What is requirement gathering method in project management?

Question

Is the requirement gathering method in projects called when a group tries to find a solution for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members?

Answer 1

These sections of the PMBOK (Project Management Book of Knowledge) form the basis of what you're looking for.

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Part 1, Chapter 5 (Project Scope Management)

• Section 5.2 (Collect Requirements) and its three subsections;
• 5.2.1 (Collect Requirements: Inputs)
• 5.2.2 (Collect Requirements: Tools and Techniques
• 5.2.3 (Collect Requirements: Outputs)

Collect Requirements is the process of determining, documenting and managing stakeholder needs and requirements to meet objectives. The key benefit of this process is that it provides the basis for defining the product scope and project scope. This process is performed once or at predefined points in the project.

Here's a chart of the inputs, tools & techniques, and outputs of this process. (As you can see, Brainstorming is a type of Data Gathering under the Tools & Techniques section.)

Here's a data flow diagram of the process.

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Part 2, Chapter 3 (Planning Process Group)

• Section 3.3 (Collect Requirements) and its two subsections
• 3.3.1 (Project Management Plan Components)
• 3.3.2 (Project Documents Examples)

Here are the input and outputs of this process:

Examples of project management plan components that may be inputs for this process include, but are not limited to:

• Scope management plan,
• Requirements management plan, and
• Stakeholder engagement plan.

Examples of project documents that may be inputs for this process include but are not limited to:

• Assumption log,
• Lessons learned register, and
• Stakeholder register.

Answer 2

No. that's called brainstorming.

Requirement gathering is when the process of deciding which functionality and features will be included in the product and in which platform it will run.

To do that you need to ask Marketing what the users want, the Engineers for what is possible to build Product Management for what is the minimum/maximum effect you're aiming to produce, and in what budget.

Answer 3

These are the steps of gathering requirements:

1. Ask Questions to domain experts
2. Analyze and observe the old process and opportunities to add features
3. Create prototype
4. Brainstorming is a must... if you put quality time on it, then you will ask questions and in return you will have answers. Make an activity or flow diagram based on what you have gathered... most important is "Listen, note and verify"
5. Do workshops in department functional body