What are the key elements and sections of a requirements elicitation document template?

1 Project overview

The first section of your template should provide a brief summary of the project background, objectives, scope, and constraints. This section helps you set the context and purpose of the requirements elicitation process and align it with the project goals and vision. You should also include the key stakeholders, their roles and responsibilities, and their involvement in the requirements elicitation process.

2 Elicitation methods

The second section of your template should describe the methods and techniques you will use to elicit the requirements from the stakeholders. You should explain the rationale, advantages, and disadvantages of each method, as well as the expected outcomes and deliverables. Some common elicitation methods are interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, prototyping, observation, brainstorming, and document analysis. You should also specify the schedule, location, and participants of each elicitation activity.

3 Requirements categories

The third section of your template should define the categories or types of requirements you will elicit and document. Requirements can be classified into different levels, such as business, user, functional, non-functional, or technical requirements. They can also be grouped into different domains, such as product, process, or data requirements. You should explain the criteria, format, and notation you will use to identify, label, and organize the requirements in each category.

4 Requirements traceability

The fourth section of your template should describe how you will track and link the requirements to their sources, dependencies, and related artifacts. Requirements traceability helps you ensure the completeness, consistency, and validity of the requirements, as well as their alignment with the project objectives and stakeholder needs. You should define the traceability matrix, attributes, and tools you will use to record and maintain the relationships between the requirements and other elements, such as stakeholder profiles, use cases, test cases, or design specifications.

5 Requirements validation

The fifth section of your template should outline how you will verify and confirm the accuracy, clarity, feasibility, and acceptability of the requirements. Requirements validation helps you identify and resolve any errors, ambiguities, conflicts, or gaps in the requirements, as well as obtain feedback and approval from the stakeholders. You should define the validation criteria, methods, and techniques you will use to review, test, and evaluate the requirements, such as inspections, walkthroughs, simulations, or demonstrations.

6 Requirements management

The sixth section of your template should describe how you will manage the changes, issues, and risks that may affect the requirements during the project lifecycle. Requirements management helps you control and communicate the impact and implications of any modifications, additions, or deletions to the requirements, as well as mitigate any potential problems or threats. You should define the change management process, roles, and responsibilities, as well as the issue and risk management strategies, tools, and measures.