Welcome to another of our webinars in which we delve into some of the techniques we teach in the course in more detail or discuss some of the issues that affect business analysts. In this session we will go more deeply into the most common technique used by any business analyst, that of the stakeholder interview.

This can be one of the most difficult techniques to use, and there is always something new to learn about how to conduct an interview.

Let’s get straight into it and explore in more detail the intricacies of conducting an interview with our users.

Why Should a Business Analyst Hold an Interview? 

The first purpose for an interview would have course be to explore the existing system. This is usually the first thing we have to do when beginning a new project, that is to understand the existing system which will be replaced by a new one or enhanced in some way.

Other contexts may be to define the business goals and objectives of the project, or to drill down and understand the project contexts and the conditions under which it will operate in more detail.

A business analyst will always want to understand processes, procedures and structures that are in place in an existing system. Alternatively, the analyst will seek requirements for the new system within the constraints under which it will operate.

Experienced business analysts will also look for the informal information flows and collaborations that occur between the users, because these can be the most crucial requirements of all. Not everything will be automated by the existing application, or the new solution once it is implemented.

Outside of this automation boundary there will be interactions that occur between people, often ones which are not documented. The analyst needs to understand how the people work as a team, not just how they interact with the system.

What Can an Interview Do For a Business Analyst? 

The interview is not just to elicit facts and figures or to develop process models, they can also be to establish the opinions and beliefs of the people who will use the system. These can often be more important in revealing than the facts about the system itself.

Never underestimate the importance of people’s feelings about the existing system or their wishes for requirements in the new system. These can have emotional value to the people. We need to understand the morale and culture of the users. We need to capture their emotions and attitudes. In this way we will begin to understand the type of solution which would be successful for them, in their environment and within the context of their team culture.

The interview will also define the goals of the stakeholders and what they need from the new system. It will define their desires for the future and the direction they want their team, department or the organisation to follow.

A crucial element of the interview is to also build up a relationship with stakeholders, and establish their trust. It is possibly the most important thing to do. Unless the users believe that you are interested and committed to finding the best solution for them they will not trust you with their future. The credibility of the business analyst is a most important factor to the success of the business analyst.

Communicating with the Interviewee

The most important factor in the success of the interview is of course the interviewee. The business analyst needs access to their knowledge and skills. They are the ones who know what the true requirements are to ensure the success of any solution.

Business analysts are there to provide communication between the users and IT. They should understand that users can be intimidated by IT, and the business analyst should behave sympathetically to their feelings. Any change can be fearful to the users, and the business analyst should behave in a way that is sensitive to their potential fears.

The interviewee can be motivated by their fears and needs on one side, but also by their hopes and ambitions on the other, and above all by the need to be understood. They want to know how any changes will impact upon their job, responsibilities, influence and even power. Senior managers will be concerned about their power base. Professionals and more junior staff will be worried about job satisfaction, and ultimately job security.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in Interviews

Business analysts need to have an understanding of the way in which people’s beliefs and needs operate within their minds. One model for understanding this is called Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. This is illustrated by the pyramid in the diagram.

The pyramid illustrates begins with basic survival at the bottom, through to our highest aspirational needs at the top. At the bottom we can see the need for sustenance. This is the basic need for good health and a basic salary which will enable us to live comfortably. This is the minimum in a modern society.

Above this, we would like stability. No one likes change unless we are initiating the change and can control it. We desire security and confidence in the future. We dislike the unknown. We would like to know that we have the future planned out. This can work out in practice as, for example, having a superannuation plan.

Once we have the basics met, then we want to know that we are valuable and are making a contribution. Friendship and belonging are measures of that self-worth. These can work out as being part of a working team or group of friends.

Our esteem can be fully met when we believe we are respected and have status within our situation, either at work or among our friends. A practical example would be a senior job title which demands respect.

The ultimate need is to know that we have achieved our dreams, or have a challenging job, or completed a task which was very difficult. These confirm our highest aspirations.

