 10. A business analyst (BA) is compiling a
predictive approach. Unfortunately, a communication plan by reviewing
lot of change requests (CR) have been stakeholders and identifying the needs of
raised. A project manager (PM), who the stakeholders. The BA organizes the
should approve each change request, is stakeholders based on their needs and
overworked. decides that all communication will be
What could the business analyst (BA) handled through e-mail so that information
propose to make things better? can be disseminated quickly and easily while
maintaining a record.
A. Approve the CRs independently
for the PM What has the BA missed in the stakeholder
analysis?
B. Transfer responsibility from the
PM to a project's sponsor. A. Presentation materials

C. Revisit the Business Analysis B. Preferences

Governance approach C. Business objectives
D. Decline CRs because of the D. Retention
approach
11. Before investing further in the 12. A business analyst (BA) is tasked with
project, a customer and the key developing a business analysis plan and must
stakeholders of the project want to be decide the best approach to use.
able to visualize the final product.
Which of the following factors would drive
Which elicitation technique should the
the decision towards an adaptive approach?
business analyst (BA) select?
A. Requirements can effectively be defined
A. Interface Analysis
ahead of implementation.
B. Prototyping
B. The risk of an incorrect implementation
C. Observation is unacceptably high.
D. Reverse Engineering C. Engaging stakeholders presents significant
challenges.
D. The organization's tolerance for
uncertainty is high.
13. In a requirements management 14. A business analyst (BA) has recently
effort, the business analyst (BA) has completed a comprehensive stakeholder
reviewed all the requirements and has analysis. Next, the BA would like to
completed assessing the various impacts consider ways in which to ensure that the
of changes to some of the stakeholders remain engaged throughout the
requirements. The BA is planning to change strategy. Some of the considerations
share the impact of the changes to all include timing and frequency, location,
the stakeholders and obtain a consensus available tools, delivery methods, and the
in resolution of some of the changes. stakeholders' preferences.

Which technique will help the BA In which of the following plans would the
obtain a resolution on the impact of BA document these considerations?
the requirement changes? A. Communications Management Plan
A. Focus groups B. Business Analysis Plan
B. Workshops C. Stakeholder Analysis Plan
C. Interviews D. Stakeholder Collaboration Plan
D. Surveys
15.A business analyst (BA) is assigned a
new project to improve a delivery 16.A business analyst (BA) is eliciting
process. Which of the following does requirements to automate existing manual
the BA create as an output of the processes for fulfilling end users service
initial meeting with experts? requests. There is pressure from management
to automate the process quickly using a
A. Information management approach commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) tool. The
B. Elicitation activity plan COTS solution has various modules
C. Entity relationship diagram including one for service request
automation that has yet to be implemented
D. Current state flowchart in the organization.
What is the BA's first step?
A. Implement the COTS tool's modules
B. Create a change strategy
C. Perform a gap analysis to understand
missing capabilities
D. Modify the COTS tools to fit the
existing process
• 17. After having created several 18. The business analyst (BA) presented a
prototypes of a new web-based concept model during a requirements walk
application, a business analyst (BA) through to the project sponsor, implementation
would like to meet with the subject matter expert, and operational support
organization's stakeholders to elicit staff. While the presentation was clear to the
their perception, ideas, and attitudes project sponsor, the other stakeholders were
about the prototypes. unsure about the impacts to their respective
daily tasks.
Which of the following techniques should
the BA use? What should the BA include in the next walk
through, so that all stakeholders have a better
A. Focus Groups understanding of the requirements?
B. Prioritization A. A governance architecture to contextualize
C. Decision Analysis the business analysis approach
D. Brainstorming B. An information management model to
identify requirement gaps
C. A capability model to illustrate strategic
objectives
D. An appropriate level of abstraction to
support differing viewpoints
19. A business analyst (BA) finds conflicting requirements gathered from several
stakeholders.
Aside from interviews, what additional activities can the BA use to safeguard against this
happening?
A. Item tracking and mind mapping
B. User stories and scope modelling
C. Reviews and workshops
D. Brainstorming and estimation
20.A company with a big information technology (IT) department has hired a lead
business analyst (BA) to enhance its business analysis practices. The lead BA discovers that
sponsors are not satisfied with project outcomes. Developers complain about incomplete,
ambiguous, and changing requirements. All stakeholders, including project managers, are
blaming long cycles of analysis for the delays. The business analysts, in turn, feel
overwhelmed with the number of projects and frustrated by the lack of collaboration
from reviewers of their deliverables. All the evidence is anecdotal and none of the groups
could strongly substantiate their options. Even after dozens of reviews, some stakeholders
refuse to sign off on the requirements specification documents because of a few
questionable requirements.
This puts the projects at risk and creates tension between the participants. What should
the lead BA do first?
A. Set limits on duration of sign-offs and the number of reviews
B. Track approvals at the level of individual requirements
C. Escalate the problem to the executive management
D. Offer the stakeholders incentives to sign off documents sooner