Systematically collect, document, and validate requirements from stakeholders. Ensure clarity, completeness, and agreement before development begins to reduce scope creep and rework.

Requirements Gathering Table of Contents [Overview]( overview) [When to Use]( when to use) [Quick Start]( quick start) [Reference Guides]( reference guides) [Best Practices]( best practices) Overview Effective requirements gathering establishes a shared understanding of what will be built, preventing misalignment and expensive changes later in the project. When to Use Project kickoff and planning Feature development initiation Product roadmap planning System modernization projects Customer discovery Stakeholder alignment sessions Writing user stories and acceptance criteria Quick Start Minimal working example: Reference Guides Detailed implementations in the references/ directory: Guide Contents [Stakeholder Discovery](references/stakeholder discovery.md) Stakeholder Discovery [Requirements Elicitation Techniques](references/requirements elicitation techniques.md) Requirements Elicitation Techniques [Requirements Documentation](references/requirements documentation.md) Requirements Documentation [Requirement Validation & Sign Off](references/requirement validation sign off.md) Requirement Validation & Sign Off [Requirements Traceability Matrix](references/requirements traceability matrix.md) Requirements Traceability Matrix Best Practices ✅ DO Engage all key stakeholders early Document requirements in writing Use specific, measurable language Define acceptance criteria Prioritize using MoSCoW method Get stakeholder sign off Create traceability matrix Review requirements regularly Distinguish must haves from nice to haves Document assumptions and constraints ❌ DON'T Rely on memory or verbal agreements Create requirements without stakeholder input Use ambiguous language (quickly, easily, etc.) Skip non functional requirements Ignore constraints and dependencies Over document trivial details Rush through requirements phase Build without stakeholder agreement Make scope changes without process Forget about edge cases and error conditions

requirements-gathering