Communicating with Different Kinds of Interviewees

Now let’s consider what happens during the interview with the interviewee. The business analyst should be aware of the body language, the dress code, behaviour and verbal language of the interviewee. These are ways to understand their desires, their needs and even their agendas.

Be careful not to stereotype people by these parameters. Some anxiety during an interview is common and should not be thought of as a permanent feature of their personality.

The business analyst should adjust the approach to the interview according to what is detected. Impatience and anger should be dealt with tactfully, but firmly because we still have a job to do. Anxiety and fearfulness should be counteracted with friendliness and reassurance. If the interviewee appears to be dishonest, misleading or to have a hidden agenda, then the business analyst should be asking questions more closely and confirm any answers from another source where possible.

Combating Interviewer Bias 

The interviewer should be aware of their own biases and preconceptions of the situation and not allow them to interfere with a neutral attitude to investigating what the true requirements are. To be biased will prevent the business analyst from gathering the true requirements, instead of the requirements they believe the user wants. These will inevitably be incorrect.

Sources of bias would be the business analyst’s education, upbringing, intellectual attitudes and emotions. Being professional at all times will ensure that a good attitude will deduce the real requirements that are needed to provide the correct solution to the users.

How to Act in a Business Analyst Interview

The interviewer should understand and adjust to the interviewees personality and motivation. They should endeavour to win their confidence, respect and ultimately their cooperation. As we’ve said already it is imperative that the users have confidence in the business analyst and the job they will do in documenting their requirements, needs and aspirations. They are trusting the business analyst with their future.

The business analyst must actively listen to the user and know what they are actually saying. They must not impose their own judgements or beliefs on top of what the interviewer is actually saying. It’s imperative that the truth about what the user is saying comes through in the requirements. Otherwise the business analyst will fail and the requirements will be rejected by the users and not signed off.

Preparing a Business Analyst Interview

What to do Before the Interview? 

So let’s have a look at a few steps that should be followed by the business analyst before going into the interview.

The first step is always to examine existing documentation where it exists. Look for the language and terminology used by managers and stakeholders. Try to build a common understanding of the current system, processes and environment in which users operate. It will help to build relationships and establish the confidence of the users, if we show that we already have some knowledge of their situation and can accurately use their jargon.

Be careful not to use their jargon unless you truly understand what it means. It can be very embarrassing when you are picked up for use in a term incorrectly. Users often believe everyone understands their terminology.

Second step is to define the objectives of the interview. There is no point setting up a meeting unless it has an objective and success can be measured, so that we know when we have achieved what we set out to do.

Establish in advance who are the correct people to interview. The business analyst at this point should halve developed an understanding of who the key users of the system are, and who has the most complete knowledge of the requirements.

Consideration should be given to those who seek to impede the project, and a strategy should be developed as to how to deal with them. They should not be ignored, because they can justifiably complain that their requirements were not taken into account. Equally their opposition should be taken into account when interviewing or interacting with them in any way. They must be included in the analysis process.

Preparing to Interview Stakeholders 

The next step is to prepare the interviewee for the interview. The best way to allay their fears or their opposition is to inform them of the objectives and expectations placed upon them in advance. Once they understand the interview will take place and why it must take place, give them time to think about how they will approach the interview so that they can define any issues they have in advance. That way they can have confidence that they can make a contribution to the interview.

The final step is to decide what type of structure to give the interview. For example, do we need to ask open questions which will elicit opinions, ideas and potential issues. Alternatively, are we just after facts and figures and should be asking closed questions which have short definite answers. Should the interview be highly structured because it’s a formal meeting, or can it be conducted in an unstructured manner even over a coffee.

Open vs Closed Questions for a Business Analyst Interview

Pros & Cons of Open Questions

This brings us to the question of open and closed questions and which to use.

