What is the purpose of requirements elicitation?

The purpose of requirements elicitation is fundamentally to gather detailed information on stakeholder needs. This process is essential in understanding what stakeholders expect from a project, as it helps identify their requirements, desires, and constraints. By engaging with stakeholders through various techniques such as interviews, surveys, workshops, and observations, a business analyst can compile a comprehensive set of requirements that accurately reflects the needs and objectives of both the stakeholders and the organization.

This information forms the backbone of successful project development, guiding the design, implementation, and validation stages. Clear and well-elucidated requirements lead to improved communication among team members and stakeholders, ensuring that the final product aligns closely with what was envisioned and thus increases the chances of project success. Gathering this detailed information is a critical step that sets the foundation for all subsequent project activities.

In contrast, determining project timelines, reducing project costs, and finalizing project scope are all tasks that may be influenced by the requirements gathered but do not define the core goal of requirements elicitation itself. Those aspects typically come into play after the requirements have been acquired and analyzed.