Questions-for-Interviewing-Stakeholders

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The purpose of this article is to assist the business analyst engaged in the elicitation of
stakeholder requirements. The key to any successful elicitation is asking the right questions
whether it be in interviews or a facilitation session. Although the right questions are dependent
on the solution scope, there are generic questions that the business analyst can use to start the
elicitation regardless of the solution scope. The author begins the article using a mind map to
capture keywords of generic questions and then provides a list of generic questions drawn from
that map of which specific solution scope questions can be added by the business analyst.

As a professional instructor for business analysis and project management, I am often asked by
students what questions they should ask stakeholders during the elicitation interviews. Of course
the answer is that it depends on the solution scope. However, the business analysis team can use
a list of generic questions as a start for all the interviews.

With this in mind, I have developed a list of generic questions. I started first with a mind map to
organize my thoughts. With the purpose (Stakeholder Interview Questions) in the center of the
map, I branched out in four need directions or threads: Business, Capabilities, Change, and
System. For the first three threads, I associated targets of key stakeholder, user and sponsor. For
needs involving a system, I associated targets of conditions and legacy; assistance from a
systems analyst may be needed for these targets. Then for each target, I related question
keywords. Note that the project manager may be the more appropriate role to cover the change
branch since it deals with project execution questions even though solution scope changes may
be discussed.

The mind map (Figure 1) is below, followed by a list of questions derived from the map
keywords.

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Key Stakeholder Purpose is to capture business requirements that trace
back to the stated business needs provided in the project
vision and scope.
• Describe how your organization fits into the
company?
• How does your organization contribute to the
strategic plan of your company?
• Where are your organization’s locations?
• What is your management organization structure?
• What are the processes of your organization? What
business decisions (business rules) are made in your
processes? Who owns the processes? What process
measurements are used? What regulations are
abided by?
• Who are your suppliers and what do they provide
your organization? Who are your customers
(internal/external) and what does your organization
provide them?
• How does the organization measure its success?
• How does the organization obtain feedback from its
customers?
• Are there any significant organization events during
the year?
• What is the single item which will make this
organization more successful?
• What is the single item which will make this
organization less successful?
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 • On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being highest) where
would you put this organization regarding the risk to
the company and why?
• What doesn't get enough (or gets too much)
attention in the organization?

User Questions Purpose is to capture user requirements for later

analysis. During analysis, the business analyst develops
solution requirements.
If a system solution is needed, then system functional
requirements that describe the capabilities of the system
are a result of the analysis. These system functional
requirements must trace back to the user requirement
which in turn trace back to the business requirements.
• Describe your role in the organization?
• What are your major responsibilities? What
business decisions (business rules) do you make in
your job?
• With whom do you interact to carry out your
responsibilities?
• What information do you use in your job? What
forms do you use?
• What computer systems do you use in your job? Are
there any events for which the system provides
alerts? Are there any new alerts needed?
• How do you measure success in your job?
• What is occurring that is helping/inhibiting you to
do your job?
• What skills are needed in your present job?
• What training did you receive for your present job?
• What would you change about the way you carry
out your responsibilities?
• What do you see as the major critical issues facing
the organization?
• What areas for improvement have you observed?

Condition Questions Purpose is to capture the environmental conditions that

(assuming system solution) are needed along with the capabilities of the system.
These are referred to as nonfunctional requirements or
possibly quality of service requirements if used in a
service level agreement.

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 • How quick do you need for the system to respond?
• How many users will use the system at the same
time? What is the user growth expected?
• When does the system need to be available?
• Are there any environmental considerations for the
system (weather, heat, cold, sunlight, humidity,
power, etc.)?
• What type of on-line help is needed for novices?
What short-cuts are needed for power users?
• What formal system training is needed? What
formal system documentation is needed?
• What frequency of backups is needed? How long do
transactions need to be retained? For extensive
outages, what disaster backup and recovery are
needed?
• What level of security is needed? What audit
requirements are needed?

Legacy Questions Purpose is to capture system transition requirements

(assuming migration from an old to needed for a smooth system implementation. These
a new system) requirements are one-time events needed for production
cutover.
• Does a legacy system need to continue for a period
of time after the new system is implemented?
• Do any data files or business rules need to be
converted upon implementation of the new system?

Sponsor Questions Purpose is to capture feedback how change needs to be

managed and if there is any possibility for
improvements to the project.
• In your opinion what are the project risks? What are
the chances of success vs. failure? Why?
• How will you measure the success of the project?
How will you measure the success of the business
impact of the project?
• If you received additional funding for this project,
what would you do with it?
• If you received additional time for the project, what
would you do?
• What items could be discarded from the project plan
and no one would notice or care?
• If you could have anyone in the world work on this
project, who would it be and why would you want
that person?
• What information do you want to keep abreast
concerning this project?
• How often and by what means would you prefer to
be informed about this project?

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I recommend the business analysis team start with this generic list and augment it with solution
scope specific questions. During or after elicitation, the team then needs to validate and analyze
the answers and develop solution requirements using appropriate modeling and traceability
techniques. Good luck with your interviews.

Author:Mr. Monteleone holds a B.S. in physics and an M.S. in computing science from Texas
A&M University. He is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP®) by the Project
Management Institute (PMI®), a Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP®) by the
International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA®), a Certified ScrumMaster (CSMTM) and
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPOTM) by the Scrum Alliance. He holds an Advanced
Master's Certificate in Project Management and a Business Analyst Certification (CBA®) from
George Washington University School of Business. Mark is also a member of the Association
for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE) and the International Association of
Facilitators (IAF). Mark is the President of Monteleone Consulting, LLC and can be contacted
via e-mail - mark.a.monteleone@sbcglobal.net.

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