Open questions are used when we do not know what the answer is likely to be. When we want to obtain rich detailed explanations of how the system works, to reveal the needs interests and opinions of the users in detail. When we want to pick up vocabulary beliefs and values of the interviewee. They also help to put the interviewee at ease allowing them to express themselves in their own way.

The disadvantage of course is that we will get some details that are irrelevant, we lose some control over the interview and they are more time-consuming. However, it is often necessary to accept these disadvantages.

Pros & Cons of Closed Questions

Closed questions are used when we know there are only a few valid answers and we need to know what the definitive correct answer is. For example, where the answer is a definitive yes or no, or where the answer is a single number.

The advantages of closed questions are that they are quick, they allow us to control the interview, all the detail is relevant and it is easy to compare answers with other interviewees. The disadvantage here is that they do not provide the rich data we might need, highlight key issues we might not be aware of, they do not help to build rapport with the user and can be quite boring.

Questioning Techniques for a Business Analyst Interview

There are some rules that must be obeyed when we ask questions. Always use probing questions to elicit the answer that is needed.

Always avoid leading questions that suggest to the user that we want a certain answer, or that a certain type of answer is the correct one.

Always go prepared with a list of questions to be asked. This enables subjects to be tackled in logical order. It also avoids long silences when we reach the end of a topic while the business analyst is thinking of what the next topic should be.

A useful technique to ensure that you have all the detail and have understood it, is reflection. To do a reflection you repeat the answer back to the user to make sure that you have understood it correctly. For example, we can say, “Let me make sure I have this straight. You send an email to the client, then…”.

Structured vs Unstructured Interviews

Let’s have a look at structured and unstructured interviews.

Structured interviews are very formal with all questions planned in advance. The same wording and word order is followed, very formally and all interviewees are asked the same questions.

Unstructured interviews cover general topics of discussion. They may be planned to some extent but not as rigidly as a structured interview. The order and wording of questions is not rigidly planned. There is more scope for allowing the user to express themselves in their own words.

Structured interviews tend to be used with senior managers who expect certain behaviours and processes to be followed. Unstructured interviews are more common with junior users who actually use the system and have detailed knowledge we seek.

What Not To Do When Conducting An Interview

This slide might seem obvious to anyone who has worked as a business analyst before, but it must be said. There are certain things we never do as business analysts conducting an interview. We do not argue with the user, lose our temper, appear to be superior to them in any way, criticise their answers or enter conjecture into their answer. These are simple things to avoid which can expose the business analyst as being unprofessional, and can disrupt the relationship with the stakeholders.

Do not use inappropriate jargon, such as complex IT terminology. This can intimidate the user.

An essential practice is not to move on to another topic until you have fully understood the current subject. It can be difficult to return to the topic later with the same user.

Finally, it is essential never to assume that we are getting the whole truth from a single user. Answers should always be corroborated from more than one source wherever possible.

Wrapping Up Interviews 

To complete our webinar today let’s just recap some of the golden rules that we’ve discussed in our travels.

Don’t believe everything you told, but corroborate everything that you are told against another source if possible.

Reflect back the main points to the user if there is any doubt about understanding exactly what was said.

Finally, at the end of all interviews, the business analyst should send an email or some kind of communication to the interviewee with notes about the main points that were discussed. This has two purposes. One is to give you the confidence that what you have gathered as requirements is sound. The second is that even if the requirements do not have to be signed off, the interviewee cannot change their mind later and claim that that is not what they said. The email acts as a confirmation of what was said even if no signoff his required. It gives some protection to the business analyst that the requirements are accurate, and cannot be denied by the interviewee later.

The post Business Analyst Interviews appeared first on IRM Training.

Face-to-face contact remains one of the most effective methods for gathering information, but it’s all too easy to get it wrong. We ask the wrong questions, treat it as an informal chat, create a bad impression and lose credibility. An interview needs planning and a clear picture of what the interview objectives are.

In this extract from our Requirements Gathering & Specification workshop we’ll look at some proven tips and techniques for ensuring a successful information gathering interview, whatever the title or position of the person being interviewed.

