Summary
Highlights
Laura Brandenburg emphasizes the importance of thorough preparation for requirements meetings. She suggests investing two to three times the meeting’s duration in preparation, which includes reviewing documentation, preparing deliverables, and formulating questions. The goal is not to have all the answers but to understand what information is needed and to prepare for potential responses, ensuring efficient and effective stakeholder engagement.
Brandenburg introduces the concept of a 'requirements questionnaire', often developed alongside a draft deliverable like a use case or process model. She suggests thinking about the feature or process in question and using 'how', 'where', 'what', 'when', 'who', and 'why' questions to explore it thoroughly. This systematic approach helps uncover necessary details without directly asking confrontational 'why' questions.
The speaker advises using 'why' questions sparingly and subtly, embedding them in conversational and engaging ways rather than direct confrontation. She mentions Bridging the Gap's 'Requirements Discovery Checklist Pack' as a resource to aid in question formulation, offering a free checklist for download to help business analysts speed up their preparation process.
Brandenburg highlights that preparation allows business analysts to focus on listening during meetings, as their questions are pre-planned. This enables them to absorb information better and identify gaps. She also stresses that a questionnaire should be a guide, not a rigid script. Being responsive and showing that stakeholders' contributions are valued builds trust, encourages continued participation, and ensures projects move forward effectively.