Consultants experience of requirements elicitation conversations - An empirical model

Research continues to show that poor requirements elicitation leads to costly information systems failure. We also know that the most Information can be obtained by a consultant conducting conversations with clients. Research was conducted into consultants’ experience of these conversations. Twenty professionals involved in these conversations were interviewed and Phenomenographic analysis of all of the quotes within transcripts from these interviews was undertaken. The analysis resulted in a list of five distinctly different ways in which these conversations can be experienced by consultants. These are given the labels: domination, manipulation, problem resolution, negotiation and partnership. The labels are attached to a range of attributes where differences were found in the data. These well defined categories of description allow us to structure professional development and to clarify future research efforts.