What You Need To Know About Requirements Gathering

You and your team decide you’re going to purchase a treat to send to one of your team members for her birthday, and you’re in charge of picking it out.

You settled on a tin of gourmet cookies and made the purchase. But now, someone has mentioned that your team member doesn’t eat gluten. Sigh. You’re back to the drawing board. Next, you order a delicious, gluten-free chocolate cake. But then? You find out that your team member doesn’t like chocolate — she much prefers carrot cake.

Here we go again. You need to order yet another treat.

Getting frustrated (and stress-eating all of those extra treats)? We don’t blame you. This is one of many examples of when effective requirements gathering doesn’t take place.

What is requirements gathering in project management?

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Requirements gathering is the process of determining what your projects need to achieve and what needs to be created to make that happen.

You’re probably familiar with the fact that everybody has their own common project assumptions about what a project should include. Through requirements gathering, you collect insights from a project’s stakeholders to get an adequate grasp on how a project should work — before you start the work.

Project requirements are generally split into two categories:

Let’s add some clarity with a work-related example. Imagine your team is responsible for building a new job application portal for your company. Through the requirements gathering process, you’d connect with different stakeholders — the leadership team, the human resources team, etc. — to understand everything your application portal should include:

Think of requirements gathering as your chance to collect all the different pieces to include so that your finished project not only meets expectations but surpasses them.

Why is requirements gathering important?

Requirement gathering and analysis might sound like an unnecessary formality, especially when you and your team are eager to sink your teeth into the project.

However, getting a handle on a project’s requirements is a crucial step for several reasons. Here’s what can happen when you don’t take the time to understand them:

Projects fall short of expectations : If you don’t know what you’re working toward, it’s pretty hard to achieve it. 47% of unmet project goals tie back to poor requirements management.

Combine all of these, and you have the most frightening risk of all: project failure. Poorly managed project requirements are one of the primary causes of project failure.

What is the requirements gathering process?

Gathering project requirements can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be overly complicated — especially if you break it down into three steps.

Step #1: Solicit requirements from stakeholders

Start by identifying the project’s stakeholders and understanding what they think the project needs to address or include.

For example, perhaps the leadership team thinks your job portal should include videos and information about your culture, and the human resources team wants to track every touchpoint with a candidate. These are all important things to take into consideration as you create your project plan.

This is one of the trickiest steps of the requirements gathering process, and it can sometimes feel like pulling teeth. However, there are many different tools you can use to collect this information in a targeted and helpful way, including:

Step #2: Documenting requirements

Once you’ve gathered your project requirements, you need to document them in a concise and well-organized document.

This document ensures accountability and gives everybody a single source of information about your project’s goals. Don’t worry — we’ll dig into what a project requirements document should look like a little later.

Step #3: Confirming understanding of requirements

Once your project requirements are documented, don’t assume that everybody has a shared understanding.

Instead, share those documented requirements with all of the project's stakeholders to ensure everybody is on the same page before the project begins. If anything was skipped or misunderstood, it’s better to know now.

What are the challenges of requirements gathering?

The formula for the requirements gathering process is fairly straightforward. However, many teams run into roadblocks when trying to understand a project’s requirements. These can include (but aren’t limited to):

The requirements gathering process isn’t without its hiccups, but it’s still well worth your time and effort to ensure you deliver successful projects.

Are there best practices for requirement gathering techniques?

Let’s talk about the bulk of the process: actually gathering the requirements. As we mentioned in the previous section, this can feel challenging.

Fortunately, there are a few tips you can put into play to collect and understand a project’s requirements in a way that’s both efficient and effective.

1. Reiterate the project goal

All of your project requirements have this in common: they’re in support of your broader project goal. So, make sure that you reiterate this objective every time you discuss requirements.

Sticking with our job application portal example, what’s your primary goal in launching that portal? Do you want to:

Knowing your core goal will give you the context you need to understand which requirements should take priority — and which may need to be postponed.

2. Focus on the right stakeholders

You want to ensure you connect with enough people to have a well-rounded view of your project’s requirements. But opening it up to everybody can be both overwhelming and confusing.

When it comes to requirements gathering, stay focused on a project’s key stakeholders. Who are the people or teams who will be directly impacted by this project? Those are the people you should be talking to.

3. Leave enough time

Requirements gathering won't be a quick task , and it likely won't be a one-time event. Stakeholders will think of things they forgot to mention, and you’ll think of questions you forgot to ask.

For that reason, make sure you build in enough time for the requirements gathering process. That will give you the breathing room you need to do a thorough job, without feeling squeezed for time.

4. Summarize and confirm your understanding

Assumptions can be dangerous, especially when it comes to project requirements. You might think you know what a stakeholder or team is requesting, only to find out you were on the wrong path when you’ve already sunk hours into the project.

It never hurts to confirm your understanding. When somebody mentions a requirement, summarize what they’ve shared with you. This is an important element of active listening , which is helpful in a variety of contexts — including requirements gathering. This quick summary gives them the opportunity to confirm your direction or correct you before you’ve started.

Even if you do everything you can to gather requirements as accurately as possible, surprises and miscommunications can still happen. That’s why an Agile approach (or Agile requirements gathering) can be so helpful, as it gives you regular intervals to reassess and make any necessary adjustments.

Are there requirement gathering tools available?

From mind maps or process diagrams to surveys or user stories, there’s no shortage of tools you can use to gather better product requirements.

On the technology side, there’s also plenty of software that can take the pain and pressure out of collecting requirements . For example, a collaborative work management platform like UDN Task Manager will help you:

That means you’ll know exactly what’s required of a project and have the visibility you need to ensure you’re checking those boxes.

Ready to get a solid handle on requirements and push more winning projects across the finish line? Start your free trial of UDN Task Manager today .