Having a structured conversation
Let's face it: having conversations is difficult. People tend to drift, topics are digressed from, and a myriad of other distractions may occur. A structured conversation is about focusing on specific aims and having a game plan when discussing requirements.
When should you use structured conversation? When having synchronous, interactive communication with the stakeholders, such as face-to-face, telephone, or internet meetings.
To have a fruitful conversation with the stakeholders and to be able to discern and capture their requirements, we need to structure our conversation with them in a very specific way:
- Identify the type of stakeholder you are conversing with. If they are a business sponsor – in other words, a non-acting stakeholder – then their goals will be accomplished through the interaction of some actors with our system. For instance, a security officer will aim to preserve system security. Her goals will...
