Elicitation in Agile Methodology

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Elicitation in Agile methodology refers to the process of gathering, understanding, and refining requirements through continuous interaction with stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle. Unlike traditional methods, Agile treats elicitation as an ongoing activity rather than a one-time event.

Key Features of Elicitation in Agile:

1. Continuous Interaction: Agile involves regular meetings, such as sprint planning, reviews, and retrospectives, to gather and refine requirements.
2. User Stories: Requirements are captured as user stories, which are short, simple descriptions of features from the user's perspective. These are prioritized in the product backlog.
3. Iterative Feedback: Requirements are continuously reviewed and adjusted based on feedback from each sprint, allowing the project to adapt to new insights or changing needs.
4. Collaboration: Elicitation involves close collaboration between the development team and stakeholders, ensuring that the product remains aligned with user needs and business goals.

How Elicitation in Agile Differs from Waterfall Methodology

1. Timing and Approach:

• Agile: Elicitation is an ongoing process. Requirements are gathered and refined throughout the project, allowing for flexibility and adaptation as new information emerges or priorities change.
• Waterfall: Elicitation is typically performed upfront during the requirements phase. The requirements are expected to be fully defined before development begins, making changes more challenging once the project is underway.

2. Flexibility:

• Agile: Agile embraces change and adapts requirements as needed based on iterative feedback. This flexibility allows teams to respond quickly to evolving needs or market conditions.
• Waterfall: Once development starts, changes to requirements are more difficult and costly to implement. The Waterfall model follows a linear, sequential approach, where each phase must be completed before the next begins.

3. Stakeholder Involvement:

• Agile: Stakeholders are actively involved throughout the project. Regular feedback and collaboration ensure that requirements are continuously aligned with their needs.
• Waterfall: Stakeholder involvement is often limited to the initial requirements-gathering phase. There may be less frequent interaction once the project moves into the development and testing phases.

4. Requirement Definition:

• Agile: Requirements are defined incrementally through user stories and are refined based on ongoing feedback. This approach allows for the gradual development of features and functionalities.
• Waterfall: Requirements are defined in detail at the beginning of the project. The focus is on creating a comprehensive requirements document that guides the entire development process.

5. Adaptation and Risk Management:

• Agile: Agile's iterative nature allows for early detection and resolution of issues. Continuous feedback helps identify and address risks throughout the project.
• Waterfall: Risks are often identified later in the project lifecycle, making it harder to address issues that arise from misunderstandings or changing requirements.

Summary: In Agile methodology, elicitation is a dynamic and collaborative process that evolves with the project. It contrasts with the Waterfall methodology, where requirements are gathered upfront and changes are more challenging to incorporate. Agile’s iterative approach ensures that the product remains aligned with stakeholder needs and adapts to changes more effectively.

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