Cards, Conversation, Confirmation: Interviewing Skills for Agile Requirements

Valuable products start with understanding the needs of the customers-what they want and how they will use the product. Agile projects commonly capture customer needs as user stories-notes written on cards as a reminder to have an in-depth conversation when development begins. Most customers aren't born with the ability to communicate clearly and unambiguously-whether in stories or conversations-with fully formed requirements statements. Developers must learn to ask the right questions, draw out pertinent information, and understand the customer’s world. In this interactive session, Esther Derby presents four types of questions-context-free, open, closed, and multiple choice-and explores with participants when to use them, when not to use them, and ways to move forward when questions lead to a dead-end. Learn the signals that tell you when to probe for more information and recognize the deadliest sin of customer conversation. Practice what you've learned during the class and return to work with new interviewing and elicitation tools.