What is an interview?

As mentioned, an interview is not an unplanned discussion or an informal chat, although it needs elements of both to be successful. You, the interviewer, are seeking information from a stakeholder, client, user or other person who is directly affected by the project you are working on. As such you will need to plan out the topics you want to cover, yet allow flexibility to explore new areas. The person being interviewed (the interviewee) must feel they have been given a fair hearing and not interrogated.

Think of an interview as having three phases – the preparation you do beforehand, how you conduct the interview itself and then the follow up. We’ll look at all of these shortly.

A word on personalities – often you will be interviewing people who have vastly more knowledge of their business area than you. How do you convince them that an interview with you is worth their time? How often have you heard the expression I’m not wasting my time teaching you about MY business?

Keep in mind that your speciality is business analysis and not knowledge of their business. Your job is to help them solve a business problem or take advantage of an opportunity. If they were any good at business analysis they might be able to do this themselves but until this happens, they need you. Explaining this diplomatically however is a skill only learned with practice!!

Before the interview

All interviews are different, but every successful one involves preparation. First, what do you want to achieve at the interview – what are your objectives?

Objectives

If it’s the first interview on a new project then your objective should be to establish the Terms of Reference (also called a Project Charter or Project Brief). Typically this includes a concise statement of what the problem or opportunity is, together with a description of what your client wants to achieve. Focus on the what not the how. Note that objectives can be tested by seeing if they solve the problem.

For a Terms of Reference you will also need to establish the scope of the project (this department but not that one) together with constraints (e.g. time, money). In this first interview you’ll also be looking for likely savings and benefits (at a high level) and to identify the project sponsor and stakeholders/users.

In subsequent interviews you’ll be looking for more details and your objectives may well cover topics such as business functionality – what the proposed solution needs to do (functional requirements) as well as performance and implementation considerations (nonfunctional requirements). Just don’t try to cover too much in each interview. Be realistic in setting objectives based on the time constraints of the person being interviewed.

Interview Checklist

Naturally you’ll have reviewed any available documentation as part of your preparation. There may be annual reports or operational reviews which will provide background information. The first interview could be the result of a written request from your client outlining their needs. Discuss this with your team but be careful of thinking up potential solutions. The most important objective of the first meeting is to establish, and gain agreement, as to exactly what the problem or opportunity is. Not everyone can explain clearly and unambiguously what their needs are – this is where you come in.

You’ll need a guide, a checklist, of all the points you want to cover in the meeting. No one can remember everything that needs to be asked – a checklist demonstrates preparation and professionalism.

Make a list of all the topics you want to cover (don’t sequence them yet), then for each topic list the information you want to obtain. A little research on the person to be interviewed – their role and responsibilities –will help in keeping your information gathering relevant. Once you’ve done this you can sequence the topics and sequence the questions within the topics. Look for a sequence of topics that will allow the interview to flow – just like a conversation.

In the following example (the first interview with a business manager) we’ve started with questions which will establish background facts and data before moving on to the meat of the interview – the business requirements. If you know a lot of the background data already and just want to verify a few points, then say so. This shows that you’ve done your homework.

In this example we’ve deliberately avoided writing out the questions in detail. How the questions are asked, and the wording used, will have a major impact on the success of the interview. We’ll be covering this shortly.

It may be appropriate to send an agenda before the meeting. If you do, avoid sending the complete checklist, they may be tempted to have someone else answer your “routine” questions. Keep the agenda you send brief – just the most important topic, the business requirements. As for the “routine” questions, you want to hear the answers in the interviewee’s own words.

Timing

How long should an interview run – how much information can you take in at a time? When it comes to meetings, most people work in one hour increments but if they’re running late or have another meeting to go to afterwards the one hour can easily shrink to 45 minutes. Ask for an hour and a half but aim to finish in one. Then if you do overrun you’ve got some contingency time – and if you finish early it will be appreciated.

