Comments on: How to Keep Your Elicitation Session From Going Off Track

By: How to Get Your Stakeholders to Stop Repeating Themselves - NLP for Business Analysts

Sat, 04 Feb 2017 09:04:33 +0000

[…] With just a few subtle adjustments – taking the time to confirm understanding by rephrasing what you heard in your own words – and you’ve got a much deeper level of engagement with your stakeholder. And, in my experience, a much more efficient elicitation process. […]

By: 53 Tips For Discovering All the Requirements | Learn Project Management

53 Tips For Discovering All the Requirements | Learn Project Management — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 21:45:25 +0000

[…] new, not the requirements for your project. As a BA, it’s important you actively keep the meetings you facilitate on track, by addressing side conversations head on and engaging people where they are […]

By: Laura Brandenburg

Laura Brandenburg — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 21:25:08 +0000

In reply to Bini.

@Bini, Great points! If we don’t engage, we can lead a “boring” meeting and allow less essential but urgent items to distract our stakeholder attention.

@Esme, Sometimes it is the case that the BA is working on what becomes a non-important project. That’s why the question I suggest asking is so impactful – it gives you new information to work with. When I have the option, I also prefer smaller meetings and dividing up the meetings to best leverage stakeholder time. But like Bini says, it’s not always possible or the best approach.

By: Bini

Bini — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 03:03:17 +0000

@Esme
A conversation on the sidelines could result from a range of reasons including but not limited to possibly other more important issues at hand (as Laura has suggested), a long day at work, some personal problems or just attitude! There is also a chance that the BA’s “speech” is not keeping them engaged. Talking to a completely wrong stakeholder is also possible, but I feel happens only rarely.

Setting a restriction of having only 7 people is also not always practical. I provide services to government sector, and I have been in several workshops that have had over 10 stakeholders. Getting an end-to-end process overview and understanding how the responsibilities and data from the first stakeholder pass all the way thru to the last stakeholder is key to sound requirements gathering. If a project manager or coordinator can assist in taking notes then it is a big help in such cases.

By: Esme

Esme — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 12:21:38 +0000

Don’t you think that if people get completely sidetracked by things that are unimportant and does not have any bearing on the meeting that they are not invested in the project? And that you are probably speaking to the wrong stakeholders?

Meetings can become boring quickly when only one person is speaking all the time. I suggest the BA starts the conversation and involves everyone by asking for their input and if they agree. That way they have to listen and they will feel important giving their input.

Perhaps a good idea is also to only meet with 7 people at most at a time. Will be difficult to keep everyone’s attention and keep them involved if there are 10 or more people?

I think the BA must have a relationship with the people which will help them to open up about subjects regarding the project. In the end its all about open communication right?