Requirements Gathering Techniques Workshop

Location: Massey Business Center, Belmont University

Course Duration: 3 Days
Course Fees: $1,595

Instructor Led, Facilitated Workshop
PDU Credits:  21 for eligible PMP’s

Course Overview

Know how to ask the right questions…and you'll get the right answers! That's the basis for understanding the client's needs when it comes to capturing requirements. This is a "must have" course for anyone needing to define requirements for their project.
This course clearly explains the objectives, the process, and the techniques associated with gathering requirements. A variety of approaches are explained in detail and then augmented with professional tips and methods.
The workshop comprises more than half the course and provides a real-world example to allow the participants to practice the techniques as if they were required to do so for their own project. Concepts, methods, and templates will be explained, and then participants will use the simulated project to “test drive” some of the requirements gathering activities.

Optional Approach:  Teams can use their own project as the basis for the workshop.  However, only one project can be considered for each course. Coordination with the facilitator ( a completed project questionnaire and a brief overview of the project) and pre-work by the participants are required two weeks prior to the class if this option is considered

Key Benefits

By taking this workshop, participants will be able to:
  • Define the scope and context of requirements gathering on a specific project
  • Apply a variety of requirements gathering techniques
  • Identify stakeholders and help them participate more effectively in requirements gathering activities
  • Use interpersonal skills to obtain consensus and approval from stakeholders about the requirements

Who Should Attend
This course is a must-have for the Business Analyst, Business Sponsor, and/or Project Manager involved with specifying requirements for their project.  However, anyone involved with requirements gathering are welcome to attend

Prerequisites
A general knowledge of the Requirements process is required.  This knowledge can be gained from the ACC courses titled “Essential Skills for the IT Business Analyst”.

Recommended Follow-On Courses
  • Analyzing and Documenting Requirements using Use Cases

Course Contents
 
Course Introduction

Fundamentals for Requirements Gathering
  • The Business Analysts dilemma
  • What are the reasons for project success and failure?
  • The Requirements Framework
  • What are requirements?
  • Who are Stakeholders?
  • What is Requirements Gathering and how does it fit in the Framework?
 
Organizing for Success
  • Exercise: Brainstorming
  • Know your Team
  • Know Yourself
  • Know the Process
  • Best Practices for Requirements Gathering
Understanding the Scope
  • The Project Charter
  • The Project Scope Statement
  • Using a context diagram to discover scope
  • Understanding how high level Business Process models support scoping
Stakeholder Analysis and Management
  • Importance of Stakeholders
  • Identifying Stakeholders
  • Analyzing Stakeholders
  • Managing and communicating with Stakeholders
Interviewing Techniques
  • Plan and conduct and Interview
  • Questionnaires and Surveys
  • Job Shadowing
  • Observation
  • Focus Groups
Prototyping
  • Plan and develop a prototype
  • Storyboarding
  • Paper prototyping
  • Wire frames and Mock-ups
  • Interactive HTML prototype
Process Modeling
  • UML notation
  •  Or (optional) BPMN
  • Other techniques
Facilitated Requirement Gathering Sessions
  • Plan and conduct a Facilitated Session
  • Tips to achieve consensus
  • How to avoid Groupthink
  • Managing the Session
Other Techniques and Course Summary
  • Document analysis
  • Interface Analysis
  • Reverse Engineering