During the interview, nothing’s worse than running out of time before you’ve got through all of your important questions. In the example interview guide above, don’t spend more than about 15 minutes on the background data. You can always return to this at a later time. Allow yourself 5-10 minutes at the end of the interview to summarise and agree the next steps. The majority of the interview time should be spent on the most important topics. Before the interview try a walkthrough of your interview guide. How long will each section realistically take? Do you need to drop some of the fact finding questions or find out the information in a different way?

Conducting the Interview

The first few interviews you conduct on your own will always be nerve racking – where do I start, how do I avoid wasting time, how do I maintain credibility? Overcoming these hurdles is a mixture of preparation and experience. Focus on your objectives – what you want out of the interview – but keep in mind that it’s a two-way discussion between individuals. The interviewee will also want to get some key points across to you.

Recording Information

Many people struggle with this issue, even the more experienced analyst. How do I write things down and listen at the same time? Losing eye contact and worse, missing what the person has said because you’re still trying to write down the last item, soon leads to a very disjointed interview. Some ways around this include:

• Don’t write things down word for word – sometimes keywords and phrases are sufficient memory joggers as you should review your notes straight after the interview while it’s still fresh in your mind.
• Try writing without looking at your notepad – deceptively easy once you’ve tried it a few times. Practice while watching the TV news. It doesn’t matter that it’s not particularly neat, as long as you can understand it.
• Use blank paper – some people like to prepare a form (e.g. a table) with questions in one column and space for answers in a second column. But what happens when you run out of space – pretty soon your notes are all over the place. Notice how the questions in the interview guide are numbered. Just use the numbers as headings and write as little or as much as you need.
• Mind mapping – popularised by Tony Buzan, mind maps provide another way of writing down keywords. They can help both in taking notes and, later, in making sense of your notes by showing the flow of the meeting and its outcomes. There is no right or wrong way to draw a mind map. If you’re using a note book, it’s a good idea to use the unlined side of the page (lines can be distracting) and to keep the paper in landscape mode (we tend to draw horizontal oval shapes because it helps to write in the words). We are after speed not neatness.
• Recording devices – great in theory but off-putting for many people. Even if the interviewee agrees, you may find they are guarded in what they say.

Interview structure: start – middle – end

Interviews are often arranged by others so it never hurts to introduce yourself, your role and the agenda. If it’s the first interview (as in the previous interview guide example) tell the interviewee you want to check the background facts first, before covering the business requirements. At the end of the interview you’d like to agree the action plan with them. As mentioned, it’s vital that the various topics are covered in a logical sequence. Information acquired in a disjointed manner is confusing and often misunderstood. Badly structured interviews cover the same ground several times and become exhausting as both user and analyst struggle for understanding.

Questions, questions, questions

How you ask your questions and the wording you use are at the heart of any interview. Direct questions using simple phrasing work best. It’s not for nothing that the words what, why, when, how, where, who form the basis of police investigations, research projects and newspaper reporting.

Use open questions when you don’t know much about the topic – could you explain to me how…, what are the key issues that you face? Use closed questions (yes/no answers) to pin down the detail. Try to use a conversational style to your language, you’re after a natural dialogue, not interrogation by the numbers.

Ask for clarification if you’ve not understood something. You can restate key points in your own words or repeat a word they’ve just said (a noun works best) as a question. This creates a natural pause in the conversation without appearing to be rude. It shows you’re listening but seeking clarification.

Don’t take everything that’s said at face value. You may need to ask other people to verify the information or ask the question again, but in another way. After the interview you’ll also be able to ‘work’ the information, to see how it fits with other data and calculations.

When information is varied and opinionated you will need to be diplomatic. Be careful not to infer that you’ve been led up the garden path by someone. Rather – I’m a bit confused about … perhaps you could clarify it for me?

When you believe that information is incorrect there is another possibility – you have misunderstood the answers. Perhaps your questions were ambiguous? You can ask a question in another way to check understanding, and of course you can ask others. If the answers don’t make sense, then something is wrong.

