Client Interview & Requirements
Gathering Workshop
ITEC 455 Business Requirements Analysis
Marisa Thomas, Jesse Felter, Don Draper
Deloitte Consulting LLP
September 28, 2010
Agenda
Introductions
The Requirements Gathering Process
How to Have a Successful Client Meeting
Tips and Tricks for a Successful Interview
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Exercise
Introductions

Marisa Thomas
– Senior Consultant at Deloitte Consulting. Joined firm in July 2006
– Kogod MBA ’06, concentrations in IT Management and Marketing
– Has experience as a functional lead for a Rapid Application Development team

Jesse Felter
– Manager at Deloitte Consulting. Joined firm in March 2007
– Carnegie Mellon University, B.S. ’04, concentration in Information Systems and
Psychology
– Has 6 years of experience with the system development lifecycle including
requirements analysis, system design, development, testing, and implementation
Don Draper
– Manager at Deloitte Consulting. Joined firm in March 2006
– University of Maryland, MBA ‘05, concentrations in Finance and Strategy
– Has 10 years of experience with the system development lifecycle including
requirements analysis, system design, development, testing, and implementation
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
The Requirements Gathering Process
 Define the current
environment.
Determine High
Level System
Requirements
 Determine gaps and
pain points in the
current process.
 Find out what activities
are performed on a daily  Document what
basis.
requirements are within
scope of the system.
 Determine who is
involved in the process
and when.
 Prioritize requirements
to determine which can
be part of later system
enhancements.
Validate and
Document
Requirements
 Create use cases.
 Meet with client to
validate all system
requirements.
 Receive client approval
to move ahead with
system development.
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Define the Business
Process
Determine the Business Process
 Goal: To have a clear understanding of the current
business process and activities.
 End Result: Business Process Map
 How to do it:
– Define the actors within the process.
– Determine the high level steps of the process.
– Ask leading questions about each part
of the process.
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– Talk about activities and responsibilities
for every role.
Determine High Level System Requirements
 Goal: To have an understanding of the scope of
system requirements and client needs.
 End Result: A list of requirements that is ready to
be formatted into use cases.
 How to do it:
– Interview as many users and stakeholders as possible.
– Review interview notes and prioritize system needs.
– Evaluate possible requirements against the scope of the
project.
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– Ask clarifying questions about the business process.
Validate and Document Requirements
 Goal: To receive client verification for documented
system requirements.
 End Result: Use Cases that can be used for
system development.
 How to do it:
– Clearly document all requirements in use case format.
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– Arrange a final requirements meeting to go over these with the
client in person.
How to Have a Successful Meeting
 Set Objectives
 Select Appropriate Client Personnel to Interview
 Determine the Type of Interview
 Consider Outside Information
 Develop an Agenda
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 Decide on a Method of Documentation
Step 1: Set Objectives
 The first step is to establish a clear focus for the
interview
 Important questions to ask yourself are:
– What types of information do I expect to get from the interview?
– Is this the best way to get the information I need?
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– Are there any “gaps” within the information I have that may
require client interaction?
Step 2: Select Appropriate Client Personnel
 Do your homework by knowing the organizational
structure of your client
 Learn as much about your client before coming into
the interview
– This will help to gear the interview towards each person’s
position and personality
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– By doing so you will establish credibility and rapport with the
interviewee
Step 3: Determine the Type of Interview
 One on One Interview
– Typically more comfortable for the interviewee
– Interviewee may be willing to share more information than
when in a group environment
 Group Interview
– Great way to get a range of information in a short amount of
time
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– May be difficult to schedule
Step 4: Consider Outside Information
 Gather as much information as possible
– Review public forms, reports, manuals and other forms of
available information
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 This will increase the efficiency of the time with
your clients
Step 5: Develop an Agenda
 Documents your objectives and goals for the
meeting
 Helps make sure that important points are not
overlooked
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 Keeps the interview moves in a logical progression
Step 6: Decide on a Method of Documentation
 Decide how information will be documented
– Will someone take notes?
– Will the meeting be audio or video taped?
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 Establishing this before the meeting will help the
meeting run smoother and guarantee that all
important points are captured
Tips and Tricks for a Successful Interview
 Lead the conversation with the information that you
already know
 Consider the interviewee’s knowledge and role
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 Paraphrase important findings throughout the
interview to make sure you have accurate
understanding
How to Get the Information You Want
 Ask lots of open ended questions
 Use phrases and words that are easy to
understand
 Avoid biased or loaded questions
 Ask for the opportunity to follow up after the
interview to fill in any gaps you may have
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 Don’t hesitate to move the interview along with
guiding questions
Exercise: Instructions

Break into your project teams

Discuss your approach to scenario
– Interview questions to ask
– How to prepare (preparation, research, etc.)
– Possible Agenda
– Team member role and responsibilities
 Designate a group spokesperson to present your questions
 Client Questioning: 5 minutes per team
 Updates to Team Preparation: 15 minutes
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 Team Preparation: 15 minutes
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Questions
Case Study: Audit Application

Client: The Audit Department who is responsible for cooperating with
and responding to audit requests from various auditing agencies.
They are the main liaison between these audit agencies and the
department(s) within the company affected by the audit.

Application Purpose: To automate and simplify the process of tracking
all documentation necessary for audits.
Current process: The process is manual and outdated, and change is
necessary in order to enable a more efficient,
streamlined audit tracking process.
Multiple individuals are involved in the process, so
the automation of the business process will also
reduce chance of duplicate efforts made within the
team.
How would you prepare for your first client interview?
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