Repeating your understanding in your own words to as many people as possible is a good test. Eventually you’ll be formally writing it down and probably presenting it to an audience and then you’ll be checking it again – but by this stage you’ll want to be confident that you’ve got it right.

Expect questions from the interviewee as well. It would be unrealistic of them to ask for your thoughts on a solution straight away – and risky for you to offer one – but they may ask how you will you use the information you’re gathering? Make sure you’re clear on why you’re asking each question, how you will use the information and be prepared to explain it.

Listening

During a first interview you’ll usually be focused on information gathering, rather than interpreting what’s said. As you get into more and more detail about how the current system or process operates (usually in subsequent interviews) you’ll find there are always exceptions to the stated business rules and procedures. Anticipate that some will always exist but don’t make decisions on how they should be handled – you are merely identifying them. Listen for clue words which can alert you to exceptions – mostly…usually…normally…sometimes. You can also prompt for exceptions by asking direct questions such as – do you ever have a situation where….?

The interviewee may make statements like we expect turnover to increase by 17% without explaining how. This might be achieved by increasing prices, by more sales or by expansion into other markets. Knowing the how will be helpful to you.

What if…….

You’ll need to be flexible and allow for supplementary questions if the interviewee raises new ideas or topics you haven’t considered. Keep an eye on timing though as you don’t want to get sidetracked.

Some people have a very clear idea of their requirements, others may be stuck in the past. Or they may not be able to explain what they need in a way they think you’ll understand. Try asking them to dream up what they would like to see happen if they had some magic wand available to make it come to pass. Often a totally new way of thinking can emerge and you may just be the catalyst.

Emotions and personalities

It’s difficult to be cool, calm and collected all the time. Staying objective is hard and emotions can often take over, particularly if there’s a difference of personalities. Just stay focused on the job at hand and avoid arguing, criticising, lecturing or appearing superior. If the interview still goes badly then, unfortunately, you may have come up against a difficult character. This does happen and talking it through with your manager or a colleague can give you some fresh ideas for tackling the problem.

Wrapping things up

Hopefully you will have completed all your questions and clarified any issues you were uncertain about. However, if you’ve run out of time, set up another appointment now. If you need to conduct more interviews with junior staff, ask for permission.

Every interview should have a deliverable, whether it’s a formal document, minutes of what was discussed or just a verbal report. Agree what this will be before you leave and tell the person what your next steps are. If someone has given you an hour of their time, let them know it’s appreciated. A manager or executive will have a very clear idea of what they expect from you but someone at the operational level (e.g. a user of the current system) may feel that their views are not important. Telling them how their input will be used is a lot more rewarding than a brief thankyou as you make your exit.

After the interview

Have you achieved your objectives? You’ll need to consolidate your notes and analyse the information before you can answer this question. If you’re preparing a document such as a Terms of Reference, start fleshing out the headings. This will help you to identify any information that’s still missing.

If you think you’ve succeeded and are ready to publish your Terms of Reference then send it as a draft to the interviewee. This allows them the opportunity to correct any mistakes or assumptions you’ve made and gives them a sense of ownership.

How did you go?

Take some time to review your own performance. What worked well, what could you have done better? Go through your interview guide to see how relevant or useful each of the questions was.

In your career as a business analyst you’ll be working on many different projects but how you communicate with people stays very consistent. The checklists and guides that you develop can be used many times over so it’s always worth fine tuning them.

A final word – keep in mind that during an interview you want the interviewee to talk as much as possible. The interview is about them, not you. Some of the best TV interviewers – Michael Parkinson, Andrew Denton for example – succeed because they bring no ego to the interview. They’re not trying to make a point or demonstrate their skills. It’s all about the person sitting opposite them.

Article last updated 30th April 2018. 

Download the paper here: How to Interview Your Boss

Learn more about interviews and practise interview scenarios on our Requirements Gathering & Specification workshop.

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